Microsoft ecosystem incremental updates are being released almost daily. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
If the latest updates to Microsoft’s suite – especially its new AI features – have you feeling confused, overwhelmed or in denial, you’re not alone.
Mojo Up director Daniel Buchanan says the speed and sheer volume of change is throwing many clients.
His Canberra-based company helps Australian Federal Government, Defence and intelligence organisations adopt and secure modern technology solutions.
“Things are changing rapidly – across the Microsoft ecosystem incremental updates are being released almost daily,” Daniel says.
“It can be hard for agencies and teams to keep pace. Every change comes with IT and security considerations, but you also have to consider organisational change, training, support and so on. If those are priorities, even a small change can require a full process.”
But he says once everything is properly set up, the benefits are clear.
While some updates – such as Microsoft Planner Shake-Up – have users scratching their heads (or burying them in the sand), Daniel says the biggest questions centre on AI and, in particular, Copilot.
Microsoft Copilot is a versatile AI assistant designed to boost productivity across Microsoft platforms by offering intelligent support and automating tasks in response to user prompts. It works through a conversational chat interface, helping users write, summarise, generate images, code and more.
Soon, Microsoft 365 users will be able to train Copilot on specific tasks, tailoring it to organisational needs.
“For example, if you’re using a corporate-branded contract, it’ll produce a version that matches your organisation’s look, feel and tone,” Daniel says.
Copilot chat is now embedded directly into Microsoft applications with many redesigned around that functionality. Rather than clicking a button, users can interact with it as a built-in part of their workflow.
One of its most promising uses is its project manager function, which can auto-generate status reports with surprising competence.
“Without prompting, the AI creates useful diagrams, tables, progress drafts and so on,” Daniel says. “It can publish them so you can easily share with whoever you’re reporting to – it’s quite impressive. As someone who’s had to write a lot of project reports in the past, I can say it’s a real time saver.”
Mojo Up co-founder and director Daniel Buchanan says while overwhelming in their speed and volume, Microsoft AI changes will come in handy as organisations move more data off the cloud. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Beyond Copilot, Daniel says another valuable update is SharePoint’s Hero Link – a file sharing feature in SharePoint and OneDrive that simplifies and secures collaboration by creating one persistent link per file.
Previously, each time a file was shared, a new link would be generated. Now, there will only be one link so those with access will be clearly identified, improving security and reducing the risk of accidental data leaks. If permissions are updated, the changes automatically apply across all instances of the link.
Electronic signatures in Word, which previously required third-party tools such as Adobe, is another game-changing feature.
“I know people who use Adobe just for this,” Daniel says. “It’s cumbersome – you have to save your document down, then upload it, and once you do that, it leaves your system and goes to the Adobe cloud.
“This new feature means you don’t have to send the source file out for signing. You send a copy, and the signed PDF stays stored with the Word doc. The record never leaves your control. From a security perspective, it’s better, but it’s also just easier.”
Microsoft 365 Local, another area generating conversation, allows organisations to run a private, on-premises instance of Microsoft 365.
While Daniel is quick to note risk assessment is the responsibility of each organisation, the option to now host certain services locally (while still using other cloud services) might be advantageous for those where data sovereignty is paramount.
Daniel admits while these changes to Microsoft can feel overwhelming, he says organisations need more focus on it.
“Ideally organisations and agencies would have innovation labs where they’re testing, playing and feeding changes through their organisation in a structured manner. But not everyone is there yet and that’s where we come in,” he says.
“We’ve helped several agencies operationally – sometimes with the process side, sometimes by finding the best way to deliver these incremental changes end to end, while reducing the risk of disruption to staff.”
For more information, visit Mojo Up.
