Posted on October 25, 2024
Estimated reading time 5 minutes
Many organisations are currently grappling with the technical challenges of remote work, a ten-fold increase in cybersecurity threats within the past year, and growing digital debt.
The average organisation juggles 70 security tools, introducing management complexities that can leave IT systems exposed. Meanwhile, two-thirds of employees are struggling with information overload, hindering their ability to remain productive and engaged with their work.
Luckily, there’s hope on the horizon.
Microsoft’s powerful AI-driven solutions can help your organisation streamline its operations, unlock employee creativity and enhance its security posture in ways you never thought possible.
In our latest webinar (held on 22nd October 2024), Elaine Riley (Microsoft Go to Market Lead at Atech) and Holly Kay (Microsoft Cyber Security Specialist), discuss the benefits of maximising your Microsoft licensing investment in preparation for Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption.
If you missed the live event, watch the webinar replay here or read on to discover its five key takeaway messages.
Consolidating Microsoft Licensing Delivers Huge Cost Savings
Elaine kicked off the presentation with some case studies showcasing the transformative power of Atech’s Microsoft Licensing Assessments.
Each real-life example demonstrated how organisations achieved hundreds of thousands of pounds in cost savings just by consolidating their Microsoft investments without sacrificing security or productivity.
Elaine emphasised that the licensing assessment is Atech’s most popular tailored workshop service outside of Micorosft’s Engagements (hosted by Atech).
These sessions are low-impact, requiring just an hour or two with your Microsoft 365 Administrator. Plus, many of the additional engagements on offer through Atech are often eligible for Microsoft funding, provided you meet certain criteria (contact us to learn more).
After the session, we create a report detailing your Microsoft landscape, usage patterns, and licensing optimisation opportunities –– including your high-level Secure Score. This helps you future-proof your environment for game-changing solutions like Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Unlocks Employee Productivity and Creativity
Next, Elaine demonstrated how Microsoft 365 Copilot frees employees from mundane tasks across all Microsoft 365 apps.
From summarising 600-page Word documents, to mimicking your unique writing style in Outlook, Copilot is designed to improve the quality, quantity and speed of your workflows, saving 20% on operational costs and accelerating time to market by 16-20%.
Elaine then emphasised that Copilot’s benefits extend beyond cost savings and productivity enhancements. It also boosts employee satisfaction by empowering them to use unfamiliar Microsoft apps and engage in more meaningful, creative work to drive company innovation.
Securing Microsoft 365 Copilot Lays the Foundation for Success
Holly’s segment began with the message that successful copilot deployment begins with establishing best-practice security, governance and data management controls. This ensures that your employees can take full advantage of Copilot’s features without compromising operational security and compliance.
Microsoft’s end-to-end approach simplifies security management, while simultaneously improving an organisation’s security posture in the following areas:
- Threat Protection and Cloud Security: Micorosoft’s Defender for Office 365, Endpoint and Cloud Apps solutions deliver Extended Detection and Response (XDR) capabilities. Meanwhile, Microsoft Sentinel’s Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platform integrates with Defender; offering a single pane of glass view of your security environment. This empowers teams to track attackers across the kill chain and intervene in real-time to mitigate threats.
- Data Security, Compliance and Privacy: Microsoft tracks approximately 250 regulatory updates per day, highlighting the complexities organisations face in managing their data governance requirements. Fortunately, Microsoft Purview offers industry-leading data governance, information protection and data loss prevention capabilities. Microsoft Priva also helps organisations manage privacy risks and respond to subject access requests. Together, these solutions help companies leverage Copilot without risking their company’s sensitive data being exposed or misused.
- Identity and Access Management: Microsoft Entra offers powerful Identity and Access Management (IAM) features, tightly controlling who can access sensitive data via Copilot. Microsoft Intune complements this with its extensive endpoint management and security capabilities, helping organisations maintain device visibility and extend Microsoft security and Copilot functionalities to the edge of the network.
Microsoft Security: Helping Organisations ‘Keep the Lights On’ and Respond to Threats
Microsoft security solutions empower organisations to ‘keep the lights on’ with round-the-clock protection and tackle emerging threats head-on.
Although some of its cutting-edge tools are available with the E3 license, Holly recommends that organisations looking for peace of mind explore all of Microsoft E5’s security and compliance tools.
For example, the E5 license provides an impressive five megabytes per user per day of Microsoft 365 data ingestion to Microsoft Sentinel. This enables organisations to use the free allowance to evaluate its effectiveness and cost-cutting potential compared to existing SIEM solutions.
Ultimately, Microsoft E5 (and equivalent A5, F5 and G5 licenses) equips organisations with all the security tools needed to safeguard systems and explore the limitless potential of Copilot for Microsoft 365.
Atech’s Bespoke Workshops: The First Step in Transforming your Organisation
Elaine concluded the webinar with further details on the transformative impact of Atech’s licensing and Copilot Readiness Assessments.
She recommends viewers take the time to understand what they’re paying for and how consolidating Microsoft solutions boosts security and drives Gen AI-driven innovation before renewing licenses.
We would like to thank Elaine, Holly, and the viewers for contributing to this informative webinar. If you would like to see what Microsoft Security and Copilot can do for you, schedule a tailored Atech Assessment or Microsoft Engagement with us today.