General Availability of Microsoft Power Virtual Agents

Microsoft announce the General Availability of Microsoft Power Virtual Agents. This offering allows the creation of chatbots using a guided, no-code graphical interface, which can be further enhanced by building custom workflows with Power Automate, or by using the Microsoft Bot Framework for more complex scenarios.

From a licensing perspective, it’s licensed per tenant at a cost of $1,000 for 2,000 chatbot sessions a month, with an add-on available for a further 1,000 sessions at $450 per month. In addition, there’s a 60-day trial available. Find the announcement here: http://bit.ly/2qLkMe6.

Azure Cost Management updates

The set of features that make up Azure Cost Management is constantly evolving and you can find the latest news from the ACM team here: http://bit.ly/38xdT13.

If you’re newer to ACM then there are some new videos: a shorter one here: http://bit.ly/2PjyRZH and a more detailed one here: http://bit.ly/34kPHvs.

Dynamics 365 Mixed Reality Licensing Guide

There’s an updated (December 2019) Dynamics 365 Mixed Reality Licensing Guide. There aren’t major changes, just the renaming of PowerApps and Flow to Power Apps and Power Automate, and you can find this guide here: http://bit.ly/MixRealDecLG2019.

Changes to Dynamics 365 Talent

Microsoft announce some changes to Dynamics 365 Talent. Firstly, they’re rebranding “Talent” to “Human Resources” and that will be effective from 1 February, 2020. Secondly, the Talent Attract and Onboard apps are being retired on 1 February, 2022. They’re intending to align future investments with the solutions offered by LinkedIn, and suggest that existing Talent Attract/Onboard customers may want to transition to LinkedIn Talent Hub.

Find the announcement here: http://bit.ly/2PJueXN and more detail on retirement timescales for Talent Attract/Onboard here: http://bit.ly/2sjqrZx.

Dynamics 365 Licensing Guide

There’s an updated (December 2019) Dynamics 365 Licensing Guide. It includes confirmation that users licensed with Sales Professional may use Marketing Campaigns and Lists, and that while users with Team Members licences have access to the Dynamics 365 Mobile app, they don’t have access to offline capabilities. And finally, the Power Platform family completes its round of name changes with PowerApps going to Power Apps, and Flow to Power Automate.

Find the updated guide here: http://bit.ly/D365LGDec2019.

Updated SQL Server 2019 Licensing Guide

There’s a slightly updated SQL Server 2019 Licensing Guide with some minor corrections and the inclusion of CSP as a purchasing channel. Find the guide here: http://bit.ly/SQL2019LGNov-2.

Azure Dedicated Host Generally Available

Microsoft announce that Azure Dedicated Host is generally available. Find the announcement here: http://bit.ly/352d920 and a reminder of the licensing on our blog: http://bit.ly/2OJ5Nwx.

Microsoft 365 Business Voice

Microsoft introduced Microsoft 365 Business Voice in November 2019 for the UK and Canada, with plans for global availability in 2020. This is a single Add-on licence which includes access to Phone System, Audio Conferencing, and a Domestic Calling Plan, and can be added to an Office 365 plan (Business Essentials, Business Premium, A1, E1, A3, E3) or a Microsoft 365 plan (Business, A3, E3). It’s limited to up to 300 users in an organisation, and the price per month is £12.00 per user.

Find the original announcement here: http://bit.ly/2Yt80gU and a useful overview page here: http://bit.ly/2Yw4LoR.

PowerApps and Power Automate Licensing FAQs

If you’re interested in the licensing of PowerApps and Power Automate then you may find this page of licensing FAQs useful. It covers a diverse range of topics including trial licences, the Common Data Service, Add-ons, Portals, and AI Builder. Find it here: http://bit.ly/32U9ocP.

PowerApps and Flow Licensing Guide

There’s an updated (November 2019) PowerApps and Flow Licensing Guide. There are only small changes to this guide since the main changes to PowerApps and Flow licensing happened in October 2019. Find the changes detailed in the Change Log on page 21, and note that this guide isn’t yet updated for the renaming of Flow to Power Automate. Get this latest guide here: http://bit.ly/PowAppLGNov2019.