10 / 10 / 2024
Have you soaked up all the exciting updates and announcements from this year’s Microsoft Ignite? Because we certainly have: from brand-new features for Copilot, Windows 365 and Microsoft Fabric, to exciting improvements for Microsoft Intune, Azure Virtual Desktop and much more. Let’s dive straight into the details. And go over our favorite highlights from the event.
Actions are the newest addition to Microsoft’s GenAI-model. They are designed to automate repetitive tasks by using simple prompts, making everyday work more efficient. For example, you can set up actions to receive daily summaries, gather inputs for newsletters, or prepare for meetings by summarizing past interactions.
And with the introduction of new built-in agents, you can enhance specific business processes and use cases even further within Microsoft 365 Copilot. These specialized assistants increase the relevance and quality of generated content. How? Let’s take a look at some examples:
Additionally, Microsoft is boosting the autonomy of agents, reducing the need for human intervention. For instance, agents will be able handle customer service inquiries from start to finish, completely autonomously.
From chat summarization to asset libraries and automated meeting room booking, your favorite Microsoft 365 apps will be seeing significant improvements, powered by Copilot.
Microsoft also announced some smaller updates coming to Pages, Excel, and OneNote, along with the introduction of the Copilot Control System for IT professionals.
With the introduction of the Copilot Control System, Microsoft promises a a game-changing experience for IT professionals, aiming to streamline the deployment, management, and governance of M365 Copilot. With it, you’ll be able to easily onboard new users, create PowerShell scripts and simplify routine tasks using natural language prompts. And with the new AI Administrator role, IT admins will gain even more control and oversight for better tenant management.
Additionally, the reporting capabilities have also been leveled up with Copilot Analytics integrated into Microsoft Viva Insights. With this tool you can track adoption and measure the business impact of Copilot and its agents, optimizing their use and ensuring a strong return on investment. And thanks to the inclusion of advanced security management features in SharePoint, your enterprise data will be securely grounded while respecting your organizational controls.
The power of Azure AI directly integrated into Copilot Studio? That will be coming very soon. With it, users can expect more flexibility and control when setting up their generative AI applications. Imagine being able to use Azure AI Search indexes for custom Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) scenarios, enabling agents to access and utilize vast amounts of data stored in Azure AI. This means more accurate responses, tailored to the specific needs of each query, drawing from the immense resources available in Azure.
Copilot Studio is also enhancing agent knowledge with the integration of new sources and advanced tuning. This update will pull real-time data from third-party sources like Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Zendesk, ensuring agents can answer complex questions more effectively. The result? A more responsive and intelligent AI that meets the evolving needs of your business in dynamic ways.
Imagine deploying a world-class, autonomous SQL database powered by the SQL Server Engine that scales automatically, performs intelligent indexing, ensures high availability and integrates seamlessly with OneLake. That’s the essence of Fabric Databases. With the addition of transactional database support, Fabric now handles both operational and analytical tasks, delivering a truly unified data platform. With built-in vector sector support and AI integration, the possibilities are endless.
This next generation of databases simplifies everything—from provisioning to deployment—making it easy to set up and manage a robust, secure, and high-available database solution. Whether for operational workloads or in-depth analytics, Microsoft Fabric now provides an integrated, intelligent, and secure approach.
The OneLake Catalog, a unified solution to explore, manage, and govern your entire Microsoft Fabric data estate, is now generally available. Serving as an enhanced version of the already existing Data Hub, it offers enhanced capabilities for discovering, managing, and governing your Fabric data estate.
With the introduction of resource tags, navigating your environment becomes simpler and more efficient. You can now manage items directly in place, eliminating the need to navigate through individual workspaces repeatedly.
This solution marks a significant advancement in making data governance more actionable and transparent. It empowers organizations to uphold higher standards of data management and security while streamlining operational efficiency
One of the biggest updates ever introduced to Power BI is the new writeback feature. This turns Power BI from a read-only tool into one where you can directly update operational databases, straight from your reports, combining transactional elements with the analytical. But what does this mean for your business? For certain use cases, you’ll no longer need to integrate PowerApps with Power BI to perform writebacks, making the whole process much more streamlined.
By including this brand-new functionality, Microsoft has significantly expanded the use cases for Power BI, making it a more versatile tool for businesses. Imagine having the power to analyze and update your data all within the same interface. With Power BI’s new Writeback feature, this is now possible.
The latest addition to the Microsoft suite is the Windows 365 Frontline Shared Mode. And now, it’ll be available in Public Preview. This feature is designed to allow multiple users to access Cloud PCs with a non-personalized desktop experience, which is perfect for temporary and task-based work scenarios. By erasing user profile data after sign-out, Microsoft aims to eliminate the usual issues with traditional VDIs or shared physical devices, simplifying IT management altogether.
In addition to streamlining IT operations, the Shared Mode is managed through Microsoft Intune, which ensures a seamless integration with your existing IT infrastructure.
Want to know more about this feature? Read our W365 expert’s guide
This one took us completely by surprise. Microsoft will be launching the Windows 365 Link, a compact device that enables users to access their Cloud PC from any location without needing expensive laptops. It’s managed with Microsoft Intune and is BitLocker encrypted, which eliminates the need for a separate management pane, keeps your cached sign-in token safe, and allows you to use all your existing update policies.
Priced at just $349, the Windows 365 Link offers modern connectivity options, including Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. It also enhances security through passwordless logins and the absence of local storage, reducing data loss risks. In short, it provides your business with a portable (and affordable) solution to facilitate the transition to full cloud-based infrastructure.
Want to know more? Read our W365 expert’s guide
Looking for a game-changer when it comes to optimizing resource allocation and cost-efficiency in virtual desktop environments? Then you’re in for a treat with Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) Dynamic Scaling Plans. This exciting feature provisions new session hosts on the spot and deprovisions them when they're no longer needed. A functionality that has been highly anticipated for over five years. And now, it’s finally here!
The goal is pretty straightforward: it automatically adjusts the number of active session hosts based on user demand. And reduces your operational costs by scaling down resources during low activity periods. This not only improves the efficiency of your resources by aligning availability with actual usage patterns, but it also allows for simplified management through automated scaling. That way, you won’t need as much manual intervention or any third-party tools.
We’re looking forward to experiment with all of the amazing innovations from Microsoft Ignite. And cannot wait to implement them in your modern workplace, so that you can enjoy improved productivity, efficiency and flexibility.
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