Microsoft 365 Copilot

Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI helper that lives inside the Office apps staff already use. In Word it drafts and edits documents. In Excel it builds formulas and summaries. In Outlook it drafts replies, and in Teams it gives meeting recaps. A chat window lets users ask questions about their own files and emails. Prebuilt or custom agents can automate repeat tasks, like status reporting. It is sold as an add-on: a company must already hold a qualifying Microsoft 365 Business or Enterprise license. Admins manage access through the Microsoft 365 admin center. Copilot respects existing file and folder permissions and never grants broader access than a user already has. It inherits Microsoft's compliance certifications, including SOC 2 and ISO 27001, from the underlying 365 tenant.

This fits a company that already runs on Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams and wants AI help without asking staff to learn a new tool. A good starting point is a pilot with a few dozen licenses in one department, like finance or sales, before a wider rollout. As a planning figure, budget about $30 per user per month for the Enterprise add-on; the Business tier for smaller companies runs about $21. Either way, this cost sits on top of the base Microsoft 365 license most companies already pay for. Watch two things. Answers are only as good as how well files are organized in SharePoint and OneDrive. And loose sharing settings can let Copilot surface documents an employee should not see.