Copilot Tips and Features: General Availability for SMBs Announced-Tech Tip for Jan 17, 2024

We are excited to share the news that as of January 15, 2024, Microsoft announced the general availability of Copilot licensing for small-to-medium-businesses for users with Microsoft 365 Business Premium and Microsoft 365 Business Standard. This is a subscription-based experience that includes a single AI experience, access to Copilot across various Microsoft 365 apps (Teams, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel and other Microsoft 365 apps on PC, Mac, and mobile), with access to GPT-4 Turbo during peak times for faster performance, AI-powered chat with Microsoft 365 Copilot, and Enterprise-grade security, privacy and compliance. Along with the announcement, Microsoft also introduced Copilot Pro, new features, and are expanding the Copilot app and experience into Copilot GPTs, a Copilot mobile app, plus Copilot in Microsoft 365 mobile app, and Copilot Studio experiences.

Copilot Availability for SMBs

These exciting new enhancements and changes from Microsoft expand Copilot access down from the 300-seat minimum for licensing (for SMBs) and immediately makes Copilot an accessible and cost-effective solution and option for small businesses everywhere. The updates from Microsoft included:

1. Copilot for Microsoft 365 is now generally available for small businesses with Microsoft 365 Business Premium and Business Standard Customers who can purchase between one and 299 seats for $30 per person per month.
2. They are removing the 300-seat purchase minimum for commercial plans and making Copilot available for Office 365 E3 and E5 customers (A Microsoft 365 license was previously required).
3. Commercial customers can now purchase Copilot for Microsoft 365 through their amazing network of Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider partners.
4. In December, Microsoft also announced eligibility of Copilot for Microsoft 365 for education faculty and staff.

Use Copilot to transform and boost your creativity and productivity in emails, meetings, chats, documents, on the web, and more! Be sure to follow along with us in our ongoing Copilot series to learn more about Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 apps.

Copilot Pro for Personal Use

Microsoft also announced the availability of Copilot Pro for individuals and families. The cost is $20 per user per month and includes access to Copilot across all devices and in the Office apps, priority access to the latest AI models like ChatGPT-4 Turbo, Image Creator for AI image creation, and the ability to create your own Copilot. Learn more about Copilot Pro for Personal and Family subscriptions, click here.

Reach Out to TechWise Group

Looking for overview information on Microsoft Copilot? Check out our ongoing Tech Tip series on Copilot: Microsoft Copilots Everywhere (Jan 3, 2024), and Copilot for Teams in Chat (Jan 9, 2024) and subscribe!

Hoping to get started on your Copilot preparations? To prepare for Microsoft Copilot, reach out to TechWise Group. We’ll help you get started. For Copilot for M365 overview information from Microsoft, also, click here.

Important Microsoft Announcements:

• Maximize your organization’s Security with Secure Score and MFA:
  • Get to know your Secure Score—your essential tool for proactive threat management.
  • Enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is the best way to prevent cyberthreats.
• Give your business a productivity boost with Microsoft Copilot:
  • Take advantage of a 15% discount on Copilot licensing now through Dec 31, 2024 (terms and conditions apply).
  • Get started with Copilot consulting services to organize and secure your data, while also training you and your team.
• Keep your infrastructure up to date:
  • SQL Server 2014 reaches End of Support (EOS) on July 9, 2024.
  • Windows 10 reaches End of Support (EOS) on October 14, 2025.
  • Windows 11 feature update 23H2 is now available (September 2024).
  • Windows 11 version 22H2 Home and Pro editions will reach end of service (October 8, 2024) and will be required to upgrade to version 23H2 to continue receiving security updates.
  • Windows 11 Enterprise and Education editions with 22H2 will continue to be supported after October 8, 2024.
• Contact TechWise Group to get started or to put a plan in place.