Microsoft Ignite 2024: All the important new features summarized!

Copilot Agents Copilot M365 Best Practices Tech Blog

Innovations that will revolutionize your daily work

Microsoft Ignite is one of the most important events for IT professionals, developers and technology enthusiasts worldwide. It offers a unique platform to learn about the latest innovations from Microsoft, gain practical insights into modern technologies and exchange ideas with other professionals.

In this blog, we take a closer look at the most exciting new developments – with a special focus on Copilot M365, Copilot Studio, and tips for a safe introduction of Copilot M365.

Discover how these developments can help you and your team work together more efficiently and reach the next level of productivity!

Copilot Agents

The era of Copilot Agents

The new Copilot Agents are redefining the future of work. These virtual assistants automate tasks, analyze data, and support processes within and outside of Microsoft 365. They integrate internal and external data sources, simplify workflows, and thus increase efficiency. Thanks to the features presented at Microsoft Ignite 2024, you can now use Copilot M365 in even more versatile ways.

Copilot Actions: Automated workflows such as email management, scheduling, or reporting help you complete routine tasks faster and more efficiently.
3rd Party Agents: By integrating predefined agents from providers such as LinkedIn or ServiceNow, you can incorporate external data directly into M365. For example, you can transfer customer information from LinkedIn directly into your CRM.
SharePoint Agents: These agents can be customized to meet your business needs, for example, to optimize the onboarding process for new employees. New colleagues get faster access to relevant information, guidelines and FAQs. This facilitates the transfer of knowledge and significantly reduces the effort required for onboarding.

Copilot M365

New Updates for Copilot M365

In addition to the innovative Copilot Agents, the classic Copilot M365 also receives exciting enhancements that further optimize modern collaboration:

Business Chat with advanced features: Copilot M365 Business Chat can now directly create diagrams, code, and other rich text content. This allows teams to collaboratively develop visual project plans or diagrams without the need for additional tools – ideal for quick coordination or presentations.
Screen Understanding in Microsoft Teams: Content such as diagrams, tables or handwritten notes are automatically recognized and converted into structured data. Hybrid teams can digitize physical whiteboard content in real time and integrate it seamlessly into their workflows.
Interpreter Agent: With real-time translations in Microsoft Teams Meetings, language barriers are almost a thing of the past. Multilingual teams can communicate more effectively – whether they are working on global projects or collaborating with international partners.

Best Practices

Best Practices for a secure Implementation of Copilot M365

The introduction of Copilot M365 is revolutionizing collaboration in companies, but it also brings challenges in terms of data security and compliance. To fully exploit the advantages of automation and AI, clear strategies and measures are needed. These three steps will help you ensure that your data is secure and ready for Copilot M365:

Identify: Scan your Microsoft environment for security risks, such as unprotected sensitive data (e.g. personal information or financial data). This can be done manually by checking content and permissions or automatically with integrated tools such as the Copilot Control System or advanced solutions such as AvePoint.
Secure: Remediate identified risks by training users on security controls or automating security rules at scale. With management tools, you can proactively monitor and correct configuration drift to maintain a high level of security.
Monitor: Keep a constant eye on authorizations and access rights. Use automated reports and alerts and perform regular recertifications of workplace memberships and authorizations.