It came as no surprise that Copilot was the star of the show. With Copilot Actions and Agents, Microsoft is taking a giant leap in the world of digital assistants.
Copilot Actions makes recurring tasks easier than ever. Take a prompt like “list action items from the last meeting and share it with the team.” You won’t only waste less time, but you’ll be able to focus on the more important jobs at hand.
Copilot Agents goes a step further and automates entire workflows and at the conference Microsoft demonstrated, among others, the SharePoint and Interpreter Agents, the latter of which can be used to interpret Teams meetings in the language of your choice in real-time. The most impressive feature is in Copilot Studio, where you can configure your own agents to fully automate processes such as a bookings and purchases.
The possibilities offered by Microsoft Copilot—including collaboration with 3rd-party apps such as Adobe and SAP—are both groundbreaking and highly practical.
Microsoft Pages and Places. Redefining collaboration and location.
Microsoft Pages—a new tool for the AI era—is another innovation worthy of a mention, giving users the ability to easily create websites such as blogs and newsletters using AI-generated content. We were particularly impressed by the possibility to collaborate with several team members on the same page with Copilot acting as a virtual assistant.
What’s more, Microsoft Pages, now readily available, provides smart insights into hybrid working. Just imagine. Copilot recommends the best day to go into the office, handles booking conference rooms and helps you find colleagues who are also in that day. It’s all possible thanks to features like Recommended in-office day, Managed booking, Workplace presence, Places finder and Space analytics that not only boost efficiency, but foster connections.
Azure Local – On-premise cloud performance.
For all those businesses looking to run their Azure services on-premise, Azure Link is the solution. Replacing Azure Stack HCI, this new generation offers enhanced integration with Azure Arc and allows you to get the most out of the cloud on-premise. This gives you the perfect balance between flexibility and control, which is particularly important for companies with strict security and compliance requirements.
Windows 365 Link
Also making its premier at Ignite was Windows 365 Link—a compact device that allows you to quickly and securely connect to your Windows 365 cloud PC. Supporting both wired and wireless peripherals, it offers a flexible and secure working experience wherever you are. The perfect choice for businesses looking to optimally support hybrid working.
Summary
Microsoft Ignite 2024 demonstrated that the future will be characterised by intelligent, integrated tools that are designed to take collaboration and productivity to a new level. From AI assistants and hybrid workplaces to on-premise management and global security, Microsoft is leaving no stone unturned and we can’t wait to explore and implement these innovations with you. Want to find out more? Get in touch. We’d be happy to share our experiences and insights.
