We hope that the first month of the year has been bright. January can often bring with it a touch of ‘blues’; but now, it’s a time of renewal, a chance to start afresh, and an opportunity to set new goals.

At CAE Technology Services, our focus remains on the future and the exciting technological advancements it holds. We understand that behind every operational and strategic goal, there’s a team of dedicated individuals working tirelessly to achieve it. Just as you’re there for your team, we’re here for you. Let’s make this year a successful one, together.

CAE Technology Services is a Microsoft FastTrack Ready Partner

We are now a FastTrack Ready Partner (FRP), meaning our team is now better equipped to assist and guide you in delivering efficient migrations, enhanced security, and collaborative solutions that can redefine the way we work.

This marks another milestone in our ongoing development, demonstrating how our expertise is used to bring more good days to our customers.

FastTrack, a service by Microsoft and FastTrack Ready Partners exclusively, is designed to streamline the deployment of Microsoft 365 (which includes Office 365, Windows 10, and Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS)) cloud solutions, thereby enhancing user adoption. It provides support to customer tenants who hold more than 150 licenses from eligible plans across a range of Microsoft products, comprising of Microsoft 365, Office 365, Microsoft Viva, Enterprise Mobility & Security, and Windows 10/11.

To fully comprehend the benefits and value that the FastTrack program can bring to your organisation, contact your dedicated CAE account manager, and let’s work to bring more good days for you with Microsoft.

Ready to become an AI-powered organisation? 

Copilot for Microsoft 365 is officially here and CAE Technology Services Limited is ready to help you understand the basics of this mighty AI tool and build awareness in your business, through assessments and deployments to help you get ready.

As your AI assistant at work, it is designed to enhance productivity and creativity. Here’s how it can benefit you –

• Integrated Productivity: Copilot seamlessly integrates with Teams, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, and other Microsoft 365 apps. It’s like having a smart co-worker who assists you across various tasks.
• AI-Powered Chat: Whether you need help drafting an email, creating a presentation, or analysing data, Copilot will provides real-time assistance.
• Secure and Compliant: Microsoft 365 Copilot ensures enterprise-grade security, privacy, and compliance. You can trust it to handle sensitive information responsibly.
• Unique Business Processes: Copilot can incorporate custom business logic and assist with specific workflows. Need answers on compliance or HR policies? No problem, M365 Copilot has you covered.

To get started, ensure your organisation has a license for Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Office 365 E3, or E5 (for enterprise customers), Microsoft 365 Business Standard or Business Premium (for business customers), or Microsoft 365 A3 or A5 (for education customers). Consumers are not currently eligible to purchase Copilot for Microsoft 365

No more minimum requirements for Microsoft 365 Copilot

Microsoft has removed the minimum seat requirements for Copilot for Microsoft 365. This means a business of any size can now leverage the capabilities of the enterprise-targeted AI-powered productivity tool. As an adoption & change management specialised partner, CAE are ready to guide you through the journey to AI by –

• An educational session that will inform and educate you about the possibilities for Copilot in your organisation.
• We will help you create a score-based profile of your organisational readiness for adopting Microsoft 365 Copilot alongside identifying migration & transition activities to support Copilot.
• Data Security is paramount to a successful adoption, our assessment focuses on evaluating your data security & data quality posture, providing actionable recommendations to safeguard your data minimising your risk and maximising the value of Copilot.
• We guide you through a structured approach to ensure a smooth transition to Microsoft 365 Copilot allowing you to embrace change efficiently.

Reach out to our Microsoft specialists to learn how you can implement and manage Copilot for Microsoft 365.

Introducing Easier License Management for Power Apps

Starting in December 2023 Microsoft have introduced a set of changes which will make it easier for admins to manage license assignments for Power Apps per-user licenses. Previously, admins assigned Power Apps licenses manually via the Microsoft 365 admin centre.

Now, Microsoft has introduced a feature that auto-assigns these licenses as needed, simplifying the process. This means that you can now benefit from a seamless experience, with licenses automatically assigned when needed, reducing the need for manual intervention by administrators.

License-free standby replica for Azure SQL database

To protect the database powering the application from region failures and achieve higher business continuity it is crucial to enable disaster recovery for the database. In some industries, it is mandatory and part of compliance requirements to have disaster recovery in place and frequently conduct drills. However, one of the biggest hindrances in enabling disaster recovery has been cost as the secondary database is mainly used in the event of a disaster.

Microsoft is now offering a public preview of a license-free standby replica for the Azure SQL Database. This allows you to designate your secondary disaster recovery database as a standby replica, which can significantly reduce licensing costs. With license costs typically making up about 40% of the total, a license-free standby replica can make the secondary database approximately 40% cheaper. This provides users with a more affordable and resilient disaster recovery solution.

At CAE, we believe that people need amazing technology and technology needs amazing people. Our value lies in creating infrastructure solutions with people in mind, delivering expertise and insight to our customers across public and private sectors. Rest assured, we are perfectly equipped to facilitate a smooth deployment in your organisation.

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