Enterprise AI Digest #12 - PODCAST on Spotify and Apple
Topics:
Agents for M365 Copilot
Dynamics GP: A Legacy of Success
Copilot in Power Automate Desktop
Events
Agents for M365 Copilot
Declarative agents, a new feature of Microsoft 365 Copilot, empower businesses to create AI copilots tailored for specific tasks across Microsoft 365 components like Teams, Outlook, Excel, and SharePoint. These agents utilize the robust infrastructure of Microsoft Copilot but allow for customization to meet unique business needs, enhancing collaboration and workflow efficiency.
With declarative agents, organizations can automate repetitive processes, access enterprise knowledge through Graph Connectors and SharePoint, and create seamless workflows, all within the trusted Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
Key Benefits:
Familiar Interface: Declarative agents integrate smoothly into the familiar Copilot interface, making adoption easier.
Enhanced Knowledge: They can pull from enterprise data, like Graph Connectors or SharePoint, for quick access to relevant information.
Seamless Integration: Plugins can be added to interact with external systems, providing real-time updates and data.
Security: Built with the same privacy and compliance standards as Microsoft 365, ensuring secure data handling.
Tailored Scenarios:
IT Self-Help: Employees can resolve technical issues by using internal knowledge, reducing reliance on the help desk.
Customer Support: Declarative agents can provide real-time updates on orders, improving customer communication and service efficiency.
How to Build Declarative Agents: To create a declarative agent, businesses use app manifests, agent configurations, and plugins, leveraging tools like Teams Toolkit, Copilot Studio, or SharePoint.
Dynamics GP: A Legacy of Success
What is Dynamics GP? Dynamics GP is a powerful business management solution that has helped small and mid-sized businesses streamline operations like financial management, inventory, and supply chain. Known for its reliability, GP has been a cornerstone in many organizations for decades.
The Glory of Dynamics GP Launched in the early 1980s as Great Plains, Dynamics GP quickly became a leader in the ERP space, known for its user-friendly features such as financial accounting, business intelligence, and supply chain management. In the 2000s, Dynamics GP was consistently recognized by Gartner in their Magic Quadrant for ERP systems, showcasing its excellence in delivering top-tier solutions for businesses. Its versatility allowed seamless integration with Microsoft Office and other enterprise solutions, enabling businesses to automate processes and make informed decisions.
High-Level Milestones of Dynamics GP
1981: Great Plains (Dynamics GP) founded as a solution for accounting and business management.
2000: Acquired by Microsoft, marking the beginning of its evolution into a comprehensive ERP system.
2007: Dynamics GP joins the Microsoft Dynamics suite with enhanced capabilities.
2010s: Introduction of web functionalities, improving flexibility for modern businesses.
2029: Microsoft announces the end of product support and encourages the transition to Business Central.
Looking Forward: Transition to Business Central As Dynamics GP nears its sunset, Microsoft recommends transitioning to Dynamics 365 Business Central, a cloud-native ERP solution. Built with AI and robust automation tools, Business Central offers enhanced scalability, real-time insights, and tighter security, ensuring that businesses stay future-ready. Explore the guide for migration from Dynamics GP to Dynamics 365 Business Central.
Copilot in Power Automate Desktop
Power Automate in Desktop helps users automate tasks on their local machines. It allows you to streamline workflows, reduce manual effort, and increase productivity by automating tasks such as data entry or file management without needing advanced coding skills.
Copilot in Power Automate Desktop
The new Copilot in Power Automate Desktop feature allows users to automate workflows with natural language prompts. Users can now describe what they want to achieve, and Copilot transforms these descriptions into automated tasks. Whether you're building a new flow or enhancing an existing one, Copilot simplifies the process, turning complex instructions into manageable automation steps.
Easy Workflow Creation With Copilot, creating desktop flows becomes more intuitive. Users no longer need to manually program each step, as Copilot understands natural language and generates flows based on prompts. This innovation significantly reduces the time and effort required to build automated workflows.
Preview and Limitations Currently, Copilot in Power Automate Desktop is available as a preview feature, which means it's not yet ready for production environments and may have limited functionality. It's powered by Azure OpenAI, offering early access to advanced features like generative answers, although it's primarily optimized for English.
Enhanced User Experience Users can interact with Copilot via Power Automate's familiar interface, enhancing existing flows or creating new ones. The feature supports a wide range of actions, from handling data in Excel to running PowerShell scripts, making automation easier and more accessible for non-technical users.
Events
Community Summit NA (10/2024): Summit North America is the largest independent gathering of Microsoft users, partners, and ISVs. It will take place from October 13-17 in San Antonio, TX. More details @ https://www.summitna.com/