Minimum seats requirement for Microsoft 365 copilot

[KennethChu]

Yesterday, I attended the Microsoft Envision event at ExCel London. During a conversation with Microsoft’s staff, I learned that the Microsoft 365 Copilot requires a minimum purchase of 300 seats (on top of Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 licenses). It appears that at the moment, Microsoft is not targeting the SME market with the Microsoft 365 Copilot.

[#2]

Yes not at this time :
M365 E3 and E5 with EA and 300 copilot paid licence

[#3]

The minimum requirement to be on an Enterprise Agreement last i knew was 500 seats so requiring a 300 seat min purchase order is 60% of the base.. If orgs are serious about copilot they will of course see this as no issue.. however what Microsoft has not dont a great job of explaining is that its a seat cap for that licensing program and remained quiet on others for now and not communicated it well as now everyone thinks you need to buy 300 to have it.. @LUDOVIK DOPIERALA 

[#4]

Yes and they said last year under 2500 seats you will move to CSP… but not yet.
We will have all accuratz information at Microsoft Ignite

[#5]

Agree, this could potentially lead to false expectations among our SME clients.

[#6]

@KennethChu 

Great news for everyone:

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[#7]

Not only does it appear not to be for SME customers, but still no mention for partners and how we are supposed to license this.

I was told, but not sure how true this is that Microsoft have stipulated the 300 seats at launch due to the cost of the compute that goes in to Copilot, but that at some point they expect to be able to bring that down with also an option for partners. A few days before going GA as a partner I still can't roll this out internally as we don't have an EA and not likely to hit the required seat count for one for some time.

How as a partner are we supposed to demo this to a potential customer?

[#8]

While it’s true that the current requirement is for a minimum of 300 seats, it’s important to remember that this is likely an initial strategy for the product launch. As @Jasa76 mentioned, the high seat count could be due to the computational resources required for Copilot.

However, Microsoft has a history of adapting its strategies based on market feedback and technological advancements. Therefore, it’s plausible that they might revise this requirement in the future, making Copilot more accessible to smaller organizations and partners.

[#9]

wow,

It seems like this should have been made more clear.  Disappointing for small organizations.

@KennethChu 

[#10]

This is disappointing.  This puts SMBs at a serious disadvantage to companies that can have access.  If true, it seems contrary to the responsible AI objectives of Fairness and Inclusivity.  No?

@Mack_Cage 

[#11]

Don’t Forget it will be to start … later it will be available….
Just be patient

[#12]

Hey Kenneth, I mentioned this in another thread too, but the Microsoft 365 Copilot Early Access Program for SMEs was launched in September and is still ongoing, with more updates on broader availability sure to come.

[#13]

The lack of time scales, and a clear requirements does nothing to encoruage the SMB market, and doesn't help partners.

If you look at the distributers they seem to have updates on this in blogs, but nothing offical in the Microsoft documentation. Great that as usual the smaller partners ignored by Microsoft and just interested in the large license sellers.

[#14]

@KennethChu 

300

[#15]

Check out this page:
https://cloudpartners.transform.microsoft.com/practices/modern-work/copilot

In particular, the "Microsoft 365 Copilot GA partner FAQ" link Step 3.

[#16]

Microsoft, this is a shout out to your attention! Why build anticipations for your innovative technology, only to limit its accessibility due to your customer's size constraints? Decisions like this could allow competitors to gain ground. Do you recall the fate of the MS phone and its associated peripherals like the display dock and dial? Lumia was ahead of its time, introducing USB C in 2011, a feature Apple only just adopted in 2023. What’s the status of HoloLens? Has there been any significant interest since the release of HoloLens 2? And what about the ARM Surface after the Pro X? Please don't give others opportunities to catch up!

[#17]

@Mack_Cage 

It is extremely disappointing that small companies are intentionally being excluded from this game changing technology.