Using Microsoft 365 Copilot to Jumpstart AI in Your Business

With all the hype surrounding AI, you may be anxious that your company is falling behind competitors that are farther along. And it's impossible to ignore the narrative that AI is a game changer that creates overwhelming competitive advantages for those companies that have fully embraced it.

And you may be aware of AI-related shadow IT projects cropping up here and there in your company. Without a comprehensive plan and appropriate governance, rogue AI projects can create a real mess, putting sensitive data at risk and disrupting your operations.

At the same time, the AI hype-train is delivering a ton of bad info, and we’ve seen an explosion of “snake oil” products that will cost you money without solving any problems or creating any new competitive advantages. And let’s face it, if you are like most SMB owners and managers, taking advantage of AI is not exactly in your wheelhouse – you may not know the first thing on how to prepare for AI.

So where do you start? Well first off, relax. There is still time to take advantage of AI and help is available to get you and your company where you want to go. But first things, first.

So what exactly is AI?

“Artificial Intelligence” or “AI” can mean different things to different people and is colored by a flood of marketing misinformation. For our purposes, AI is technically “Generative Artificial Intelligence” or GenAI, often referred to as GPT.? While the umbrella term AI can refer to other types of software, our focus and that of most SMB use cases is on GPT.?

GPT stands for Generative Pre-Trained Transformer and utilizes known data (also called a Large Language Model or LLM). In other words, a GPT can’t make decisions on its own, and is not sentient in any way, but it is highly efficient in organizing, processing, and drawing conclusions and automating processes based upon data that it has been trained upon.

For a more comprehensive understanding of AI, I recommend the following piece:

What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

Microsoft 365 Copilot to the rescue

While this description of Generative AI implies that implementing AI in your company requires starting from scratch, there is a way to jumpstart your AI. At K3, we recommend Microsoft 365 Copilot as your AI tool. It's the fastest, easiest, and most effective way to bring the power of AI to your company.

MS 365 Copilot works with many of the applications you already use and enables you to utilize the data you already have, while streamlining much of the work that still needs to be completed like integrating apps, training the GPT on your data, and protecting your data both internally and externally. It puts you miles ahead of simply acquiring ChatGPT and setting up your AI capabilities on your own.

So where to start?

While choosing MS 365 Copilot is a great start, there are still tasks to complete and decisions to make to implement AI in your business:

1.??????????? Identify specific tasks, functions, and processes

Your MSP will be invaluable here, but your participation is absolutely necessary as you know your business better than anyone and can best identify the tasks, functions, and processes that should utilize Copilot. Specific tasks may include:

●???? Identify specific emails in a user inbox that require immediate attention.

●???? Draft a proposal from yesterday’s meeting notes.

●???? Summarize the last three meetings with XYZCorp using email, Teams, and the project SharePoint folder.

●???? Using XYZCorp meeting notes, create a professional proposal including the client company’s requirements.

1. Build your implementation plan

Implementing Copilot includes many moving parts ranging from assigning Copilot licenses to completing prerequisites to preparing data. To make it all happen, a comprehensive and detailed plan including tasks, timelines and responsibilities is a must.

1. Train ALL of your employees

Your Copilot implementation will touch virtually every employee in your organization and change many of their familiar workflows. Due to media accounts and rumors that AI will eliminate jobs, not to mention a general aversion to change, AI terrifies many employees. So comprehensive training will be critical for employee buy-in and system effectiveness.

1. Establish data privacy and security

Internal and external data privacy security are critical to an effective and safe Copilot implementation. To ensure your data is protected, it's essential to have a clear understanding of the data that will be processed by Copilot and take appropriate measures to secure the data.

1. Integrate Copilot with existing systems

A key Copilot advantage over “building-block” AI, is its streamlined integration with existing Microsoft applications. Still, these integrations can be complex, and I highly recommend that you enlist an expert MSP to assist.

6.??????????? Verify and monitor effectiveness

Immediately after implementation, it's important to verify Copilot is working accurately and effectively. Additionally, the system should be monitored on an on-going basis. These processes are key to detecting problems and identifying areas where the technology can be improved over time.

Conclusion

While there is some degree of urgency, there’s no need to panic. An expert MSP can be just what your company needs to get ready for AI and begin to leverage its power to improve your business. With proper guidance, the right tools and sound strategy, your company can get started with AI the right way and without breaking the bank or your operations.

Done right, AI can provide your business with real competitive advantages by improving efficiency, leveraging your internal data, and enabling new processes and opportunities. The key is enlisting the right guide and using MS 365 Copilot rather than a “do it yourself” approach.

K3 Technology can be your guide to AI for your business

The K3 Technology team has deep hands-on experience in AI and Microsoft Copilot, and we can help you unleash the power of AI for your business. We know not just the technology, but the best practices and business aspects of AI and can get you ready and subsequently up and running. If you don’t know yet how AI can improve your business, just ask us, and we’ll share our real-world AI experience and how it can be applied successfully for your business. Contact us at K3 Technology to find out more.

In the meantime, click on the links below for more info on how to get ready to make AI work for you:

Business leaders share their best practices when implementing AI

Generative AI is here to stay: Four Best Practices for Successful Use

How to transform work with plugins for Microsoft 365 Copilot and AI apps

Extending Microsoft Copilot

Copilot briefing presentation