This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.
With the slate of enhancements for Microsoft 365 Copilot just announced, I thought it’d be interesting to take a look at some everyday use cases and see how you can take advantage of some of them. Today, we’ll briefly examine what enterprise data protection (EDP) in Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot can help you to confidently do, and why we think it’s so important.
First, what is EDP? It refers to controls and commitments, under the Data Protection Addendum (DPA) and Product Terms, that apply to customer data for users of Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot. It applies to both Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot when you’re signed in with your Entra ID.
Check out the link to get the details, but at a high level, it means your data is private and secure and is not used to train the foundation models. This allows you to confidently leverage Copilot to get your job done without risking data leakage.Now let’s take a look at how this can come in handy!
Tip 1: Find out how your product stacks up with competitors
Let’s say you have an internal document that lays out the specifications for your latest product and you need to figure out how to bring it to the market. EDP means that I can attach the file to my prompt knowing it will stay secure as Copilot reasons over it, combining information from my data with the latest information on the web, to provide me with a response.
2. I enter the prompt, “ Use the product specifications from this document, and create a table comparing my new ebike to other offerings on the market. I want to find out how my product stacks up, and get ideas for what I should price my bike at.”
3. I select the paperclip icon on the bottom right of the chat window and select the product specification document from my files.
A screenshot of the chat window with a prompt and file linked
A screenshot of the results returned by Copilot in a table
A screenshot of the response provided by Copilot with analysis on competitor offerings
Copilot provides me with the table I asked for, while also providing some of the analysis and pricing strategy I had asked about and the information in my exchange with Copilot is not going to train foundation models or be risk being leaked.
Tip 2: Simplify collaboration further with Microsoft 365 Copilot
If you have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, you can further simplify collaboration with your coworkers using Copilot Pages.
1. In the work scope of Business Chat, I put in the same prompt, this time in the Work scope of Microsoft 365 Copilot. This time, to link my file to the prompt, I simply use the forward slash button.
A screenshot of Microsoft 365 Copilot Business Chat
2. With the response from Copilot, I then select “Edit in page”. Copilot automatically brings over its response to a Page.
A screenshot of the response from Copilot, with the button “Edit in Page”
3. On the page, I’m able to either select share on the top right, or directly tag my coworkers by @ mentioning them and immediately collaborate on the content.
A screenshot of Business Chat and a Page component
Alternatively, I could share either a link to the page, or copy the page component into an email, the same way I would a Loop component (If you want to learn more the experience, we explored using Copilot in Loop in my previous blog here).
For instance, I could @ mention Bri, and ask her to take a look and add her thoughts and ideas. She could do this directly on the page, and even ask Copilot to help her.
These small but simple ways to use Copilot have significantly improved and changed the way I work, tackle challenges, and collaborate.
I’d love to hear what other ways you might find this helpful to you!
This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.
We are thrilled to announce the General Availability (GA) of the new User Experience (UX) in our Field Service Mobile (FSM) application! We heard your feedback during the preview period and are excited to mark this milestone with key enhancements and changes!
When we started this journey, our goal was to deliver an intuitive, modern user experience for frontline workers to streamline workflows and increase user satisfaction. We reduced the number of clicks taken by technicians to accomplish tasks in the app and enabled access to rich step by step instructions for troubleshooting. At Ignite, we announced the addition of Copilot capabilities to help technicians prepare for and document work easily, through Copilot Work Order Summarize and Update. Now, with GA, we have added several admin controls to allow for progressive enablement, new enhancements to the agenda and lists, and several performance and reliability improvements. Read on to learn the details!
GA Highlights of the New UX
1. Updated Agenda view with easy Copilot access
Customers loved the new Agenda experience in preview, which offers intuitive access for service technicians to view and update their bookings, featuring several handy shortcuts. In the GA version, we have introduced several enhancements. These include infinite bidirectional scrolling for quick access to past or future bookings, and visual updates to make it easier to distinguish between different statuses and bookings. Technicians need key information at their fingertips while on the job. Now, makers can customize and display additional information on the agenda based on specific scenarios. Lastly, Copilot (Preview) is now accessible on every booking. All it takes is a simple swipe gesture, allowing technicians to easily summarize or update a work order.
2. Modern configurable lists on mobile
Users spend a lot of time reviewing data in lists (or grids). We’re excited to announce all top-level lists in the mobile app are now part of the new UX – with the ability to configure and display 10 columns per row! With additional at-a-glance information available right in the list, users can avoid navigating into the form, improving clicks to complete the job and perceived performance. The new lists control also supports searching, sorting and landscape and portrait modes (which our tablet users love)!
3. Admin controls for progressive enablement
A key preview ask from makers was enabling gradual deployment of the new UX for their workforce for effective change management. We heard and delivered! The new UX for technicians works in the existing FSM app (no new app installs, or migration needed). Via the new FSM settings page, makers can quickly deploy this to a pilot group of users using security roles. And makers can turn on or off specific features such Copilot based on their organizational requirements.
4. Additional user settings
Besides look , feel, and navigation enhancements, users can also update their time zone and language settings within the app. They can also select their preferred maps app to use for navigation.
5. Fundamentals
Most importantly, with this release we’ve greatly enhanced performance and reliability of all new features. Whether scrolling in various lists to handling issues with actionable error messages, we’ve ensured users have a robust and delightful experience.
Closing thoughts
As with any technical milestone, we must also callout things that lie ahead of us. We’re looking forward to releasing the view selector inside the list control for users with multiple views. The Guides and Copilot features accessible from the new UX continue to be in preview (and can be turned off if desired).
As part of this GA, we are discontinuing the streamlined booking experience introduced during preview. Form-based experiences will continue to leverage the classic UCI experience in the app, which supports layout and business logic customization. And at present, users enabled for the offline mode will be taken directly to the classic UCI experience as well.
The launch of the new UX in Field Service Mobile marks a significant milestone in our mission to deliver the best tools and technology for frontline workers. We are confident that these innovative features and user-centric design will greatly enhance your daily operations, making your work more efficient and enjoyable.
Enable these features today and share your thoughts with us! We eagerly await your feedback and stay tuned for more updates!
This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.
Microsoft 365 offers the cloud-backed apps, security, and storage that customers worldwide rely on to achieve more in a connected world – and lays a secure foundation for leveraging generative AI to go even further. Investing in our cloud productivity solutions and the AI-powered innovation they support will continue to be Microsoft’s priority.
Still, we know that some customer scenarios require a different approach. Some devices must never be connected to the internet; others need to remain unchanged for years at a time. We remain committed to supporting our customers and these scenarios. Earlier this year, we offered a public preview of Microsoft Office Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) 2024. Today, we’re announcing the general availability of this next perpetual version of Office for commercial and government customers.
An updated solution for specialized needs
Office LTSC 2024 offers a locked-in-time version of familiar productivity tools, updated with a subset of the features that have been added to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise over the last three years. New features for this release include Dynamic Charts and more than a dozen new text and array functions in Excel, enhanced search and meeting creation options in Outlook, and improvements to performance, security, and accessibility. Learn more about what’s new.
Office LTSC 2024 will besupported forfive yearsunder theFixed Lifecycle Policy, and – like prior versions – will be deployable alongside Microsoft 365 Apps using a common set of tools to enable customers to more easily manage hybrid environments. Learn more about how to deploy and manage Office LTSC at Overview of Office LTSC 2024.
Choosing the best productivity suite for your organization
While Office LTSC 2024 offers many significant improvements over the previous Office LTSC release, as an on-premises product it does not include the cloud-based capabilities of Microsoft 365 Apps, like real-time collaboration, AI-driven automation, or cloud-backed security and compliance capabilities. And for customers who need additional flexibility on deployment and connectivity – but not a fully disconnected solution – Microsoft 365 has options that can help. For example, device-based licensing can simplify management of Microsoft 365 Apps in settings like computer labs or hospitals where devices are shared by many users. And extended offline access can be used to maintain access to Microsoft 365 Apps on devices that need to be disconnected from the internet for up to six months at a time. Microsoft 365 (or Office 365) is also required to subscribe to Microsoft 365 Copilot; as a disconnected product, Office LTSC does not qualify.
Microsoft 365 Apps [1]
Office LTSC 2024
Apps included
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, OneDrive, Microsoft Access (Windows Only), Microsoft Publisher (Windows Only) [2], Sway, Microsoft Forms
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive, OneNote, Microsoft Access (Windows Only) [3]
Internet connection required for activation, license validation, and internet-based functionality. Extended offline access available to enable devices to stay disconnected for up to six months at a time.
No internet connection required
Embracing the future of work
Microsoft 365 offers the most secure, productive, and cost-effective solution for most organizations, and positions customers to unlock the transformative power of AI with Microsoft 365 Copilot. Especially as we approach the end of support for Office 2016 and Office 2019 on October 14, 2025, we encourage customers still using these solutions to transition to a Microsoft 365 subscription that suits their needs as a small business or a larger organization. And for scenarios where that is not possible – where a disconnected, locked-in-time solution is required – this new release reflects our commitment to supporting that need.
Learn more
Office LTSC 2024 is available to existing commercial and government volume-licensed customers today, along with new on-premises versions of Project and Visio. These products will be generally available to all customers on October 1. We will share more about Office 2024 for consumers in the coming weeks. For more information about Office LTSC 2024 and how it compares to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, please visit the Office LTSC plan comparison page. If your organization is ready to take the next step toward the AI-powered future, find out how to get started with Microsoft 365 today.
Notes:
[1] Applies to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise and Microsoft 365 Apps for business. All Microsoft 365 and Office 365 suites that include desktop apps also include everything listed here – and more. Learn about the available options.
[3] Microsoft Access is included only with Office LTSC Professional Plus.
[4] Microsoft 365 Copilot may not be available for all markets and languages. To purchase, customers must have a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan for enterprise or business.
This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.
We are introducing Wave 2 of Microsoft 365 Copilot innovation, with three key updates. From enterprises to small businesses, they help Copilot get better every day. Nearly 1,000 customers have given us direct feedback on Copilot, and we’ve made more than 700 product updates based on that feedback.
This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.
The Azure Storage product group is heading to the SNIA Developer Conference (SDC) 2024 in Santa Clara, California, USA from September 16th through September 18th. We have a large contingent of Product Managers and Engineers responsible for Azure Blob Storage and Azure Files presenting across multiple sessions at the conference as well as the Cloud Object Storage Plugfest.
If you’re attending the conference, stop by our sessions, listen in, say “Hello!” and introduce yourself as we demonstrate how Azure Storage can accommodate the largest AI training and AI inference workloads using Azure Blob Storage. Or if you’re a Files customer, stop by our sessions on Azure Files and SMB.
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