New Copilot Sidebar Enhances Microsoft 365 Desktop

Key insights

 

• The Copilot for Microsoft 365 Windows sidebar offers a desktop experience with a toggle for "Work" and "Web", allowing users to switch between Copilot for Microsoft 365 or Copilot with commercial data protection.
• Organizations can disable the Copilot in Windows feature using the Turn off Windows Copilot policy if they are not ready to use it.
• Copilot for Microsoft 365 is now accessible on Windows desktops for businesses and organizations that have the necessary licenses and the generative AI assistant activated.
• The chat provider platform in Copilot for Windows can be Microsoft Copilot, Copilot with commercial data protection, or Copilot with Graph-grounded chat, providing various levels of privacy and security protections.
• Copilot with Graph-grounded chat enables users to draft content and get answers securely, based on their Microsoft Graph data, and is available for an additional fee of $30 a month per person for Copilot for Microsoft 365 subscribers.

 

 

 

The rollout of the Copilot for Microsoft 365 Windows sidebar desktop experience has begun. In the sidebar, users can switch between "Work" and "Web," allowing them to choose between two modes: Copilot for Microsoft 365 or Copilot with enhanced data protection. This option is available for users with the proper licenses.

For organizations not prepared to implement this feature, the option to disable it with the "Turn off Windows Copilot policy" is available. This ensures flexibility and control for businesses regarding the new technology's adoption.

The launch of Copilot for Microsoft 365 on Windows desktops marks a significant milestone for Microsoft. Initially announced in January, this service is designed to cater to businesses of all sizes. With the introduction of a new toggle in the Windows desktop sidebar, users can navigate between "Work" and "Web" easily, enhancing productivity and data protection.

Microsoft's Copilot in Windows utilizes different chat provider platforms, such as Copilot with commercial data protection or Copilot with Graph-grounded chat. The platform selected is crucial as it manages the communication between the user and Copilot, focusing on privacy and security, especially when handling sensitive information. Each platform offers unique data protection features to ensure user privacy and security.

Copilot with commercial data protection is provided to all Microsoft 365 business and education customers at no extra cost. This version prioritizes the protection of company data, ensuring that chats are not saved nor used to train Microsoft's AI models. This is an essential aspect for organizations concerned about data privacy.

When users enable the "Work" toggle, they can access Copilot with Graph-grounded chat. This feature allows users to draft content and find answers securely based on their Microsoft Graph data, including documents, emails, calendar events, chats, meetings, and contacts. Subscribing to Copilot for Microsoft 365 is available as an additional service for $30 per month per user, providing enhanced productivity tools.

 

Introducing Microsoft Copilot for Windows Desktop

The launch of Copilot for Microsoft 365 Windows sidebar presents a new desktop experience. It introduces a toggle feature labelled “Work” and “Web”, offering users the ability to switch between Microsoft Copilot and a version with commercial data protection.

For organizations not prepared to deploy Copilot on Windows, an option exists to disable the feature using the Turn off Windows Copilot policy. This is applicable provided users have the necessary licenses for operation.

As of January, Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 was made available to all businesses, regardless of size. The addition of Copilot for Microsoft 365 for Windows desktop users marks a significant expansion of its accessibility.

• The sidebar toggle allows switching between Work and Web modes
• Available for businesses with necessary licenses
• Microsoft announces broad accessibility for businesses

This feature supports a diverse range of chat provider platforms such as Copilot with Graph-grounded chat, ensuring privacy and security for business-sensitive information. Each platform offers distinct privacy and security measures to protect user data.

For Microsoft 365 business and education customers, Copilot with commercial data protection comes at no extra cost. This variant ensures that company data remains secure without saving user chats or using the data to train large language models.

Enabling the Work toggle supports Copilot with Graph-grounded chat, allowing users to draft content and access information securely based on their Microsoft Graph data. This feature is part of the Copilot for Microsoft 365 subscription, available for an additional fee of $30 per month per user.