What is Microsoft Copilot and How Can It Streamline Operations
With the explosion of Generative AI and the seemingly endless possibilities it presents, it can be daunting deciding what solution is right for your business. Are there user experiences available that fit your needs? Do you need to hire developers and administrators to manage a solution at scale? What about cybersecurity and data leakage? And how much will this cost you? Microsoft’s Copilot solution offers organizations a means to adopt generative AI without months of configuration or customization, that respects internal data access, protects against data leakage and is backed by robust infrastructure and a sizable cybersecurity footprint.
What is Copilot?
Copilot is similar to a ChatGPT tool but with much more functionality. Like ChatGPT, it provides an interface for users to make use of Large Language Models, or LLMs, Microsoft Copilot provides users with an easy to use and organic way to leverage Generative AI. However, Copilot goes farther. Out-of-the-box, Copilot integrates the power of GenAI through a powerful orchestration engine that utilizes data from the Microsoft Graph, Microsoft’s private LLM for Copilot, SharePoint, custom connectors to other data sources, and the context of where the user is working, like inside a Word document or while attending a Teams meeting. This grounds Copilot in data within your organization and generates responses and actions that come from your information. If enabled, Copilot also pulls relevant information from the web to expand and enrich the dataset used to generate responses.
With all this potential, Microsoft has made information security a key part of the design. Copilot does not send personal user information or any of the data inside your organization to Microsoft. Your data stays your data. Additionally, Copilot respects the boundaries you have set within your organization for user access, such as SharePoint permissions or Microsoft Purview Information Protection. It falls under Microsoft’s broader commitments to data protection, such as compliance with privacy laws and standards.[1]
The Key Benefits of Copilot
Embedded in the “Flow of Work”
Unlike ChatGPT, Copilot is embedded inside M365 apps and thus is naturally “in the flow of work.” This means you can generate content, conduct research, and take actions right inside your Word Document, Excel table, or PowerPoint presentation.
Improved Efficiency with Actionable Information
Being embedded in the apps allows Copilot to not only deliver information on a topic but also summarize it into a new slide and other such actions, all without leaving the M365 App.
Customized for Use Across Multiple Applications
. There are several Copilots to help with specific needs including
- Copilot for GitHub – a tool for developers
- Copilot for Power Platform – designed for people building apps, creating flows or generating reports
- Copilot for Dynamics 365 – assists your salesforce
More Copilots are available or in development for use cases like service groups, security and data professionals. Unlike other solutions that may require you to customize and develop specific use cases, Microsoft is developing Copilots for the ways we do work across their major platforms.
Ability to Create Your Own Experiences Without Complex Development
With the release of Copilot Studio, Microsoft now offers the ability to build your own customized Copilot experience. Imagine connecting Copilot to a SharePoint library of company SOPs or HR documents and allowing your employees to ask questions and have Copilot generate responses based on that information. In this case Copilot effectively builds knowledge-based articles on the fly using approved content. Copilot Studio’s ability to integrate with hundreds of APIs to connect to other data sources means you have enormous flexibility to build your own Copilots that are meaningful and accurate.
Respect for Your Environment & Security
Copilot respects data classifications and sensitivity, user permissions and access. Generated responses will only include information and documents that a user has access to, and your data always stays inside your organization.
What is Microsoft Doing to Support AI Long-Term?
This all sounds good, but what is going on under the surface? There is a lot going on behind the scenes in terms of hardware compute power, LLM, and more to make a user interface produce meaningful content.
Microsoft has adopted a “from Silicon to Service” approach[2] to support Copilot and its other AI solutions. Microsoft announced its own AI Accelerator called Azure Maia and an Arm-based general purpose compute Azure CPU called Cobal to build back-end infrastructure designed for AI. Along with these solutions is a new generation of AI server racks and cooling all designed from the ground up to support high-end AI workloads.
Services are being expanded as well to support AI with products like Azure Boost[3] and Fabric,[4] which helps organizations move their AI footprint to infrastructure design to prepare the data for use with AI. Microsoft is also making deep investments in cybersecurity[5] and responsible AI to protect corporate data and improve the accuracy and fairness of generated responses.
Red River Delivers Copilot to Fast Track AI Use Cases
Red River is helping organizations leverage Copilot as part of a larger AI evolution, creating opportunities to integrate AI and positively impact operational efficiency. Our expertise in architecture and design, systems integration and data transformation help organizations leverage AI, machine learning (ML) and advanced analytics for unprecedented growth, customer intimacy and operational efficiency. We support organizations across AI operations, generative AI, predictive analytics and data strategy to leverage technologies like Copilot to meet business outcomes.
For more information on how Red River can help you take advantage of the benefits of Copilot, contact us: Info@redriver.com.
[1] Data, Privacy, and Security for Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365
[2] With a systems approach to chips, Microsoft aims to tailor everything ‘from silicon to service’ to meet AI demand – Source
[3] Microsoft Azure Boost
[4] Prepare your data for AI innovation with Microsoft Fabric—now generally available | Microsoft Fabric Blog
[5] Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2023 (MDDR) | Microsoft Security Insider
