Microsoft Unveils Major Enhancements for Copilot for Microsoft 365

Key Takeaways:

• Microsoft’s Copilot Studio now supports connectors for Microsoft SharePoint, OneDrive, Dataverse tables, Fabric OneLake, Microsoft Graph, and third-party apps.
• Restricted SharePoint Search enables administrators to review and audit site permissions, enhancing security and control over shared content.
• The Catchup feature provides users with proactive suggestions, document updates, and activity summaries.

Microsoft introduced several new features for Copilot in Microsoft 365 in May 2024. The company has highlighted new admin and management capabilities, including new Copilot connectors, Restricted SharePoint Search, and Microsoft Purview AI Hub.

Microsoft’s Copilot Studio now supports Copilot connectors, allowing businesses to use specific data sources like Microsoft SharePoint, OneDrive, Dataverse tables, Fabric OneLake, Microsoft Graph, and third-party apps. Later this month, IT admins will be able to curate and manage these connectors within their organizations.

Last month, Microsoft introduced Copilot extensions, enabling customers to tailor the AI assistant to their specific business needs. In July, a new feature will allow administrators to create these extensions with Graph connectors directly from the Microsoft 365 admin center. This will enable customers to use predefined prompts for natural language queries, targeted searches, and custom communication on semantically indexed third-party data in Microsoft Graph.

Microsoft has announced the general availability of Restricted SharePoint Search, which allows administrators to review and audit site permissions. The company has also launched a new AI Hub in Microsoft Purview, providing insights into generative AI activity for Copilot in Microsoft 365 and third-party AI apps. IT admins can track confidential information disclosed to Copilot, the number of users engaging with it, and the corresponding risk level.

Copilot for Microsoft 365 adds new end-user capabilities

Additionally, Microsoft has started rolling out the Copilot AI assistant in preview for the new Planner app in Microsoft Teams. This feature lets customers use natural language commands to generate plans with goals, tasks, subtasks, and buckets. Copilot for Microsoft 365 also helps users manage plans and track progress.

Additionally, Microsoft will release a new Catchup feature that offers proactive suggestions, document updates, and activity summaries to help users stay on top of their workday. Team members can also co-prompt with Copilot to create or update content in the Loop component.

Finally, Copilot in Forms can now email response rates to form owners and provide proactive recommendations for follow-up actions. Microsoft has introduced new prompt publishing capabilities in Copilot Labs. This release also allows users to find industry-specific prompts related to financial services, retail, and manufacturing.