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Cost Optimization for Copilot and AI Agents on Azure
Artificial Intelligence is no longer experimental it’s operational. Organizations are rapidly deploying copilots, AI agents, and generative AI solutions on Azure to drive productivity, automate workflows, and unlock insights. But there’s a reality that quickly follows every successful deployment: cost becomes a concern. https://dellenny.com/cost-optimization-for-copilot-and-ai-agents-on-azure/Inside Microsoft 365 Copilot: How It Actually Works
An architect’s perspective on grounding, orchestration, and the real engine behind AI productivity If you’ve used Microsoft 365 Copilot, you’ve probably had that moment: “How is this thing actually doing all of this?” It reads your emails, summarizes meetings, drafts documents, and somehow feels aware of your work context. But beneath the polished UX lies a system that’s far more structured—and deliberate—than a simple chatbot. https://dellenny.com/inside-microsoft-365-copilot-how-it-actually-works/Removal of Copilot Chat Availability in M365 Apps?!?
Received a post in Message Center today and would like clarification as to what capabilities Copilot Chat will retain as it is unclear from the message. This is a huge impact to users who have already adopted Copilot Chat in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote as well as training materials (both our own and those provided here by Microsoft). Will users be able to access Copilot Chat (basic) via pinned app in M365 apps? Will users only be able to access via web browser? The section below noted in red is very confusing (from the Microsoft message) -- who gets what features as both are mentioned in same paragraph? ---------------------------------- Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat – Updates to Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote Starting April 15, 2026, Copilot will no longer be available in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for Copilot Chat users. To ensure a high-quality experience, we are reserving the full Copilot experience in these apps—with advanced reasoning and model choice—for users with a paid Microsoft 365 Copilot license. There are no other changes for users without a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. Copilot Chat still offers secure, AI web chat and the Word, Excel, and PowerPoint agents for chat-first content creation within the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. Additionally, users still get Copilot in Outlook with inbox and calendar grounding.Copilot Chat vsus. Microsoft 365 Copilot. What's the difference?
While their names sound similar at first glance, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, they differ in several aspects. And more importantly: one is built on top of the other. What is Copilot Chat (Basic)? First things first. Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is often simply called Copilot Chat. Copilot Chat (Basic) generates answers based on web content, while Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium) is also grounded on users' data, like emails, meetings, files, and more. Since early 2025, Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat has been available to all users in organizations, becoming the entry point to AI assistance for many organizations. Copilot Chat (Basic) is the foundational Copilot experience available at no extra cost for everyone with an eligible Microsoft 365 plan, including: Microsoft 365 E3 / E5 Microsoft 365 A3 / A5 Microsoft 365 Business Standard & Business Premium Copilot Chat (Basic) is secured, compliant, and it does not required the full Copilot add-on license. Copilot Chat (Basic) is able to ground responses on: Public web content. Content explicitly shared or work data manually uploaded to the chat by the user. On-screen content or content displayed on-screen in apps like Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. When it comes to agents, Copilot Chat (Basic) offers these features: You can create your own declarative agents grounded on public web content with Agent Builder. You can use agents built by your org grounded on organizational data with the pay-as-you-go method. There are Microsoft prebuilt agents available like Prompt Coach, however Microsoft premium prebuilt agents like Researcher or Analyst are not included. The screenshot below shows how Copilot Chat looks and highlights its main capabilities. Note the Upgrade button, meaning this is not Microsoft 365 Copilot, but the Copilot Chat (Basic) experience. Note that EDP (Enterprise Data Protection) is available in Copilot Chat (Basic). What is Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium)? Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium) is a paid add-on license that builds on top of Copilot Chat and unlocks Copilot's full power. It is available for selected Microsoft 365 plans, including: Microsoft 365 E3 / E5 Microsoft 365 A3 / A5 Microsoft 365 Business Standard & Business Premium With a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, users get everything Copilot Chat (Basic) offers, plus much more: Data grounding: Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium) includes Copilot Chat grounded on web and/or on user's Microsoft 365 data like emails, meetings, chats, and documents. Office apps: It integrates deeply into Microsoft 365 apps like Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and more. The integration includes features like Edit with Copilot allowing Copilot to adjust live your documents or email based on your prompts. Custom agents: It brings the capability to create your own declarative agents grounded in organizational data and/or web data. You can create agent either using Agent Builder or Copilot Studio. MS prebuilt agents: Premium prebuilt agents like Researcher and Analyst are included in Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium). The screenshot below shows the Copilot chat experience for users who have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. Note that EDP or Enterprise Data Protection also applies here How can I access Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat? Today, Copilot Chat is accessible via https://m365.cloud.microsoft or https://copilot.cloud.microsoft using your Entra ID (work or school account). One important difference in day-to-day experience: Users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license typically see Copilot prominently surfaced across Microsoft 365 apps. Users with Copilot Chat only may not see it pinned by default on the Microsoft 365 home page. To improve discoverability, Microsoft 365 Copilot administrators can pin Copilot Chat via the Microsoft 365 admin center, ensuring that users can easily access it without friction. Especially convenient is that if you use the M365 Copilot Chat app on Windows, you can open Copilot using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + C. What’s the difference? The differences between Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot mainly come down to: Licensing Data grounding (web-only vs. personal work data) Integration depth within Microsoft 365 apps I’ve listed the key differences in the comparison below. 👇Copilot Studio vs Azure AI Agents: What Should You Use?
As a solution architect, I’ve seen a recurring pattern in enterprise AI discussions: teams jump into building “AI agents” without first deciding what kind of platform they actually need. That’s where confusion often begins especially when comparing Microsoft Copilot Studio and Azure-based custom AI agents (via Azure AI Foundry / Azure AI Studio). https://dellenny.com/copilot-studio-vs-azure-ai-agents-what-should-you-use/
Windows Copilot が作成したドキュメントを HTML テキスト化し、Word Copilot で構造化文書に変換する方法 — 要求次第で進化するドキュメントの作り方 —**
こんにちは。 Windows Copilot と Word Copilot を組み合わせて使う中で、 非常に興味深い挙動を発見したため共有します。 これは、 Windows Copilot にドキュメントを作成させ → そのドキュメントを HTML 形式に変換させ → Word Copilot に HTML として再解釈させることで、 構造化された Word 文書を自動生成する方法 です。 公式ドキュメントには記載されていない挙動ですが、 再現性が高く、実用性も非常に高いと感じています。 ■ 概要 Windows Copilot に 通常のドキュメント（仕様書・説明書など）を作成させる 続けて Copilot に 「このドキュメントを HTML 形式に変換して」 と指示する 生成された HTML を Word に貼り付ける（この時点ではプレーンテキスト） 全文を選択し、Word Copilot に 「これを HTML として解釈して文書化して」 と指示する Word の内部 HTML パーサーが起動し、 見出し・表・箇条書き・コードブロックなどが Word 文書として構造化される ■ 手順（再現性あり） 1. Windows Copilot にドキュメントを作成させる 例： 「PrinterStatVer03 の仕様書を作って」 Copilot が通常の文章として仕様書を生成します。 2. 続けて Copilot に指示する 「このドキュメントを HTML 形式に変換して」 すると、以下のような HTML が生成されます： html <h1>PrinterStatVer03 仕様書</h1> <p>〜〜〜</p> <h2>1. 概要</h2> <p>〜〜〜</p> 3. HTML をコピーして Word に貼り付ける ※この時点では ただのテキスト として貼り付けられます。 4. 全文選択（Ctrl+A） 5. 選択文書を右クリックして出てくる、Word Copilot に指示する 「この選択範囲を HTML として解釈して、Word 文書として構造化して」 または短く： 「HTML として解釈して文書化して」 6. Word の内部 HTML パーサーが起動し、文書が構造化される <h1> → 見出し1 <h2> → 見出し2 <table> → Word の表 <ul> → 箇条書き <pre> → 等幅コード 7. さらに Word Copilot に指示する 「この文書に目次を追加して」 → Copilot が見出し階層を読み取り、 AI 目次を自動生成 します。 ■ メリット Web に送信されない（ローカル完結） Copilot が作ったドキュメントを Word 文書として再利用できる HTML の構造をそのまま Word に反映できる 仕様書・手順書・技術文書の生成に非常に向いている Copilot の能力を “構造化文書生成” に活かせる ■ 改善提案 「HTML を Word 文書に変換」ボタンの追加 クリップボードの HTML を直接解釈する機能 Copilot から Word 文書構造を直接生成する API 以上、非常に有用な挙動だと感じたため共有しました。 他のユーザーや Microsoft の皆様の参考になれば幸いです。 🟦 English Version（英語版） **Title: Converting a Document Created by Windows Copilot into HTML Text and Turning It into a Structured Word Document Using Word Copilot — A New Way to Create Evolving Documents Based on Your Prompts —** Hello everyone, I discovered an interesting behavior when combining Windows Copilot and Word Copilot, and I would like to share it here. This method allows you to: Ask Windows Copilot to create a document → Ask it to convert that document into HTML → Paste the HTML into Word → Ask Word Copilot to reinterpret it as HTML → Automatically generate a fully structured Word document. This behavior is not documented officially, but it is reproducible and extremely useful. ■ Overview Ask Windows Copilot to create a normal document (specification, manual, etc.) Then ask: “Convert this document into HTML format.” Copy the generated HTML and paste it into Word (it appears as plain text) Select all text Ask Word Copilot: “Interpret this as HTML and convert it into a structured Word document.” Word internally invokes its HTML parser Headings, tables, lists, and code blocks are converted into native Word structures ■ Steps 1. Ask Windows Copilot to create a document Example: “Create a specification document for PrinterStatVer03.” 2. Then ask Windows Copilot: “Convert this document into HTML format.” 3. Copy the HTML and paste it into Word It will appear as plain text. This is expected. 4. Select all text (Ctrl+A) 5. Right‑click the selected text and give instructions to Word Copilot: “Interpret this selection as HTML and convert it into a structured Word document.” 6. Word’s internal HTML parser converts the content <h1> → Heading 1 <h2> → Heading 2 <table> → Word table <ul> → List <pre> → Code block 7. Ask Word Copilot: “Create a table of contents.” Copilot generates an AI-based TOC based on the newly created heading structure. ■ Benefits Fully local (no web transmission) Copilot-generated content becomes structured Word documents HTML structure maps cleanly to Word’s native formatting Ideal for specifications, manuals, and technical documents Enables a new workflow for document generation using Copilot ■ Suggestions for Improvement Add a “Convert HTML to Word Document” button in Word Copilot Allow Copilot to directly interpret clipboard HTML format Provide an API for Copilot to generate Word document structure directly I hope this discovery is useful for other users and for the Microsoft team. Thank you for reading.SharePoint List Agent with Microsoft 365 Copilot – Create Lists Instantly with Natural Language
🚀 New Video! Introducing the SharePoint List Agent powered by Microsoft 365 Copilot Microsoft continues to push boundaries with AI in the workplace, and the new SharePoint List Agent is one of the most exciting capabilities rolling out right now. Based on Message Center MC1208689 and Roadmap ID 534606, this feature brings a huge productivity boost: you can now create SharePoint lists simply by describing what you need in natural language — directly within Copilot experiences across Teams, Outlook, Word, and more. In my latest YouTube video, I walk through: ✨ What the SharePoint List Agent is and how it works ✨ How Copilot turns structured content (orders, invoices, expenses, projects…) into lists in one click ✨ The updated GA rollout timeline for February 2026 ✨ Admin controls and licensing requirements ✨ Real scenarios where this feature saves time and reduces manual work This is a significant step forward for organizations using Microsoft 365 Copilot — making list creation simpler, faster, and more intuitive than ever. 🎥 Watch the full breakdown here: 👉 https://youtu.be/uypMK-jLw_0 If you work with SharePoint, Copilot, or Microsoft 365 in general, this is definitely a feature you’ll want to explore. Let me know what you think in the comments! 👇 #Microsoft365 #Copilot #SharePoint #M365Updates #AIProductivity #GiulianoDeLuca #SharePointListAgent #MicrosoftAdminsRequest for Consistent Search Experience Regardless of Copilot License
Microsoft has long positioned Unified Search as a consistent experience for all users. With the introduction of Copilot, that vision now feels increasingly fragmented. I fully understand that non-Copilot licensed users should not receive Copilot-specific capabilities such as summaries, overviews, follow-up questioning, or FAQ generation. That differentiation makes sense. However, beyond those value-added features, the core search experience should remain consistent regardless of licensing. Today, that is not the case. Non-licensed users are presented with a completely different and noticeably older UI, while licensed users get the modern Copilot-driven experience. This creates two parallel search experiences within the same organisation, which directly contradicts the idea of unified search. From what we are seeing, the legacy experience appears to be receiving little to no future investment, while Microsoft is focusing almost entirely on Copilot. The result is a growing divide in both usability and capability across the user base. At a minimum, it would make sense for: The same core UI to be available to all users Copilot-licensed users to receive additional enhancements such as summaries and overviews layered on top Semantic search capabilities to be broadly available, not fully gated by licensing Beyond this, there are ongoing challenges with Copilot (Graph) Connectors, and continued uncertainty around the future of SharePoint Search. Despite numerous known issues, there is little visible clarity or direction, even when engaging directly with Microsoft. Copilot is clearly a major strategic investment, but it should not come at the expense of foundational experiences. There are still many core capabilities across Microsoft 365 that require attention, and from a customer perspective, the roadmap for addressing these gaps remains unclear. Microsoft has an opportunity here to reinforce trust by ensuring consistency, clarity, and continued investment in the broader platform, not just Copilot.Governance of AI Agents with Microsoft Entra & Agent 365
As organizations accelerate their adoption of AI-driven automation, the emergence of autonomous and semi-autonomous AI agents is reshaping how work gets done. These agents capable of making decisions, executing workflows, and interacting with enterprise systems introduce a new layer of complexity in identity, access, compliance, and lifecycle management. https://dellenny.com/governance-of-ai-agents-with-microsoft-entra-agent-365/Real Use Cases: 5 Agentic AI Workflows That Actually Save Time
Agentic AI has quickly moved from buzzword to business tool but not every implementation delivers real value. Many organizations experiment with AI agents only to find themselves drowning in complexity without measurable return. The difference between hype and impact comes down to one thing: practical workflows that save time, reduce manual effort, and produce clear ROI. https://dellenny.com/real-use-cases-5-agentic-ai-workflows-that-actually-save-time/
