News in the Channel - issue #39

AI SERVICES

To mitigate this risk, MSPs should recommend a business-focused tool: Microsoft Copilot. Copilot integrates with Microsoft 365, ensuring that all data remains within the organisation’s security boundaries and significantly minimising the risk of shadow AI. Tenant security and data governance Copilot draws upon an organisation’s internal data to form its answers. Properly organised and structured Microsoft 365 data is essential, as it makes the tool more effective and accurate. However, integrating with internal Microsoft 365 data also means that strengthening data access controls and reviewing permissions are crucial to prevent Copilot from sharing sensitive data with unauthorised users. Tenant security and data governance are not new offerings for MSPs, but they can be re-productised and included in a completely new Copilot readiness service. Tenant security and data governance lay the foundations for any successful Copilot rollout. MSPs should start by auditing customers’ Microsoft 365 environments, enforcing properly configured security policies, and continuing to monitor configuration drift and security concerns. Then they can move on to defining

purposes, rules, and role assignments for Microsoft 365 workspaces: reviewing internal permissions and strengthening data access controls and applying sensitivity labels and conditional access policies to protect confidential data. The most successful MSPs will not be those who overhaul their services overnight to start delivering AI, but those who accommodate customer needs as they stand. Most SMBs are still just starting out in their AI journeys. They need support, enablement, and education in these early stages, which can be built on top of existing infrastructure.

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The most successful MSPs will not be those who overhaul their services overnight to start delivering AI, but those who accommodate customer needs as they stand.

Ongoing consultancy and advisory services

MSPs can offer advisory and enablement services to make Copilot support into an ongoing service that delivers MRR. By identifying power users, showcasing which departments would benefit most, and highlighting relevant business cases for Copilot, MSPs can help SMBs continuously use AI to enhance their operations, boost productivity and ultimately achieve their goals. As AI adoption continues to soar, MSPs cannot ignore its presence and its potential. Establishing Copilot services now, grounded in education, enablement and security, will differentiate the truly forward-thinking MSPs from those that will struggle in this new landscape. n

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