Microsoft is the newest firm to unveil enhanced synthetic intelligence (AI) choices to its clients. Rolling out this fall, Microsoft Copilot is an AI help function designed for Microsoft 365 functions and providers, Edge and Windows. The instrument leverages the superior capabilities of OpenAI’s GPT-4 massive language fashions.
Given Copilot’s capability to streamline tedious duties, many companies might take into account transferring to Microsoft 365 to make the most of this AI companion operate. Before doing so, nevertheless, their IT groups and MSPs should consider their present methods and put together for the intensive migration forward of them.
Let’s take a better have a look at the advantages of Microsoft Copilot and what IT groups ought to pay attention to earlier than transferring to Microsoft 365.
Microsoft Copilot and its advantages
As talked about above, Microsoft Copilot leverages the superior capabilities of OpenAI’s GPT-4 massive language fashions. As an AI assistant for Microsoft customers, the principle purpose of the instrument is to assist streamline every day duties and create time-saving shortcuts in Microsoft’s functions.
In Windows, Microsoft Copilot allows customers to create sooner, full duties with ease and reduce the cognitive load, making once-complicated duties less complicated. For instance, within the new Outlook for Windows, customers can join and coordinate numerous accounts reminiscent of Gmail, Yahoo! and iCloud in a single software. Copilot’s clever instruments then assist customers write clear, concise emails and seamlessly connect necessary paperwork and images from OneDrive, making your complete course of simpler.
In addition, Microsoft has launched a modernized File Explorer dwelling, deal with bar and search field, all of that are designed to assist customers extra simply entry necessary and related content material, keep updated with file exercise, and collaborate with out even opening a file.
Ultimately, Microsoft Copilot is designed to make these time-consuming duties faster and simpler to navigate, saving customers invaluable time and sources that may be allotted to different tasks. These efficiencies and automation improve productiveness for customers, which is a major purpose why many companies could also be migrating to Microsoft to entry this new AI-driven function. However, earlier than they do, there are a variety of things that should be thought of to make sure a seamless migration.
What to think about earlier than migrating to Microsoft 365
Migrations generally is a complicated course of that requires numerous steps, planning and precautions to execute them accurately and effectively. For these trying to migrate to Microsoft 365 particularly, numerous elements have to be evaluated earlier than, throughout and after a migration.
Licensing and Costs
Understand Microsoft’s licensing fashions, as they are often fairly complicated. It’s necessary to make sure you’re conscious of the licensing necessities for the services or products you propose to make use of and be ready for potential value implications. The licensing fashions obtainable can considerably differ from the service supplier corporations at the moment use, so it’s necessary to concentrate on the fee discrepancies and consider budgets upfront.
Compliance and Security
Microsoft supplies a variety of compliance certifications and safety options. It’s important to grasp the particular compliance necessities every enterprise wants to fulfill and the way Microsoft’s providers will help them obtain and preserve compliance.
For instance, Microsoft makes use of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for enhanced id safety. It additionally has numerous conditional entry insurance policies to regulate entry primarily based on sure situations, serving to to maintain info and consumer identities protected. In addition, Microsoft deploys Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) to guard in opposition to superior threats in emails and paperwork.
These compliance and safety features might have a studying curve for some customers, so it’s necessary schooling and coaching are factored into planning as soon as the transfer to Microsoft 365 is full.
Data Governance
Microsoft providers typically deal with delicate information. For occasion, Microsoft deploys eDiscovery instruments that allow organizations to establish, maintain and export content material for authorized or compliance functions. This is especially essential in authorized investigations or audits.
Companies should set up information governance insurance policies and procedures to make sure information privateness and compliance with rules just like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). These insurance policies and procedures ought to align with the capabilities and instruments Microsoft can provide to make sure final safety and total information administration.
Use The Right Migration Tool
There are many migration instruments available on the market, which makes choosing the precise one a difficult and typically strenuous course of. When it involves migrating from a system supplier to Microsoft 365, it’s important to make use of a migration instrument that’s purpose-built for Microsoft to keep away from hiccups or setbacks that would derail a migration and its outcomes.
For instance, corporations could also be tempted to make use of free, first-party instruments due to the worth level. However, these instruments typically have restricted options and performance, scalability points and hidden prices. Using a third-party platform will typically present superior configuration choices, 24/7 technical assist, cost-effective instruments and suitable Microsoft capabilities that meet corporations’ Microsoft 365 migration wants.
Performance Testing
With any migration, efficiency testing is vital. In phrases of migrating to Microsoft 365, IT groups ought to conduct efficiency testing to make sure the brand new Microsoft surroundings can deal with the workload and ship the required efficiency. This course of will establish any bottlenecks and permit IT professionals to resolve them earlier than conducting the precise migration, serving to to mitigate issues and complications that may negatively influence a undertaking.
Change Management
Following a migration, it’s important that corporations develop a change administration plan to assist workers adapt to the brand new Microsoft methods, processes and workflows. Training and assist are key parts of this plan.
Fortunately, Microsoft has a number of processes that may make the transition to its platform seamless and straightforward. Microsoft supplies a Change Management Framework for organizations to information planning and implement modifications to their Microsoft environments. This framework contains finest practices, templates, and steerage for change administration processes.
In addition, Microsoft Endpoint Manager is a unified administration answer for deploying and managing units in a company. It permits directors to plan and deploy software program updates, functions, and configurations in a managed and arranged method.
Embracing the ability of AI and Copilot
Microsoft Copilot marks a major milestone on the earth of AI, creating one other refined instrument for companies to make use of at their disposal to enhance operations and streamline every day duties.
As corporations put together emigrate to Microsoft 365 to make the most of Copilot, it’s crucial that IT groups take into account numerous elements and implement a number of steps to make sure the migration to the system supplier is easy and headache-free. Once the migration is full and corporations have transitioned to Microsoft 365, they’ll reap the advantages of Copilot and embrace the ability of AI for a extra productive future.
By Stacey Farrar