In Part 4 of our Copilot for Microsoft 365 spotlight series, Cloud Security Architect Neil du Plessis highlights neighbouring technologies, including Copilot for Azure and Copilot for Sales.
By Neil du Plessis | Cloud Security Architect, BUI
The artificial intelligence that powers Copilot for Microsoft 365 is also used in neighbouring Microsoft technologies for the modern workplace. Copilot for Azure, Copilot for Sales, Copilot for Service, Microsoft Copilot Studio, and Microsoft Copilot for Security are either coming soon or already available to Business and Enterprise customers. Let’s take a closer look at each one.
1. Copilot for Azure
Microsoft describes Copilot for Azure as an AI-powered assistant that simplifies the design, operation, optimisation, and troubleshooting of applications and infrastructure within the Azure ecosystem. It utilises Large Language Models, the Azure control plane, and insights about your Azure and Azure Arc-enabled assets to help you streamline cloud orchestration and management.
Highlights: Copilot for Azure can help you design and develop your cloud applications, choose the best frameworks, languages, and tools, and test and debug your code. It can also help you deploy and manage your applications by providing automation, scalability, and monitoring. In addition, Copilot for Azure can recommend ways to optimise costs and improve security and compliance in your environment.
Availability: Copilot for Azure is currently in preview, and existing Azure customers and Microsoft Partners can apply to participate. If you’re interested, review the registration process before filling in the application form.
2. Copilot for Sales
Copilot for Sales is designed to help your sales teams boost productivity, improve customer engagements, and close more deals. It takes the foundational capabilities of Copilot for Microsoft 365 and enhances them by connecting to customer relationship management platforms (like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales and Salesforce Sales Cloud) and providing sales teams with relevant in-app insights and recommendations to enhance customer interactions.
Highlights: According to Microsoft, Copilot for Sales empowers your sellers to simplify daily tasks, personalise customer interactions, and streamline workflows. From drafting emails in Outlook and setting up meetings in Teams to creating pitch decks in PowerPoint and data visualisations in Excel, Copilot for Sales is geared to help sales teams accomplish more in less time with AI-powered communication, content, and CRM activities.
Availability: Copilot for Sales is available now for $50 per user per month, which includes the requisite Copilot for Microsoft 365 licence. If you already have Copilot for Microsoft 365 (via your Office 365 E3, Office 365 E5, Microsoft 365 E3, Microsoft 365 E5, Microsoft 365 Business Standard, or Microsoft 365 Business Premium subscription), then you can get Copilot for Sales for an additional $20 per user per month. The Copilot for Sales pricing guide has further details, terms, and conditions.
3. Copilot for Service
Copilot for Service applies artificial intelligence to your call centre operations to help your customer service and support teams handle customer interactions more efficiently. Copilot for Service brings together all relevant content from your CRM platforms, websites, SharePoint sites, and third-party knowledge bases (like Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Zendesk) and puts it at your agents’ fingertips through conversational AI.
Highlights: Your customer service and support teams can enter natural language prompts and Copilot for Service will generate answers based on your organisational content – from call centre playbooks and user manuals to customer records and case histories in your CRM tools. Your agents can do this in their flow of work during real-time engagements with customers to handle queries faster, resolve issues earlier, and improve customer satisfaction over time.
Availability: Copilot for Service is available now for $50 per user per month, which includes the requisite Copilot for Microsoft 365 licence. If you already have Copilot for Microsoft 365 (via your Office 365 E3, Office 365 E5, Microsoft 365 E3, Microsoft 365 E5, Microsoft 365 Business Standard, or Microsoft 365 Business Premium subscription), then you can get Copilot for Service for an additional $20 per user per month. The Copilot for Service pricing guide has further details, terms, and conditions.
4. Microsoft Copilot Studio
Unveiled by Microsoft at the 2023 Microsoft Ignite conference, Microsoft Copilot Studio is a low-code tool that enables you to tailor Copilot for Microsoft 365 and build your own AI-driven copilots by leveraging conversational features like custom GPTs and generative AI plugins.
Highlights: With Microsoft Copilot Studio, you’re able to personalise Copilot for Microsoft 365 according to your business needs. You can develop, test, and publish standalone copilots and regulate and secure them with the appropriate permissions, data access, and user controls. You can also see the end-to-end lifecycle of your customisations and standalone copilots in one place, which makes building, deploying, managing, and analysing them easier and simpler. In addition, you can use Microsoft Copilot Studio to link Copilot to other data sources to access any system of record, including SAP, ServiceNow, and Workday.
Availability: Microsoft Copilot Studio is available now, and the integration with Copilot for Microsoft 365 is currently in public preview. The Microsoft Copilot Studio website has further details, terms, and conditions.
5. Microsoft Copilot for Security
Microsoft Copilot for Security was also announced at the 2023 Microsoft Ignite conference, where Microsoft explained it as an AI-powered cybersecurity product that “enables security professionals to respond to cyberthreats quickly, process signals at machine speed, and assess risk exposure in minutes”.
Highlights: Microsoft Copilot for Security combines an advanced Large Language Model with a security-specific model informed by Microsoft’s unique global threat intelligence and more than 65 trillion daily signals. The result is a sophisticated, security-focused AI assistant that can provide actionable responses to your natural language questions. These responses can be in the form of text, code, or a visual that helps you understand the full context of a security incident, its impact, and the next steps you should take for remediation and defence hardening.
Availability: Microsoft Copilot for Security is currently in private preview through an invitation-only Early Access Programme for customers and Microsoft Partners. BUI is participating in the Microsoft Copilot for Security Partner Private Preview, and is working with Microsoft product teams to help shape product development. Learn more in our news update.
With Copilot for Azure, Copilot for Sales, Copilot for Service, Microsoft Copilot Studio, and Microsoft Copilot for Security, Microsoft is expanding its range of AI-powered technologies to help you streamline cloud orchestration and management, boost sales productivity, improve customer service, spur innovation, and secure your data and resources. The sooner you start exploring these tools, the sooner you’ll be ready to empower your teams for even greater success.
BUI Cloud Security Architect Neil du Plessis is a certified CISSP and Microsoft Cybersecurity Expert specialising in holistic, cloud-powered defences for modern workplaces.
Wondering if Copilot for Microsoft 365 is right for your organisation? Join the BUI team for an interactive workshop and we’ll assess your Copilot for Microsoft 365 readiness and define a road map for your adoption journey. The workshop is conducted virtually, and is suitable for senior business development managers, line-of-business leaders, managers, technical decision-makers, and end-users. Register your interest by completing this digital form and we’ll contact you directly.
