Microsoft Copilot Studio

Microsoft announced Copilot Studio in November 2023, a conversational AI platform for users to create bots (copilots) using natural language or a graphical interface. It’s built on Power Virtual Agents, and to that end, the Power Virtual Agents brand is retired in favour of Copilot Studio. It’s licensed with a tenant capacity licence costing $200 per month allowing 25,000 messages and, as with Power Virtual Agents, a zero-cost Per User licence is required for every user who will create copilots.

Find the announcement here: https://bit.ly/3SCDiQd, and Microsoft’s Copilot Studio licensing page here: https://bit.ly/3SAEjbi.

Skype for Business Online is retired

Microsoft confirm that the Skype for Business Online service is retired. It’s replaced, of course, by Teams, and organisations that haven’t yet made a full transition from Skype for Business Online can find useful information here: https://bit.ly/3muR2gh.

This retirement does not affect the Skype consumer service or Skype for Business Server products.

Update on the old Azure offer in CSP

Microsoft announce an update on the old Azure offer in CSP. Today, there are two offers that a partner can transact to sell the Azure consumption services to their customers: the “old” Azure offer which is the original way that partners transact these services, and the new Azure plan which is billed via the new commerce platform.

When the Azure plan launched, Microsoft were clear that at some point the old Azure offer would be retired, and there’s now information on the timeline for this to happen. Firstly, customers new to Azure will only be able to purchase through the Azure plan from 21 July 2021, then partner incentives for the old Azure offer will be retired sometime in 2022, and in the third phase, on a date to be determined, customers on the old Azure offer will be migrated to the Azure plan.

Find the announcement with a few more details here: http://bit.ly/3iEmhBu.