In a groundbreaking announcement at an event in New York, Microsoft unveiled its innovative vision for Microsoft Copilot, a digital companion set to revolutionise the way businesses operate. This visionary tool will seamlessly integrate into various Microsoft platforms, including Bing, Edge, Microsoft 365, and Windows, creating a unified Copilot user experience that simplifies tasks and enhances productivity. As a trusted Microsoft partner, we are excited to educate businesses about the immense potential of this new offering.
A Unified Copilot Experience
To lay the foundation for this vision, Microsoft introduced a fresh visual identity—the Copilot icon—and a consistent user experience. The rollout will commence with Copilot integration in Windows, scheduled for September 26, followed by the introduction of Microsoft 365 Copilot for enterprise customers on November 1.
Microsoft Copilot for Windows (Available on September 26)
The Windows version of Copilot promises to empower users, making complex tasks simpler and reducing cognitive overload. With the Copilot icon readily accessible on the taskbar and a Win+C keyboard shortcut, it offers assistance alongside all your applications. This version will introduce the new Copilot icon, the revamped Copilot user experience, and Bing Chat. Importantly, it will be available to commercial customers for free.
Microsoft 365 Copilot (Available on November 1)
Microsoft 365 Copilot represents the pinnacle of AI assistance for businesses. This comprehensive solution incorporates enterprise-grade security, privacy, compliance, and responsible AI, ensuring that all data processing occurs securely within your Microsoft 365 tenant. Unlike its predecessors, Microsoft 365 Copilot transcends simple question-and-answer interactions. It possesses the ability to analyse a vast array of data, including emails, meetings, chats, documents, and web content, to solve complex workplace problems. Integrated seamlessly into Microsoft 365 Apps, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams, this advanced feature is already benefiting tens of thousands of enterprise users in the Early Access Program (EAP). Starting November 1, Microsoft 365 Copilot will be generally available to enterprise customers for $30 per user per month.
Microsoft 365 Chat: Your AI Assistant at Work
Microsoft 365 Copilot boasts a groundbreaking feature called Microsoft 365 Chat, which has rapidly evolved to provide unmatched utility. Functioning as a digital assistant, it boasts a deep understanding of users’ roles, priorities, and organisations, enabling it to swiftly locate relevant files, connect contextual information, and integrate with various business applications. Preview customers can already access this feature on Microsoft365.com or within Teams when signed in with their work account.
Expanding the Reach of Copilot
Microsoft is actively expanding the reach of Copilot, allowing a select group of consumers and small businesses to explore its capabilities. By scaling its usage, Microsoft aims to continue learning and refining the user experience.
Coping with the Modern Workday
In a world where workloads continue to grow, Copilot’s capabilities become indispensable. On any given workday, users face a multitude of tasks, including frequent searches, hundreds of emails and numerous Teams chats. Copilot is engineered to alleviate the burden of work, streamlining operations and enhancing productivity.
Unlocking Productivity and Creativity
Microsoft is committed to further enriching Copilot by integrating it into various Microsoft 365 applications. These updates, set to be generally available for commercial customers in November, include:
- Copilot in Outlook: This feature facilitates email management, enabling users to summarise email threads, draft emails that sound like them, and follow Teams meetings they couldn’t attend live, all within the Outlook interface.
- Copilot in Word: Transforming the writing process, this feature allows users to request summaries of documents, request paragraph rewrites, refine prompts, and save time on formatting.
- Copilot in Excel: Designed for data analysis, this feature facilitates data editing, formula addition, data filtering, sorting, and insightful queries.
- Copilot in OneNote: Enhancing organisation and preparation, this feature supports deeper insights, quick content summaries, and effective writing improvements.
Bing Chat Enterprise (Available on November 1)
Building on the foundation of Microsoft Copilot, Bing Chat Enterprise adds an essential layer of commercial data protection, ensuring that sensitive business data remains secure and confidential. This solution does not store chat data, eliminating any access by Microsoft and it does not employ user data for training large language models. Bing Chat Enterprise is available as a standalone service for $5 per user per month and is included in Microsoft 365 E3 and Microsoft 365 E5.
Bing Chat Enterprise in Microsoft Edge
Bing Chat Enterprise now extends its reach to the Microsoft Edge mobile app, offering multimodal visual search and Image Creator functionalities. With this expansion, users can harness the power of generative AI while safeguarding sensitive enterprise data.
Copilot in Windows
Copilot will be available on Windows 11 starting September 26, empowering users with assistance, productivity enhancements, and cognitive load reduction. IT administrators will gain control over its deployment within their enterprises, with Windows 365 Boot and Windows 365 Switch making it easier than ever to access Copilot across various devices.
In summary, Microsoft Copilot represents a significant leap in AI-driven digital assistance for businesses. Its integration across Microsoft platforms promises to simplify tasks, enhance productivity, and provide a secure environment for sensitive data. As a Microsoft partner, we are thrilled to introduce you to the future of digital assistance and look forward to helping you maximise the potential of Microsoft Copilot within your organisation.
