Starting January 6, 2025, Microsoft Purview is transitioning to a pay-as-you-go billing model.
Microsoft is bringing significant changes to how organizations manage costs and features for non-Microsoft 365 data. This update requires customer consent by February 28, 2025, to continue accessing critical capabilities and protections.
In this blog, we’ll break down the upcoming changes, what they mean for your organization, and how to prepare for a seamless transition. Stay informed and proactive to ensure uninterrupted access to the tools and features your team relies on.
Microsoft Purview is a comprehensive platform designed to help organizations manage, protect, and govern their data across various environments.
It integrates data security, governance, and compliance solutions to provide a unified approach to data management. Here are some key features:
Data Security: Microsoft Purview offers tools like Data Loss Prevention, Information/Data Protection, and Insider Risk Management to help discover and protect sensitive information
Data Governance: It includes solutions such as the Data Map and Data Catalog, which help organizations map their data estate, manage data integrity, and secure sensitive data
Risk and Compliance: Purview helps organizations
minimize compliance risks and meet regulatory requirements through features like Compliance Manager and eDiscovery
Overall, Microsoft Purview provides a robust framework for managing data across on-premises, multicloud, and SaaS environments, ensuring that data is secure, compliant, and effectively governed.
Microsoft Purview Pricing and Billing Models
Microsoft Purview currently supports two billing models:
Per-user Licensing Model: This is the traditional model used for Microsoft 365 and Windows/macOS endpoints.
Pay-as-you-go Model: This model extends Purview’s capabilities to non-Microsoft 365 data sources like Azure SQL, AWS, Google Cloud, and more. Charges are based on the number of assets protected and the processing units used.
What's Changing?
A transition to the Pay-as-you-go model for Microsoft Purview will be enforced starting January 6,
2025. Customers need to provide their consent to switch to this new billing model by February 28, 2025, to continue using the features for non-Microsoft 365 data.
Using Purview for Compliance with M365 Services and Endpoints
The pay-as-you-go model does not apply to Microsoft 365 assets, which remain under the per-user licensing model. This means your Microsoft 365 and Windows/macOS endpoint assets will continue to be billed as they currently are.
What Areas Apply?
Areas Covered by Microsoft Purview's Pay-as-you-go Model:
Non-Microsoft 365 Assets:
Azure SQL
Azure Storage
AWS
Google Cloud Platform
Box
Dropbox
Note, the above asset list includes data sources and environments outside of Microsoft 365.
Why Would I Use a Pay-as-you-go Model for Non-Microsoft 365 Assets?
Financial Impacts of Moving to a Pay-as-you-go Model:
Cost Efficiency: You pay only for what you use, which can be more cost-effective if your usage varies.
Scalability: Easily scale up or down based on your needs without committing to a fixed number of licenses.
Monthly Billing: Costs are calculated monthly based on usage, providing flexibility and potentially reducing upfront costs.
This model is intended for customers who use Microsoft Purview for Non-Microsoft 365 assets to not overpay monthly for compliance services tailored to the above mentioned non-M365 services.
Big changes are on the horizon for how companies manage data for terminated employees.
Microsoft's updated data retention policy will be effective January 27, 2025. This shift will be crucial for organizations that have relied on shared mailboxes to retain former employees' OneDrive data. Let's break down what this policy change means and how it will impact your data management strategies.
Understanding the Policy Update
Traditionally, companies converted departing employees' accounts into shared mailboxes to retain access to their OneDrive data indefinitely. This practice ensured that essential files remained accessible to managers or designated users.
However, under the new policy, OneDrive data associated with terminated employees will be retained for only 30 days, or up to 93 days after the license is removed or deleted. Post this retention period, the data will either move to the recycle bin and be permanently deleted or be archived if subject to a retention policy.
Accessing archived files will incur reactivation fees and additional monthly storage costs. It's important to note that these changes do not apply to EDU, GCC, or DoD customers.
Implications for Data Management
This policy shift has several implications for organizations:
Limited Access Window: Organizations now have a constrained timeframe to access and retrieve OneDrive data from former employees. Beyond 30 to 93 days, data will be permanently deleted unless the account remains licensed.
Operational Adjustments: Companies must modify internal processes to ensure necessary data is retrieved within the specified period. This may involve setting up reminders or automated workflows to review and transfer critical files before the retention period lapses.
Revised Data Management Strategies: It's crucial to transfer important data to active accounts or shared drives before an employee's departure to prevent data loss.
Current vs. Future State
Currently, when a user is deleted or processed through the user deletion wizard, their OneDrive data is preserved for 30 days and then moved to a recycle bin, where it can be recovered by an admin using PowerShell for up to 93 days.
Custom retention policies can be configured in the SharePoint Admin Center or the Compliance Admin Center. If a user is unlicensed, their data can be retained indefinitely for OneDrive.
Starting January 27, 2025, deleted users will adhere to the existing default retention and deletion policies. If retention policies extend beyond the default 30 days, OneDrive accounts from deleted users will be archived after 93 days. Unlicensed accounts will also be archived after 93 days by default, regardless of retention policies.
Cost Considerations
Accessing files from archived accounts will require a reactivation fee of $0.60 per GB and a monthly storage fee of $0.05 per GB for all archived accounts, not just the one accessed.
For instance, if an organization has 100 unlicensed OneDrive accounts, each consuming 1 TB (totaling 100 TB), reactivating a specific account would incur substantial costs.
If No Action is Taken
Without proactive measures, unlicensed OneDrive accounts older than 93 days will be automatically archived and become inaccessible unless reactivated, incurring additional costs. Accounts without a custom retention policy will have their data moved to the recycle bin for another 93 days before permanent deletion.
Recommended Actions for Organizations
Inform Stakeholders: During the offboarding process, grant another user (typically the manager) access to the departing employee's OneDrive for 30 days to retrieve necessary data, with an additional 93 days for admins to recover data from the recycle bin.
Obtain Client Agreements: Have clients sign waivers agreeing to pay fees for additional storage if needed, clarifying cost implications and preventing future disputes.
Utilize Third-Party Backup Solutions: Employ third-party backup solutions to restore data into a SharePoint site if necessary.
Assign Licenses: Reactivate a single user's OneDrive by re-adding a license to avoid the Microsoft 365 backup billing process, which charges for all archived data.
Create OneDrive retention policies: Custom retention policies can be configured in the SharePoint Admin Center or the Compliance Admin Center. If a user is unlicensed, their data can be retained indefinitely for OneDrive.
Conclusion
Microsoft's forthcoming data retention policy for terminated employees represents a significant shift in managing OneDrive data. By understanding these changes and implementing proactive strategies, organizations can ensure compliance and safeguard critical information.
Staying informed and prepared is essential to navigate these updates effectively, contact our team today to learn more about these changes and get support to set the best plan of action for your team.
Microsoft has announced new Microsoft Copilot pricing updates, introducing greater flexibility while reflecting a premium for monthly payment options. These updates, effective December 1, 2024, and April 1, 2025, are part of the company’s commitment to align AI solutions with diverse business needs. If you're planning your AI budget, here's a detailed look at how the latest changes in Microsoft Copilot pricing can impact your strategy.
Microsoft Copilot is a subscription-based AI solution integrated with Microsoft 365, offering businesses AI-driven tools to streamline operations and boost productivity. With the upcoming changes, organizations now have more flexibility to tailor their Copilot pricing plans to fit their operational and financial needs.
Former Microsoft Copilot Pricing Models
Until now, Microsoft Copilot pricing was structured around standard subscription models, which included:
Annual Subscriptions Paid Upfront:
Businesses committed to a full year of service and paid the entire amount upfront. This option often provided the best value, with no additional premiums.
Monthly Subscriptions:
Companies could opt for month-to-month payments, offering maximum flexibility without long-term commitments. However, this option typically came at a higher per-month cost compared to annual subscriptions.
What’s Changing
New Commerce Experience Pricing or NCE Pricing, is a Microsoft initiative aimed at simplifying and standardizing the purchasing process for their cloud services. The NCE pricing changes refer to updates in the pricing structure for subscriptions under this model to ensure businesses can maintain flexibility while planning their IT budget.
These Microsoft Copilot updates reflect a shift towards balancing flexibility with cost-effectiveness:
The new annual commitment with monthly payments caters to businesses seeking budget predictability without upfront costs.
The 5% premium for monthly payments acknowledges the added convenience of spreading costs while encouraging strategic financial planning.
Let’s Take a Deeper Look at these Upcoming Updates
Understanding how Microsoft Copilot pricing is changing in December 2024 and April 2025 can provide your business with the insights needed to evaluate and implement this cutting-edge AI technology. Here’s what you need to know:
Detailed review of Microsoft Copilot pricing updates December 2024
New Annual Commitment, Paid Monthly Option:
Available for M365 Copilot, M365 Copilot for Sales, and M365 Copilot for Services, offering a flexible way to manage your AI budget.
This new Copilot pricing plan allows customers to spread payments over 12 months while maintaining an annual commitment.
5% Premium for Monthly Payments:
A 5% premium applies to all new subscriptions under this plan, reflecting the added flexibility.
Existing customers can switch to this option upon subscription renewal, giving them time to evaluate if this Copilot pricing model fits their needs.
Maximizing Value for New Subscriptions:
The updated pricing for Copilot applies exclusively to new Copilot subscriptions purchased after December 1, 2024, making it a perfect time to review your investment in AI tools.
NCE Pricing Changes Starting April 1, 2025
5% Premium for Annual Commitments Paid Monthly:
All New Commerce Experience (NCE) subscriptions with annual commitments paid monthly will incur a 5% premium starting April 2025.
This aligns with the Copilot pricing plan updates, ensuring businesses can maintain flexibility while planning their IT expenses.
Other Subscription Types Unaffected:
Annual subscriptions paid upfront, and monthly subscriptions paid monthly are excluded from this change, offering options for businesses with varying financial strategies.
Is Copilot Worth It for Your Business?
The updates to Copilot pricing highlight an important question: Is Copilot worth it? For organizations looking to leverage AI tools like Microsoft Copilot, the answer often depends on their goals for collaboration, productivity, and cost management.
By choosing the right Copilot pricing plan, businesses can streamline operations, reduce manual workloads, and unlock new efficiencies. For example:
M365 Copilot integrates seamlessly into daily operations, making it easier for teams to collaborate and boost productivity.
Solutions like Copilot for Sales and Copilot for Services empower professionals to focus on strategic tasks, optimizing time and resources.
Investing in AI solutions that align with your AI budget can drive measurable outcomes, making the premium on flexible payment plans a worthwhile consideration.
Choosing the Right Plan for Your Business
Selecting the best Microsoft Copilot pricing plan requires a careful review of your goals. Here's some tips to help you decide:
Evaluate Your AI Budget
Weigh the benefits of monthly payments against the savings from annual subscriptions.
Assess Your Needs
Identify which Copilot solutions (e.g., M365 Copilot, Copilot for Sales) align with your operational requirements.
Usage: Consider how extensively your team will use Copilot. If it's integral to daily operations, investing in a comprehensive plan might be worthwhile.
Specific Solutions: Identify which Copilot solutions (e.g., M365 Copilot, Copilot for Sales, Copilot for Services) are most relevant to your business.
Compare Plans
New Annual Commitment, Paid Monthly: This plan spreads payments over 12 months with a 5% premium. It’s ideal if you need flexibility in your budget.
Standard Annual or Monthly Subscriptions: These plans might be better if you prefer to avoid the premium and can manage upfront payments.
Consider Future Growth
Choose a plan that can scale with your business. If you anticipate growth, ensure the plan can accommodate additional users or increased usage.
Consult Experts
Leverage insights from Microsoft partners to maximize ROI from the latest changes in Microsoft Copilot pricing December 2024.
Review and Adjust
You can start with a trial or a short-term commitment to see how well the plan fits your needs. Adjust as necessary based on your experience.
By carefully evaluating these factors, you can choose a pricing plan that aligns with your business goals and financial strategy. If you need more personalized advice, feel free to reach out to a Microsoft partner or consultant.
Optimize Your Subscription Strategy
At Managed Solution, we help businesses with AI technology implementation to ensure their IT investments deliver maximum ROI. Whether you're evaluating if Copilot is worth it for your business or planning your AI budget, our team is here to navigate the complexities and help you achieve your goals with confidence.
Looking to get started with Microsoft Copilot? Explore our exclusive Copilot Offers to unlock the full potential of AI and drive your business forward.
Ready to Plan Your Next Move?
Contact us today to discuss how these pricing changes could impact your organization and how to optimize your AI budget for success in 2024 and beyond.
How to Use Copilot with Office 365 Applications
In today's fast-paced work environment, productivity tools like Microsoft Office 365 have become essential. To take your efficiency to the next level, integrating AI-powered tools can make a significant difference.
One such tool is Copilot, an AI assistant that enhances your Office 365 experience across every application. In this blog post, we'll explore how to use Copilot with various Office 365 applications, ensuring you get the most out of this powerful combination.
What is Copilot?
In short, Copilot is an AI assistant designed to help you with a range of tasks, from generating content to automating repetitive processes.
By integrating Copilot with Office 365, you can streamline your workflow, improve accuracy, and save valuable time.
Copilot Demo for Office 365
Copilot has the power to enhance your Microsoft Office 365 applications to boost productivity to a whole new level, check out Microsoft’s demo below and continue reading for our expert tips on leveraging Copilot for your Microsoft 365 platform.
Microsoft Word is a powerful tool for creating documents, and Copilot can enhance your writing process in several ways:
Content Generation
Need help starting a document? Ask Copilot to generate an outline or draft based on your topic. Simply provide a brief description, and Copilot will create a structured starting point.
Grammar and Style Suggestions
Copilot can review your text for grammatical errors and style improvements. Highlight the text you want to check and select the Copilot suggestions option.
Research Assistance
Copilot can help you gather information by pulling relevant data from trusted sources. Just ask a question, and Copilot will present a summary of findings directly in your document.
Excel is essential for data management and analysis. Here's how Copilot can assist:
Automate Data Entry
Save time by asking Copilot to fill in repetitive data. For instance, you can instruct Copilot to auto-populate cells based on a pattern or previous entries.
Data Analysis
Copilot can help you analyze data trends and generate reports. You can request insights on specific data sets, and Copilot will provide visualizations and summaries.
Formula Assistance
Struggling with complex formulas? Describe what you need, and Copilot will suggest or create the appropriate formula for your task.
Outlook is the go-to application for managing emails and scheduling. Copilot can enhance your productivity in Outlook by:
Drafting Emails
Ask Copilot to draft emails based on a few key points you provide. This is especially useful for routine communications or follow-ups.
Scheduling Meetings
Copilot can help find available time slots and schedule meetings efficiently. Simply indicate the participants and preferred time frame.
Email Summaries
For lengthy email threads, Copilot can generate concise summaries, helping you stay on top of your communications without reading every message in detail.
PowerPoint is crucial for creating impactful presentations. Copilot can assist you by:
Design Suggestions
Copilot can recommend design improvements based on the content of your slides, ensuring a professional and visually appealing presentation.
Content Creation
Provide an outline or topic, and Copilot can generate entire slides, complete with text and graphics.
Consistency Checks
Copilot can review your presentation for consistency in formatting, fonts, and styles, making sure your slides look cohesive.
Tips for Maximizing Copilot’s Potential
Be Clear and Specific
When requesting assistance from Copilot, clarity is key. The more specific your instructions, the better Copilot can help you.
Explore Templates
Copilot offers various templates for different tasks. Explore these to save time and ensure you’re using best practices.
Continuous Learning
As AI evolves, Copilot will continue to improve. Leverage resources such as our Getting Started with Copilot Webinar Series to learn everything you need to get the most out of Copilot and stay ahead of the curve.
You can also read our blog on Copilot Pricing Plans and dive into the rest of our blog page for further insights.
Integrating Copilot with Office 365 applications can revolutionize your workflow, making tasks easier and more efficient. Whether you’re drafting documents, analyzing data, managing emails, or creating presentations, Copilot is a valuable companion. Start leveraging this AI-powered assistant today and experience a new level of productivity in your daily work routine.
By following these steps & tips and referencing these powerful resources -- you'll be well on your way to mastering the use of Copilot with Office 365, ensuring you work smarter, not harder.
As we bid farewell to another year, it's the perfect time to reflect on the past and set our sights on the future. For IT departments, embracing the new year often involves reevaluating strategies, streamlining processes, and leveraging innovative solutions.
As a passionate team of IT experts that champion all the ways in which bolstering IT can benefit businesses everywhere, we're so excited to guide you through some New Year resolutions that can revitalize your IT approach and bring success in 2024.
AI Integration for IT Advancement
Resolution: Embrace the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in our IT operations to enhance efficiency and decision-making processes.
Why: AI technologies, such as machine learning and predictive analytics, can revolutionize how we manage and optimize IT resources. By leveraging AI, we can automate routine tasks, gain insights from data, and make proactive decisions that contribute to the overall success of our IT initiatives.
Automation for Streamlined Operations
Resolution: Embrace automation to streamline repetitive tasks and enhance operational efficiency.
Why: Automation can significantly reduce manual efforts, minimize errors, and accelerate processes. By identifying opportunities for automation in routine tasks, we can free up valuable time for our IT teams to focus on more strategic initiatives, leading to a more agile and responsive IT environment.
Embrace Cloud Optimization
Resolution: In 2024, commit to optimizing our cloud infrastructure for efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Why: Cloud technology is dynamic and ever evolving. Ensuring that our cloud services are optimized will enhance performance, reduce costs, and allow us to take full advantage of the latest features.
Enhance Cybersecurity Measures
Resolution: Strengthen our cybersecurity posture to safeguard against evolving threats.
Why: As cyber threats become more sophisticated, prioritizing cybersecurity is crucial. Implementing robust measures, such as regular security audits and employee training, will fortify our defenses.
Implement Proactive Monitoring
Resolution: Transition to proactive monitoring for early issue detection and swift resolution.
Why: Reactive approaches can lead to downtime and disruptions. Proactive monitoring ensures that potential issues are identified and addressed before they impact operations.
Upgrade Legacy Systems
Resolution: Develop a plan to systematically upgrade legacy systems to modern, efficient solutions.
Why: Outdated systems pose security risks and hinder performance. Upgrading to the latest technologies ensures we stay competitive, secure, and aligned with industry standards.
Optimize IT Budgets
Resolution: Conduct a thorough review of IT budgets to identify cost-saving opportunities without compromising performance.
Why: Efficient budget allocation is essential for achieving business objectives. Identifying and eliminating unnecessary expenses will optimize our IT spend.
Resolution: Implement or enhance collaboration tools to boost team productivity.
Why: Effective communication and collaboration are cornerstones of success. Integrating advanced collaboration tools will empower our teams to work seamlessly, irrespective of location.
Resolution: Prioritize ongoing training to keep our IT teams well-versed in the latest technologies.
Why: The tech landscape evolves rapidly. Investing in continuous training ensures that our teams are equipped with the skills needed to navigate emerging trends.
You can also access our past webinars for expert walkthrough on various tools and technologies that all IT teams should know.
Explore New Microsoft Solutions
Resolution: Stay abreast of the latest Microsoft solutions and integrate them into our IT ecosystem.
Why: Microsoft offers a suite of powerful solutions. Regularly exploring and adopting new tools can enhance productivity and keep us at the forefront of technological innovation.
As we step into 2024, let's embark on a journey of IT excellence. These resolutions serve as a roadmap for a successful and technologically advanced year. If you're ready to turn these resolutions into reality, our team at Managed Solution is here to support you every step of the way. Here's to a year of innovation, efficiency, and IT success!
The way we now work—defined by an era of digital transformation—is evolving at such a pace that keeping up has become a challenge for many organizations. Business leaders are recognizing the enormous opportunity that modern work solutions like AI tools present and are now exploring ways to use them to their best advantage.
That means implementing AI in a way that allows employees to be more engaged and productive, focusing on the work that matters most.
AI helps your employees offload time-consuming tasks by jumpstarting the creative process, analyzing trends, and summarizing email threads and key discussion points from meetings. Less time spent on more tedious tasks grants employees the freedom to focus on the work that matters most.
Organizations that made employee engagement a top priority have performed twice as well financially as businesses that deprioritized an engaged workforce (2). And AI is poised to empower employees to be more engaged through opportunities for creativity, skill building, and increased productivity.
Discover What’s Possible with AI
Imagine a workforce driven by the powerful combination of irreplaceable human ingenuity and skill with the innovative capabilities of a secure, user-friendly AI system. With the right tools and mindset, any organization can embrace the transformation to an AI-powered workforce.
Responsible AI Practices
With all the potential that working with AI holds, it’s critical to remember to take an approach of preparing for AI that prioritizes fairness, transparency, and accountability. Microsoft is a leader in the development and implementation of AI systems, which includes creating guidance on principles and best practices for responsible AI use—and ensuring those principles are at the foundation of Microsoft’s AI technology. Only with responsible AI implementation can your organization unlock the full potential of what’s possible with AI.
Credit: Microsoft
AI Readiness
How do you know your organization is prepared for AI?
The platform shift to AI isn’t one that can be made without clear leadership and focused investment. Implementing AI technology can be complex, especially without a well-defined plan in place. It requires a culture of productivity and collaboration, a secure foundation for endpoint management, and the willingness to embrace change in order to outpace it.
What does AI readiness look like? An organization ready to embrace AI understands its potential as a strategic asset, how it can be used to benefit the business, and the ability to guide employees and customers in responsible AI practices.
Assessing your readiness level is the first step toward transforming your organization into one that can outpace the changes and challenges of this new era of working with next-generation technologies like AI.
Assessment: Evaluating Your AI readiness
To help you begin the transformation to an AI-powered organization, we’ve compiled a quiz with questions aimed at evaluating readiness level.
The quiz is in five parts and assesses your organization's:
Relationship to change and productivity
Relationship to AI
Willingness to use AI
Investment and funding abilities
Endpoint management and security capabilities
Choose the answer that sounds most like where your organization currently stands and keep a tally of your answers as you go. At the end of the quiz, you’ll be able to estimate whether your organization is Very Ready, Almost Ready, or Needs More Guidance in preparing for AI to begin the transformation to an AI-powered workforce.
Part 1: Your organization’s relationship to change and productivity
Rate your organization’s openness to change and innovation.
Very open: We welcome and seek out opportunities for change and innovation.
Somewhat open: We approach opportunities for change and innovation with caution.
Not very open: We don’t take on many opportunities for change and innovation.
How confident are you that your current technology empowers your employees to be productive?
Very confident: Our technology greatly improves employee productivity
Not very confident: Our technology does not support employee productivity
Part 2: Your organization’s relationship to AI
How fundamental is AI to the success of your business?
Very important: AI will greatly improve the success of our business.
Somewhat important: AI will support the success of our business, but it isn’t necessary.
Not very important: AI would be beneficial in other ways but won’t affect the success of our business.
Rate your employees’ current willingness to adopt new technologies, including AI
Very willing: Employees are excited to learn about and use new technologies like AI.
Somewhat willing: Employees are cautiously optimistic about new technologies.
Not very willing: Employees are resistant to new technologies, including AI.
Part 3: Your organization’s willingness to use AI
How important is it to provide secure, user-friendly AI systems to your workforce?
Very important: We want our employees to be able to learn and use AI as soon as possible.
Somewhat important: We’re interested in adopting user-friendly AI but want to learn more first.
Not very important: User-friendly AI systems are a “nice-to-have” but not currently a priority.
How much, if at all, has your organization’s leadership bought into the business value of AI-powered tools?
All in: Our leadership is ready and willing to begin transitioning to AI-powered tools.
Somewhat in: Leadership understands the importance of AI but needs some convincing on the business value of adopting it.
Not at all in: Our leadership doesn’t understand the importance or value of AI just yet
Part 4: Investment and funding
How strong is your investment in change management and training to support the transition to AI-powered processes and systems?
Very strong: We could begin the transition immediately.
Somewhat strong: We could begin the transition soon but have some challenges to overcome first.
Not very strong: We need a lot of support and training in preparing for AI before we can begin the transition.
Does your organization have funding for deploying and implementing a secure, user-friendly AI system?
Fully funded: Our organization is ready and able to invest in AI technologies.
Some funding: Our organization can afford to transition, but leadership is unsure the benefit outweighs the cost.
No funding: We’re working toward a place where we can invest in AI technologies, but we’re not quite there yet.
Part 5: Endpoint management and security capabilities
How confident are you in your organization’s current endpoint management capabilities to enable employees that are preparing for AI to help them do their best work, regardless of where they work and what device they use?
Very confident: Our endpoint management capabilities allow employees to work where and how they feel they can be most successful.
Somewhat confident: Our endpoint management capabilities are stable for certain experiences but could be improved.
Not very confident: We need a better system to support endpoint management for employees working anywhere and from any device.
Rate your organization’s current security foundation for enabling AI-powered work from any endpoint.
Very secure: Our systems are built on a robust security foundation and support our strong endpoint management capabilities.
Somewhat secure: We have strong security systems but aren’t confident they can support the additional requirements of using AI-powered tools.
Not very secure: We need a more secure system to protect our organization’s data and ensure our employees can confidently work from anywhere.
Results
Mostly A’s: Very Ready (GREAT NEWS)
Your organization has put the work in preparing for AI and true transformation is underway. The Microsoft 365 team is excited to help you move forward. A couple of key notes for Very Ready organizations:
If you already have Microsoft 365, your organization has a head start, as it’s required to implement Copilot.
If you haven't deployed Microsoft 365 yet, we can help make that happen so your organization is set up with a Zero Trust foundation and strong endpoint management capabilities.
Having that baseline productivity in place will enable your employees to start exploring the benefits of Copilot as soon as possible. You can find a link to get started at the end of this blog.
Mostly B’s: Almost Ready (GOOD NEWS)
Your organization is nearly there. Like Very Ready organizations, your Almost Ready business should consider deploying Microsoft 365, if you haven’t already. Help your employees learn their way around Microsoft 365 now so that it's easier for them to adopt the AI integrations down the road.
A couple of notes for Almost Ready organizations:
As you continue preparing for AI, there is a wealth of guidance online to help you familiarize your teams with Microsoft AIcapabilities before deploying the tools.
Microsoft 365 representatives are available to help you understand what steps specific to your organization will take you from Almost Ready to Very Ready
Mostly C’s: Need More Guidance (IT'S OKAY)
It sounds like your organization could benefit from personalized guidance on implementing AI tools. For more information on the requirements and benefits of a secure, user-friendly AI system, Microsoft can help!
A couple of notes to get organizations that Need More Guidance started:
Speak to a Microsoft 365 representative to learn more about the benefits of adopting Microsoft 365 so your organization can build a foundation that will get you Very Ready for AI transformation.
Visit the Microsoft AI homepage for a number of resources on responsible AI principles, specific AI capabilities, and guidance on how to build an AI ready organization.
Next steps
Unlock the potential of AI with Microsoft 365 and Copilot
An organization that is preparing for AI and ready to unlock all that's possible, has a strong foundation in security, streamlined endpoint management, and an openness to innovation that improves productivity. With Microsoft 365, your organization can achieve those checkpoints with one complete solution.
With Microsoft 365, your organization's technology landscape will be grounded in Zero Trust, ensuring a secure foundation for all of your endpoints, no matter where access is coming from. A Zero Trust security foundation in turn makes endpoint management safer and less complex, so you can efficiently grant employees access to all the tools they need to be more productive than ever.
Microsoft offers decades in future forward technology expertise, and that experience is built into the features that make Microsoft 365 so powerful. Now, with Copilot, your organization can extend the capabilities of Microsoft 365 even further.
Microsoft 365 delivers a secure, productive working experience. With Copilot, it becomes an intuitive, next-generation productivity partner that works alongside your employees, empowering them to collaborate and work more efficiently to become more productive contributors to business outcomes.
Copilot can empower your team to tap into the rich functionality available throughout Microsoft 365, making employees better at what they’re already good at and mastering what they’ve yet to learn. It integrates seamlessly with the apps your teams already use and is designed to unlock their untapped potential.
Ultimately, Copilot elevates the powerful capabilities of Microsoft 365 to enhance your workforce’s productivity, creativity, and skills—benefits your organization can experience when you make the transformation to AI.
What can Microsoft 365 with Copilot do for your organization?
Secure any endpoint with robust protocols grounded in Zero Trust
Automate time-consuming, repetitive tasks so employees can focus on more meaningful work
Reduce your organization’s software footprint
Lower costs of deployment and implementation
Improve employee productivity and engagement
Drive higher financial performance and positive business outcomes
Ready to see what Microsoft 365 Copilot can do for your organization?Learn more.
Sources: 1 “Will AI Fix Work?” Work Trend Index, May 9, 2023. Microsoft. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/ work-trend-index/will-ai-fix-work. 2 “The New Performance Equation in the Age of AI.” Work Trend Index, April 20, 2023. Microsoft. https://www. microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/the-new-performance-equation-in-the-age-of-ai. 3 “A Whole New Way of Working.” Work Trend Index. Microsoft. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/ai[1]a-whole-new-way-of-working.
New Microsoft Teams Essentials is built for small businesses
Credit: Microsoft
By: Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President, Modern Work & Business Applications
While the past 20 months have been challenging for all organizations, I don’t know any that have been hit harder than small businesses. They’ve had to adapt nearly every aspect of how they operate and work with customers, often without access to critical tools and technologies. The world isn’t going back to the “old” way of working, so small businesses need solutions that are designed specifically for their unique needs to thrive in this new normal.
Today we’re excited to introduce Microsoft Teams Essentials.It’s the first standalone offering of Microsoft Teams designed specifically with small businesses in mind. It brings together features small businesses need to serve customers, including unlimited group video calls for up to 30 hours, group chat, file sharing, and calendaring. And at only $4 USD per user per month, it’s the most affordable all-in-one solution in the market today.
Teams Essentials is built for small businesses
With Teams Essentials, small businesses from restaurants to retailers to professional services can easily meet, collaborate, communicate, and serve customers in new ways. Take Bristol Dental Specialists, a United Kingdom-based practice that began using Teams last year. From virtual consultations to collaboration with colleagues, the Bristol team delivers faster, friendlier, and more cost-effective patient care with Teams.
“Communication is so important, and with Teams, we’re working together better than ever to provide patients with a standard of care that sets us apart.”—Rebecca Metcalfe, Senior Treatment Coordinator, Bristol Dental Specialists
The need for affordable communications tools isn’t limited to traditional for-profit small businesses. Nonprofits, religious organizations, schools, and community groups also struggle to connect and collaborate effectively. These organizations and small businesses need to get up and running fast, and Teams Essentials makes it possible with no IT expertise necessary. Teams Essentials enables those with and without a Teams account to participate easily and effectively. While the free version of Microsoft Teams is still available, Teams Essentials offers extended limits like longer meetings and more storage. Let’s take a closer look at how Teams Essentials can support your needs.
Expansive meeting limits and easy-to-use features let you host professional meetings
Working closely with customers and partners can be a challenge for any business without the right communication tools. Teams Essentials brings existing Teams capabilities together with features specifically designed for small businesses and community groups:
Extended meeting times—With meetings that can last up to 30 hours, there’s no need to worry about your Teams Essentials meeting running over its time limit, whether you’re meeting one-on-one or in a group.
Large meeting capacity—With the ability to host up to 300 people at once, Teams Essentials offers the ability to bring everyone into the same virtual room.
Calendar integration—In addition to integration with Outlook Calendar, the new Google Calendar integration in Microsoft Teams means you can use your existing calendaring tool to stay on top of schedules and manage your meetings. *Google Calendar integration coming soon.
Simple, easy invitations—Inviting people to a meeting is easy. Simply add them to the Teams meeting invitation using their email address. They will receive a meeting invitation with a link to join. And if they don’t have Teams, the meeting will open directly in their browser. No sign-up, sign-in, or installation required.
Interactive meetings—Professional meeting tools and capabilities like meeting lobby, virtual backgrounds, Together mode, live closed captions, live reactions, and more allow any organization to host engaging meetings.
With the ability to connect existing tools and store content in one place, it’s easy to stay organized
Teams Essentials simplifies communications for small businesses and community groups with a single solution for chat and meetings—saving time, and most importantly, keeping meetings and conversations in context. It includes tools to work effectively with anyone, including Office web apps, file sharing, group chats, task management, and more.
Additional cloud storage—Don’t worry about running out of storage or wasting time searching for documents. Easily co-author, view, edit, and store Office 365 files. Teams Essentials offers a total of 10 gigabytes (GB) file storage, which is twice the amount of storage available in the free version of Teams.
Ongoing chat—All conversations in Teams are persistent, helping you to keep the conversation going so you never lose context or continuity. The conversation doesn’t end when the meeting ends.
Small business group chat template—Quickly start a group project and host meetings with anyone, assign tasks to teammates, and create polls to receive feedback quickly all in one hub, taking productivity to the next level. *Coming soon to desktop and web.
Chat, meet, and collaborate with anyone—Whether you are working with someone within or outside your organization, using the Teams app or dialing in, your chat and collaboration experience is kept in one place. There’s no need to jump between app experiences when you’re working on a project with an outside company.
Mobile chat dashboard—Just click on dashboard view in any one-on-one or group chat to conveniently access all shared content neatly organized into categories such as locations, photos, files, task lists, upcoming events, weblinks, and more. *Available for customers purchasing directly from Microsoft.
Teams Essentials offers the value and support small businesses need
Costs are top of mind for every business and community. Microsoft Teams Essentials offers the most value at the best price. And with a simplified interface that is easy to learn, it is straightforward and easy for employees to quickly be productive.
Get the most from your technology tools—With rich communications features at the lowest cost in the market, at $4 per user per month, Teams Essentials offers outstanding value for small companies and community groups.
Support from Microsoft—Teams Essentials is backed by Microsoft and runs in the Azure cloud. This means security, reliability, performance, and support. Microsoft is here to help with the technology you need—within your budget.
How to buy Teams Essentials
Microsoft Teams Essentials is available from a variety of Microsoft Cloud Partners including some of the most recognized names in the industry:
Customers looking to use Microsoft Teams for personal use can get access to these same features and extended meeting limits with a Microsoft 365 Family and Microsoft 365 Personal subscription.
Microsoft is committed to providing small businesses with technologies that power their core needs. That’s why we built Teams Essentials and recently announced expanded security offerings for small and medium businesses with Microsoft Defender for Business, designed to help small businesses protect against ransomware and other cyberthreats. With Teams Essentials, we are excited to take another step in our commitment and enable small businesses to collaborate securely from virtually anywhere.
Upcoming Free Microsoft 365 Workshops for SMBs
Be sure to register for one of our upcoming workshops to dive into Microsoft 365 and unleash its full potential to boost your ROI in all of your operational endeavors.
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are the cornerstone of every community. With an estimated 400 million SMBs operating worldwide, they account for 99% of global organizations. SMBs are the main source of job creation, making up between 60%-85% of employment. [1][2] And according to the International Labor Organization, by some estimates, SMBs contribute up to 70% of GDP.[3]
With that kind of scale and impact, SMBs need the ability to innovate to be successful and thrive in a digitally enabled economy.
During the pandemic, we saw that businesses able to accelerate their digital transformation fared better than those that did not. Many reported growth through their focus on tech intensity.
Under such unprecedented circumstances, Microsoft was curious to learn how SMBs view the current realities of their businesses, to understand their goals and priorities, and to assess whether technology is seen as a catalyst to future success.
Analysys Mason was commissioned to conduct research with over 3,000 SMBs from 10 different areas of the world, representing the global footprint of SMBs.
Today, we are releasing our findings with the Microsoft SMB Voice and Attitudes to Technology Study 2022.
Top insights
Digital technology adoption contributes to faster growth
The study confirms that nearly 70% of businesses consider growth as their primary driver, and technology “early adopters” saw faster and higher growth. Businesses identified as early adopters are twice as likely to have achieved their past business objectives plus higher revenue growth over the past year and are also four times more likely to be highly confident in their future business success. Today, businesses are focusing on sustaining growth despite geopolitical uncertainty, high inflation and energy prices. For 51% of businesses, the ongoing impact of COVID-19 remains a concern.
Security and reliability form the foundation
More than two-thirds of SMBs plan to increase their IT budgets in the next year, prioritizing investments in the following ways:
Eighty percent of businesses expect to have a hybrid workforce for at least the next two years and require the technology to support their business goals in a reliable and secure way.
Partners help drive strategy and SMB growth
While the majority of SMBs recognize the importance of technology in reaching business goals, 16% see it as essential. However, many SMBs need partners to map the right technology to their business strategy. Almost half choose technology partners, with 33% favoring Managed Service Providers or Cloud Solution Providers whom they expect to proactively recommend technology solutions to accelerate companies’ business goals.
The millennial factor
Millennials hold 41% of technology decision-making roles. They tend to work for newer companies and 13% are more likely to see technology as important or essential to business success. Nearly one-third of millennials identify as technophiles in their personal lives, carrying some of their consumer traits into how they research and purchase technology, placing high value on peer ratings and reviews when making purchasing decisions. In 2016, Gallup flagged that millennials favor purpose over paycheck in their How Millennials Work and Live report. Millennials as business owners apply those values to their business and technology priorities.
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals – no longer just for the enterprise
Two-thirds of SMBs in the study report having ESG assessment and monitoring frameworks in place. Millennials are leading the way, being the most likely to have an annual report dedicated to their ESG progress. In terms of focus areas, 37% cited lowering their environmental impact, 30% wanted to improve their diversity and inclusion, while 30% were focused on job creation. The study points to a link between an ESG focus and attainment of business objectives – with both these traits being most prevalent among early adopters.
Ninety-nine percent of the world’s businesses are actively seeking solutions to address current challenges and generate new opportunities. This community impacts economies worldwide and the livelihoods of billions. They do this not to just be resilient and survive, but to thrive and bring innovation to their industries and value to their customers. Microsoft continues to listen to and learn from our SMB customers, aligning to what is their top of mind.
Together, the possibilities are endless, and opportunity abounds for all.