At the heart of this initiative are industry prompts in Copilot Lab and industry templates in Microsoft Copilot Studio—two platforms tailored to meet the unique demands of various businesses. These platforms are not just about providing tools; they’re about delivering a seamless experience that aligns with our customers’ operational workflows, enhancing productivity and fostering creativity.

Copilot Lab serves as a portal for innovation, offering diverse industry prompts that cater to the specific needs of job functions and industries. Getting up to speed on AI prompts can be challenging from both a technical and practical standpoint. If AI prompts are vague or lack necessary details, AI models can produce off-target responses. Copilot Lab provides a repository of prompts that resonate with industry professionals, enabling them to generate meaningful outcomes with Microsoft Copilot’s assistance.

Copilot Studio includes industry copilot templates that can simplify the adoption process for businesses. These templates incorporate industry-specific business logic and custom prompts that streamline operations and decision-making processes. These templates, available in the Copilot Studio Gallery, represent fully working copilots that often only require configuration or integration for an organization to adopt them.

As we continue to build and co-create, our vision is to not only enhance the capabilities of Microsoft Industry Clouds but also to help redefine the way industries operate. By providing accelerators that drive mainstream adoption and co-building with industry partners, we’re setting a new standard for industry solutions.

Industry AI prompts in Copilot Lab

In our continuous pursuit of empowering organizations across various industries, Microsoft has introduced a suite of industry-specific prompts within Copilot Lab. These prompts are a culmination of our efforts to provide a more context-aware AI experience that leverages users’ domain expertise to drive better outcomes. Our new industry prompts help customers quickly get started using Copilot for sector, job, and role-specific scenarios and can be customized with domain-specific details, best practices, and industry context to reduce trial and error and ensure high-quality output. These prompts can create an interactive experience for sector-, job-, and role-specific users, which can enhance prompts and deliver tailored responses, continually improving based on user interactions.

The genesis of these prompts was a collaborative effort, drawing on insights from industry professionals to ensure quality and relevance. The initiative begins with the financial services, retail, and manufacturing industries, introducing 24 industry-specific prompts within Copilot Lab, marking the start of a broader vision to integrate industry-specific intelligence into business operations.

These prompts are readily accessible in Copilot Lab, where users can select prompts that resonate with their professional needs. They are designed to help users ask relevant and specific questions, enabling Copilot to generate insights from data that are finely tuned to their industry’s nuances.

The introduction of these prompts is part of our broader vision to bring industry-specific intelligence to the forefront of business operations. By providing these tailored tools, we aim to enhance productivity and foster innovation within the Microsoft 365 environment.

Accessing these prompts is simple. Within Copilot Lab, a collection of pre-built prompts categorized by industry. Users can select the one that fits their role, and let Copilot do the rest. Users can further customize the prompts with domain-specific details and best practices.

Figure 1: User selects the retail prompt category and picks the outlet visit preparation prompt.

Figure 2: The prompt is copy/pasted into Word and a document is generated for editing and use.

Industry copilot templates in Copilot Studio

Industry copilot templates in Copilot Studio help users streamline the adoption of AI solutions across various sectors, providing pre-built dialogs, intents, entities, prompts, and actions that can be easily customized and extended according to the user’s needs using a low-code/no-code experience.

The templates offer a quick and efficient way to get started with AI, with configurations and rollout typically taking only a few hours. They include publicly accessible and customizable data sources, allowing customers to change the default data source with their own to get the copilot ready for business. This feature is particularly beneficial for industries that require rapid deployment and flexibility, such as retail and sustainability.

For instance, the Sustainability Insights Copilot template empowers users with easy access to data and insights regarding a company’s sustainability goals and progress, while the copilot template for store operations is designed to enhance the efficiency of retail frontline workers by providing easy access to store procedures and policies. These templates were part of the Copilot template Gallery unveiled at Microsoft Build 2024 and represent Microsoft’s commitment to empowering users with AI tools that are both powerful and adaptable to their specific industry needs.

Figure 3: Copilot Studio Sustainability Insights Copilot template.

Copilot Studio is available worldwide, across 22 datacenters, and supports multi-lingual experiences, making it a versatile tool for global enterprises. The studio’s capabilities are continually expanding, with support for 23 languages and growing, helping to ensure that users can build solutions and respond in their preferred language.

For more detailed information on how to utilize these new features and to stay updated on future releases, users can refer to the resources provided by Microsoft Copilot Studio.

Learn more about industry-specific AI tools

Microsoft remains dedicated to empowering customers through innovation. Our latest offerings in Copilot Lab and Copilot Studio reflect our commitment to providing industry-specific AI tools that are not only powerful but also intuitive and accessible. By continually investing in these technologies, we aim to help ensure that organizations, regardless of size or sector, can harness the full potential of AI to drive efficiency, creativity, and growth.

Get started by exploring detailed guides and information on our industry prompts and templates at Copilot Lab and Copilot Studio. Learn more and stay informed about Microsoft’s advancements in AI by exploring Copilot for Microsoft 365 Tech Community Blog and the Microsoft Industry Blog for insig

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Microsoft, in partnership with IoT Analytics market research firm, conducted a global survey of manufacturers to gain insight into how they are seizing the AI opportunity while navigating key industry challenges. We asked manufacturers about their current priorities and future visions, their adoption of modern technologies and paradigms, and the benefits they expect from those technologies 

In this report, we share the key findings from the survey, to show how manufacturing enterprises are preparing their shopfloors for AI to make them secure, scalable, and automated and how they are adopting advanced technologies such as centralized device management, software containerization at the edge, and unified industrial data operations to accelerate that process.

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Read on to discover the six key lessons learned from manufacturers rethinking their operations for AI and how Microsoft is supporting the factory of the future with Microsoft Azure’s adaptive cloud approach.

Six findings from manufacturers preparing their shop floor for AI

1. Scale matters the most in the era of AI

Scalability was the main concern for 72% of survey respondents, who highlighted this paradigm as crucial for their factory’s future. Scalability came first, followed by automation and serviceability. These paradigms ensure that factories can efficiently expand with demand, optimize with minimal manual decision making, and maintain high uptime through easy troubleshooting and maintenance. 

What does scale look like for industrial environments? 

Manufacturers face the challenges of keeping up with the changing demands of the market, the regulations, and the competition. They also recognize the potential of AI to transform their operations, optimize their processes, and enhance their products. But they don’t have the luxury of spending months or years on deploying and scaling solutions across their plants. Manufacturers need a faster way to move, a smarter way to manage, and a more flexible way to adapt. That’s why we have introduced a new approach—the adaptive cloud approach. 

To learn more, see how the adaptive cloud approach is designed to help manufacturers unify their teams, sites, and systems with cloud-native and AI technologies that work seamlessly across hybrid, multicloud, edge, distributed computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT). The adaptive cloud approach empowers manufacturers to deliver value faster, manage devices more efficiently, and run applications more securely to prepares them for the AI-powered factory of the future.  

2. Cybersecurity and data management are top of mind right now 

Security risks and data handling difficulties pose serious problems, with 58% of respondents seeing cybersecurity as a severe issue and 49% seeing data management as a severe issue. These concerns are motivating customers to improve network security and ensure data is reliable and accessible for decision-making. 

What does security look like for industrial environments? 

Security and data protection are critical for the manufacturing sector, as the sector faces increasing regulatory standards and cyber threats. Manufacturers need to secure existing devices, and plan during device refresh to choose devices that meet industry security standards, will enable them to more easily comply with regulatory standards, and provide security to defend from the latest security threats.  

To learn more, see Microsoft’s comprehensive approach to security, from device to cloud, that helps customers meet their compliance needs and defend against attacks. For existing devices, Microsoft provides firmware and network scanning with Microsoft Defender for IoT, which allows customers to inventory their devices and monitor for vulnerabilities and threats. For new devices, customers can choose from leading industry original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) devices labeled Secured-core, which meet the latest security requirements. Both existing and new devices can be monitored and remediated using Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Sentinel.

3. Device management is critical for security and data handling 

Device management’s value is evolving beyond updates and device health monitoring to also address security risks and data flow management. The survey data supported this trend, with 68% of respondents noting that the security monitoring aspect of device management was very or extremely important to their organization and 59% of respondents highlighting data management as the second most important aspect of device management. 

Why is centralized device management important? 

Centralized device management is vital for ensuring the performance and security of operations in a factory setting. It helps to keep devices secure and functioning optimally, which contributes to the overall efficiency and productivity of a manufacturing environment. Effective management also enables better oversight and control over the factory processes, improving operational reliability and supporting scalability and adaptability in a dynamic industrial landscape.

To learn more, see how Azure Arc delivered centralized management for IT and OT environments. Manufacturers can define resources, such as hybrid, multi-cloud, edge, and IoT, to Azure Resource Manager so services such as system health monitoring, security, and many others can be easily applied across a globally distributed digital estate.

4. Containerized workloads are coming to the shop floor 

The adoption of containerized software on the shop floor is rising, with 85% of survey respondents already utilizing this technology. This shift towards containerization at the edge signifies a move to improve operational efficiency, system stability, and security. 55% of respondents indicated that containerized software could significantly or extremely mitigate reliability and uptime challenges, while 53% indicated it could do the same for cybersecurity challenges.

What is containerized software? 

Software containerization enables consistent and repeatable development and deployment of solutions across different environments, in the cloud and in factory. Containerization of OT software is essential for the AI-powered factory of the future, as it enables seamless technology deployment in scalable, serviceable, and automated factories. Kubernetes automates the scaling and management of containerized applications, saving time and resources for manufacturers.

To learn more, see how Azure Kubernetes Service helps to securely modernize and optimize Kubernetes environments with unified management, governance, and monitoring. Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), helps teams accelerate app development and deployment with best-in-class tools and generative AI. With AKS, enabled by Arc, these benefits can also be extended to on-premises and edge-based applications 

5. Industrial data operations optimize OT data management

Companies want to combine information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) systems for context driven decision making. 52% of respondents indicated that having a combined IT and OT data platform was very or extremely important for their company. Industrial data operations enhance the integration of IT and OT data by improving data flow, quality and value; therefore, 87% of companies have already adopted industrial data operations technology in some form or are planning to do so.

What are industrial data operations? 

Industrial data operations delivers data in a reliable, real-time manner for optimizing factories and plants. Industrial data operations manages and unifies data from various sources, facilitates seamless integration of information, and ensures data is accessible and usable for decision-making purposes. Industrial data operations helps break down data silos and improve predictive insights through an exchange and integration between shop floor and cloud environments.

To learn more, see how Azure IoT Operations handles data from equipment and systems in OT environments, ensuring that data is collected, pre-processed, and integrated into applications running onsite. This service, announced in public preview at Ignite 2023, embraces industry standards—such as, Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC UA), Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT), OpenTelemetry (OTel)—and natively integrates into Microsoft Fabric. Microsoft Fabric, handles data for cloud environments, centralizing data on one open, organization-wide data lake to eliminate sprawl and reduce duplication. It allows creating and managing AI models on a single foundation, reducing data movement and time to value.

6. Respondents are investing in underlying data architecture for AI 

According to the study, manufacturers plan to invest in AI-powered factories of the future within the next two years. On average, respondents expected their organizations to increase their investments in software for orchestrating edge AI by 11%. This investment shows that they recognize the need to overcome technical and skill gaps to fully exploit AI’s capabilities in future manufacturing processes. 

How to invest in underlying architecture for AI? 

Microsoft recommends adopting advanced technology frameworks such as centralized device management, software containerization at the edge, and unified industrial data operations to accelerate industrial transformation and prepare for AI. Azure’s adaptive cloud approach embraces all three advanced technology frameworks. 

Accelerate industrial transformation in manufacturing

To learn more read the full 2024 IoT Signals report, a comprehensive survey of manufacturers’ priorities, challenges, and plans for adopting new technologies, such as these, in their factories to prepare for AI. The report shows that manufacturers are looking for solutions that can help them secure, scale, and automate. Microsoft Azure is responding to these needs with its adaptive cloud approach, which offers a flexible and scalable platform for managing devices, applications, and integrated data across the edge and the cloud.

To view a presentation of this survey by IoT Analytics’ CEO and Microsoft’s GM of Azure IoT and Edge, recorded at HMI 2024, click here.

To discover more insights and best practices for accelerating industrial transformation, download the 2024 IoT Signals report below.

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To keep abreast of the opportunities surrounding these changes, many central banks are actively experimenting with the idea of issuing digital versions of national currency, in the form of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). This promising new form of digital money is made possible by advanced technology, which Microsoft is helping to enable through our global technology partner network. It is part of our commitment to Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services, which helps banks and other businesses unlock business value and deepen customer relationships. 

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How CBDCs are unique among digital currencies 

The growing preference for digitized money and payments has generated waves of innovation across governments, banks, and the global financial system. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have demonstrated the potential value of new forms of digital currency. But because cryptocurrencies are unregulated, they remain too volatile to be widely trusted and broadly accepted as legal tender. 

By contrast, CBDCs are digital assets issued backed by a nation’s monetary authority, or central bank. A CBDC is a digital form of fiat money (or government-decreed currency) which shares the essential properties of a nation’s cash: the same denominations, values, liquidity, and stability; the same financial liability to the central bank; and the same applicability for any type of payment—extending the functionality of the country’s currency. CBDCs remain interoperable with existing financial structures and are reliably overseen by the central bank. 

Initially intended for use in wholesale banking with the prospect of extending to the retail banking system, CBDCs offer compelling benefits as compared to cash and current digital financial tools. These benefits include: 

• Streamlined cross-border payments enabled by reduced reliance on intermediaries, with benefits in lower transaction costs and improved transparency in international transactions. 
• Integrated smart contracts (basically, self-executing contracts with terms of an agreement written into code), which can automate and enforce terms. These provide a high level of efficiency and precision and offer composability (the ability to create and combine modular services and products across complex systems). 
• Liquidity and settlement finality. CBDC assets can be readily converted into other forms of money or assets, which facilitates a seamless flow and instantaneous settlement without delay or risk of reversal. 
• More accessible government-to-person payments, such as tax refunds or stimulus funds, with direct deposits into digital wallets that don’t require bank accounts. 
• New formats for payments and transfers, which are enabled through efficient processes that are usually not feasible with traditional payment systems (for example, by means of crypto wallets.)
• Financial inclusion through easier access to financial services, particularly for unbanked populations in developing countries, such as through offline payments. 

For these and other reasons, CBDCs hold enormous market potential. The annual value of transactions involving CBDCs is projected to reach USD213 billion by 2030, a remarkable growth rate of over 260,000% in just seven years.²  

The Drex project: How Microsoft is working with the Brazilian Central Bank 

In their earliest iterations, CBDCs are being introduced into national and regional economies in limited circulation, offered alongside cash as an equivalent monetary option, with the possibility of becoming more broadly circulated as they become more popular and accepted. Currently, more than 130 countries are exploring or developing CBDC initiatives, with varying degrees of maturity. Progress in the United States is nascent, while China has the world’s largest pilot in the world, with 260 million digital wallets.³  

Brazil is one of the earliest nations to pilot CBDC as it moves to build a more modern digital economy. Microsoft and our partners are working with Banco Central do Brasil (BCB) and commercial banks to help develop a solution for its CBDC, known as Drex.⁴ It will be one of the most advanced CBDC initiatives in the world. 

Drex is designed to help advance and democratize the nation’s economy by broadening access to intelligent financial services with greater ease and lower costs. A key feature is tokenization—creating digital representations of financial assets—which opens the door to many new options for trading and transactions. Tokens are managed on a distributed ledger technology (DLT) to ensure a secure, shared, and decentralized environment for transactions. This can make financial services more programmable, standardized, and secure, while ensuring optimal privacy.  

Drex could also be integrated into Brazil’s fast payment system, called PIX, which allows for quick and efficient transactions, and even with the global payments network SWIFT. Longer term, it also aligns with the innovative Finternet framework and Unified Ledger concept proposed by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) to transform the global financial system. 

Empowering economies with CBDC initiatives worldwide 

The Drex project is a long-term effort that entered the second phase of its development in June 2024, which will continue for another 14 months with extensive privacy testing and new use cases. Ensuring the privacy and security of CBDC transactions is critical, so Microsoft and our partners, BCB, commercial banks,⁵ and other interested parties are working together to meet emerging requirements and ensure appropriate safeguards. 

Elsewhere, Microsoft is engaged in early CBDC initiatives in nations around the world. For example, we’re members of the Ensemble Project proposed by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), which aims to develop a set of industry standards to support interoperability among wholesale CBDCs, tokenized money, and tokenized assets.⁶ 

Microsoft is uniquely positioned to empower a CBDC project like Drex in several critical ways: 

• Infrastructure support: The Microsoft Azure platform provides robust infrastructure, AI services, and enterprise security—combined with our deep expertise with blockchain and other technologies critical for the design and implementation of a secure, scalable, and interoperable CBDC platform. 
• Privacy and security: Azure provides a broad catalog of security services that can be used as perimeters protecting CBDCs, with innovations such as a Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) solution (called ZKP Nova) to help ensure privacy for digital assets. Additionally, Microsoft Azure Managed Confidential Consortium Framework (CCF) provides features to assure customers that data is inaccessible to unauthorized third parties including cloud service providers.  
• AI innovation: Generative AI copilots, for example, can help create smart contracts, analyze document inputs, write code, and identify vulnerabilities and risks. 
• Global reach and availability: Azure has a global network of datacenters, which enables central banks to deploy CBDC solutions in proximity to their users—reducing latency and ensuring high availability.  
• Robust partner ecosystem: Innovation in CBDC solutions is spearheaded by Microsoft’s vibrant global network of partners and developers, who can provide central banks with access to expertise, best practices, and pre-built solutions, such as a CBDC sandbox. 

Explore the possibilities of CBDC with Microsoft 

Microsoft is excited to share our insights and expertise on CBDCs with nations and commercial banks across the global financial ecosystem. For more details on Microsoft’s work on the Drex project and our participation in FEBRABAN TECH 2024 in São Paulo, Brazil, see our press release.

Learn more about Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services.

¹When – and why – did people first start using money? The Conversation.

²Jupiter Research, CBDC Transactions to Exceed $213bn by 2030, as Pilots Accelerate Rapidly, August 2023.

³ The Central Bank Digital Currency Tracker, The Atlantic Council.

⁴See Drex – Digital Brazilian Real (bcb.gov.br) and Piloto Drex (bcb.gov.br).

⁵Microsoft, CONSÓRCIO CAIXA, ELO E MICROSOFT REALIZA A 1ª COMPRA DE TÍTULOS PÚBLICOS POR MEIO DO DREX EM LEILÃO DO TESOURO NACIONAL, October 2023.

⁶Hong Kong Monetary Authority – HKMA establishes the Project Ensemble Architecture Community.

The post Central bank digital currencies: Accelerating a digital economy with advanced technology appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs.

The telecommunications industry stands at a pivotal juncture, where the convergence of technology and communication is accelerating at an unprecedented pace. Microsoft’s role in this transformation is not just as a participant but as a leader, driving the conversation and action towards a more integrated and efficient ecosystem. Our efforts with the TM Forum and ODA over the years have been instrumental in setting new standards and fostering an environment of open collaboration.

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TM Forum DTW24-Ignite

This year’s TM Forum DTW24-Ignite event serves as a vibrant showcase of progress, partnership, and potential. Sessions will feature discussions on the latest trends and challenges facing the industry, while the Catalysts provide a hands-on look at the innovative solutions being developed.  

Catalyst projects are collaborative initiatives that bring together the collective power of the brightest minds and most influential industry figures to co-create solutions driving industry change through Open APIs, ODA, AI, and automation. Companies collaborate to unlock the possibilities of efficiency for businesses, optimize end-user experiences, and sustainable growth for all. This year Microsoft is thrilled to be actively contributing to two new phase catalysts alongside leaders from Vodafone, AT&T, Bell, Orange, Verizon, STC, Du, BT Group, and more.

• Responsible AI—Improving generative AI’s reliability for adoption at scale: This catalyst aims to address the challenges and risks associated with deploying generative AI models at scale, such as explainability, drift, and bias.
• DarkNOC: Generative AI propels insights driven NetOps—A new AI-driven cloud native stack for network assurance and service management: This catalyst aims to showcase how generative AI can enhance network assurance and service management, using a cloud native stack that aligns with industry-standard architecture, such as TM Forum ODA and Open APIs.

For those seeking a more granular view of the event, my LinkedIn post offers a wealth of information. My detailed account captures the essence of our presence at the event including information on all speaking engagements. 

Innovation Hub and ODA Accelerator

Our recent collaboration with the TM Forum Innovation Hub marks a significant milestone in our journey. By contributing to the ODA Accelerator initiative, we are helping to shape a modular, agile, and future-proof digital architecture that will serve as the backbone of the telecommunications industry for years to come. 

Microsoft has significantly contributed to the ODA program by signing the ODA Manifesto, joining the Innovation Hub, and supporting its development. We aim to transform the industry from legacy operation support system (OSS) and business support system (BSS) to cloud-native software, using standardized plug-and-play components, data models, and Open APIs. We have also created a cloud-based telecommunications ecosystem using the ODA reference canvas on Microsoft Azure, helping to drive digital transformation in the telecommunications sector.²

Our booth will serve as a hub for engagement, where attendees can experience our technologies and interact with our experts. Our in-booth presence includes stations covering: 

Developer velocity

At Microsoft, we believe that empowering developers is key to driving innovation. The ODA canvas and accelerator, along with GitHub Copilot for Open APIs, are revolutionizing the way developers work, enabling them to build more efficiently and effectively. The success stories from Orange and Lumen, as detailed in their respective case studies, are a testament to the transformative impact of these tools.

Our collaborations with TM Forum members Exos Systems and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) have enriched the developer ecosystem, providing a range of tools and resources that enhance productivity and creativity. Notable projects with Jio, Proximus, Amdocs, Lifecycle Software, and the AT&T SHINE Catalyst further illustrate the breadth and depth of our commitment to developer velocity.

As part of the AI Service Portfolio, TCS has developed their AI First Telco Modernization framework leveraging their rich experience in TM Forum ODA and our strategic partnership with Microsoft.

It combines the power of TM Forum, ODA Framework, and GitHub Copilot for an accelerated modernization of software applications spanning across ideation, development, testing, and deployment. TCS has successfully implemented these generative AI tools for its clients resulting in higher productivity gains and faster innovation. TCS and Microsoft invite you to join our special GitHub Copilot session, featuring experts from Microsoft, TCS, and Proximus.

Jio is at the forefront of technological innovation within the telecommunications sector, consistently pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

To accelerate the TM Forum ODA Component project, Jio has contributed to the ODA canvas reference implementation. Their journey began with the deployment of the ODA Canvas on Azure, which has evolved to encompass a suite of components, each designed to enhance telecommunications operations:

• Jio Network Performance Management ensures optimal network functionality.
• Jio Integrated Inventory Management streamlines asset tracking and management.
• Jio Floworx revolutionizes product validation and ordering processes.

These innovative components showcase Jio’s commitment to leading the industry’s digital transformation.

Microsoft is excited to collaborate with Jio and TM Forum on this groundbreaking journey. We invite you to experience this innovation firsthand at Jio booth (Jio Platforms Limited—Booth 232) and the Azure ODA Canvas reference implementation at Microsoft booth (Booth—315J), where the future of telecommunications comes to life.

Customer experience

Customer experience is at the forefront of our efforts in the telecommunications industry. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Contact Center is a prime example of our dedication to improving customer engagement. With Microsoft Copilot Studio, we are enabling the rapid development and deployment of intelligent, generative AI-powered automated care bots capable of resolving the vast majority of customer inquiries.

To assist telcos as they move to incorporate AI across their business, Microsoft, Accenture, and Avanade collaborated on a whitepaper titled “Reinventing telecommunications in the era of generative AI.” This paper explores the transformative potential of generative AI in the telecommunications industry and discusses how AI technologies can enhance network efficiency, improve user experiences, and redefine communication.

Vodafone is a great example of the effectiveness of these bots in a real-world scenario, demonstrating how they can significantly improve customer experience while reducing costs, expediting care, and improving net promoter score (NPS).

Charles Lamanna’s keynote at Microsoft Build 2024 provides further insights into these advancements, highlighting how telcos can use Copilot Studio to rapidly create intelligent Copilots of their own. Charles details how telcos can evolve today’s virtual agents into powerful Copilots that don’t just chat, but are capable of running in the background, asynchronously, and executing workflows with true agent capabilities.

To boost productivity and streamline employee experiences, Lumen Technologies has embraced Microsoft 365 Copilot. This generative AI tool integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Teams, providing employees with an intelligent virtual assistant. Finally, the collaboration between Microsoft and ServiceNow is pivotal in this journey. By combining our expertise, we’ve created a smarter way to work, where generative AI assistants coexist and interact. By integrating Now Assist, ServiceNow’s generative AI experience, telco employees receive conversational responses to requests and connects them to AI-powered workflows on the ServiceNow platform.

Network intelligence

The transformation of network operations is a critical component of our vision for the telecommunications industry. Microsoft Fabric Real-Time Analytics is at the heart of this transformation, enabling the collection and analysis of massive quantities of network data from complex, multi-partner environments. 

Accenture and Microsoft are demonstrating the powerful capabilities of Microsoft Fabric and Azure Data Explorer, enhanced by Accenture’s crowdsourcing data and exceptional engineering.

This collaboration aims to deliver actionable insights for Network Quality of Experience (QoE) management and planning, transforming the optimization efforts of mobile operators.

Our focus is to visualize performance issues that are:

1. Easy to comprehend and analyze.
2. Prioritized based on Accenture, umlaut score, and subscriber impact.
3. Root cause analytics, such as coverage and interference issues.
4. Easily integrate with daily workflows and additional data sources.

We will showcase how Accenture, leveraging Microsoft technology, can deliver an advanced platform built using crowdsourcing data, enriched by our custom analytics, and delivered through a user-friendly web-based front end. 

The Accenture integration shows how these capabilities align with the TM Forum Autonomous Networks initiative. Our Azure Programmable Connectivity, detailed in Ricardo’s latest blog, along with the participation of leading carriers, underscores our commitment to adhering to industry standards like the TMF931 Open Gateway Onboarding and Ordering Component Suite. 

Tecnotree recently authored an article titled “Delayering in Telcos: A Path to Agility and Efficiency” which discusses the significant transformation in the telecommunications sector, driven by the need for cost optimization and operational efficiency. It highlights the importance of delayering organizational structures and the role of Azure Programmable Connectivity (APC) in enhancing agility and customer experience.

Our partnership with Norwood Systems in voice intelligence is another example of how we are enhancing network operations. CogVoice™, their innovative AI Agent platform, is designed to re-monetize communications service provider (CSP) voice networks by delivering highly personalized and low-cost cognitive AI agent applications with breakthrough dialog performance. Leveraging Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and Azure AI Speech, CogVoice brings exceptional natural language processing and speech-to-text capabilities to CSP-hosted agentic services. 

The new telco data model

We are excited to introduce a new Azure Synapse database template for wireless that promises to redefine how data is managed and utilized within the telecommunications sector. This model is designed to streamline operations, foster innovation, and enable a more seamless integration of services across the industry. 

The TM Forum Modern Data Architecture (MDA) is a strategic framework that outlines how data is collected, managed, and utilized—leveraging technologies like cloud computing and big data platforms to support scalable, flexible, and efficient data processing and analysis. We’ve been working with customers and partners to define and implement data platforms that apply this methodology. Most recently, Tech Mahindra launched a unified workbench on Microsoft Fabric, enhancing data workflow efficiency and accelerating digital transformation for enterprises. Similarly, LigaData offers a transformative approach to telecom data management with its Telecom Data Fabric, which leverages Azure to reduce integration time and enhance enterprise data agility and innovation.

Connect with us

Microsoft’s journey with the TM Forum and the ODA is a story of continuous innovation and unwavering support for the telecommunications industry. As we look to the future, our commitment remains strong—to foster an ecosystem where collaboration, technological excellence, and a shared vision drive us toward a more interconnected world. Join us at the event and connect with us online to be part of this exciting journey. 

¹Microsoft expands commitment to ODA and all other TM Forum highlights from MWC 2023!, TM Forum.

²Microsoft expands its commitment to TM Forum’s Open Digital Architecture, inform.tmforum.org.

The post Microsoft’s pioneering role in shaping the telecommunications landscape appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs.

The Department of Veterans Affairs DEAN’s (Discovery, Education, and Affiliate Networks) Office in partnership with the National Artificial Intelligence Institute (NAII), SimLEARN, and the Office of Primary Care, conducted a 120-Day AI Tech Sprint competition that began in January 2024. More than 150 companies participated. At the awards ceremony held in Washington D.C on May 21, 2024, DAX Copilot, the latest AI technology from Microsoft, was chosen as the top solution in the ambient clinical encounter category.

We are honored and thrilled to be chosen as the winner of this Tech Sprint. DAX Copilot, already in use across hundreds of healthcare organizations, builds on the years of proven success delivering ambient documentation and workflow capabilities to improve clinician-patient experiences and reduce administrative burdens.

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Reducing administrative burden and associated burnout

Supporting our frontline healthcare workers by providing cutting edge AI technology to reduce administrative burden and associated burnout was the theme of the Tech Sprint, which consisted of three phases. More than 150 companies entered the Tech Sprint, which was whittled down over the three-phase competition to a final five. DAX Copilot was selected as the winning solution. Microsoft will donate the monetary prize to the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP), a national non-profit organization that works to ensure that veterans and active-duty personnel receive the benefits they are entitled to due to disabilities resulting from their military service.

Automating clinical documentation and workflows

The primary objective of Track One of the Tech Sprint was to showcase an AI-enabled solution that can securely capture patient-clinician conversations ambiently and extract key information to create clinical documentation automatically. It also needed to have a high degree of security, compliant with Veterans Affairs (VA) privacy and security standards, to protect patient data.

Advanced desired capabilities included those that follow a responsible AI framework and automate and assist clinical workflows such as populating existing heterogenous note templates, generating an after-visit patient summary, and referral letters.

Exceeding expectations

Not only can DAX Copilot securely record encounters ambiently and automatically convert them into clinical documentation in seconds, but it also has a robust set of AI-powered capabilities to assist clinicians with their everyday tasks beyond note creation. It’s based on the Dragon Medical platform, an award-winning, Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) authorized speech recognition solution with hundreds of features relied on by more than 20,000 clinicians across the VA network and 600,000 users worldwide. And it’s all built on Microsoft Azure, the most trusted and comprehensive cloud, governed by a responsible AI framework, and core set of principles.

The post DAX Copilot—AI-powered solution wins AI Tech Sprint to reduce clinician burnout appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs.

The severity of cyberattacks has grown exponentially in the past decade, with nation-states and criminal organizations frequently targeting the financial services sector, sometimes to devastating effect. These threats have prompted government and industry leaders to undertake deep evaluations of cyber security practices, which in turn have generated a set of upcoming regulations that firms must now prepare for. Designed to enhance resiliency through greater transparency and cooperation across the value chain, these important regulations have significant implications for how firms manage technology and engage with regulators. 

Helping financial services businesses become more secure in a world of escalating threats is an area of special focus for Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services. We’re working closely with customers, governments, and stakeholders across the industry to strengthen cybersecurity technologies and practices to protect against future attacks. This is a critical responsibility, and very much in line with our commitment to making security the top priority at Microsoft, above all else.

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The impact of cyberattacks on financial services resilience 

The resilience of financial services has been strained by the evolving cyber threat landscape in recent years, as attackers have employed ever more sophisticated tools and techniques to penetrate business networks and operations.  

For example, when nation-state cyber attackers compromised the widely used SolarWinds Orion IT monitoring and management platform in 2019, they were able to operate undetected for months. By the time the breach was discovered, the damage was far reaching, with billions of dollars in economic losses and an untold espionage impact.¹ This and other incidents have prompted industry leaders and regulators to undertake a comprehensive re-evaluation of cybersecurity practices in order to identify and address key areas of improvement. One of these concerns the risk posed by third-party suppliers, in the form of what is called a “supply chain attack.” This is what happened with SolarWinds, where a trusted technology provider was exploited to send malicious code downstream to unsuspecting customers, underscoring how a successful attack on just one link of the chain can have global repercussions.  

The financial services sector, which increasingly relies on cloud computing to innovate, has sharpened its focus on mitigating these and other third-party risks with new regulatory frameworks.  

New regulations and frameworks for greater cyber resilience  

Aiming to improve cyber security and strengthen resilience overall, regulators around the world are developing guidelines that impact many financial services companies. Below are some of the most prominent ones:  

• DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act): A European Union regulation that establishes a framework designed to strengthen and harmonize risk management for financial institutions operating in the European Union. DORA goes into full force on January 17, 2025. 
• United Kingdom consultation paper 26/23: A consultation paper from the Bank of England that outlines proposed requirements for strengthening third-party risk management in the United Kingdom financial sector.  
• United States Department of the Treasury report: An assessment of cloud adoption in financial services, highlighting the importance of strengthening cybersecurity and ensuring proper provider due diligence and monitoring. 
• Financial Stability Board (FSB) toolkit: A recently published toolkit from the FSB that provides tools to manage risks associated with outsourcing and third-party service relationships to both firms and regulators around the world.  

New practices to promote more effective cybersecurity 

The changes mandated by new regulations have broad implications for financial services businesses and the technology providers who support them. Among other things, they incur new obligations around risk governance and management, incident notification, regular operational resilience testing, and pre-contractual screening for third-party service providers.  

These requirements take companies out of the on-premises mindset by which they have traditionally managed cybersecurity. Now they need to expand the horizon of the threat landscape beyond the network perimeter and consider that an attack can originate from vectors far beyond their traditional security purview. Conversely, they must assume zero trust for any entity inside or outside the perimeter—validating each user and device at every turn and providing the least amount of access required to fulfill a task. 

New cybersecurity practices are also required. For example, DORA mandates Threat-led Penetration Testing (TLPT), which involves deploying a team of ethical hackers to simulate sophisticated real-world attacks on critical systems using the tactics, techniques, and procedures of known threat actors. The findings and insights are then shared with regulatory bodies and stakeholders.  

During penetration testing, a distinction is made between testing in the cloud (for example, testing the security of resources deployed by an organization on its own tenant), and testing of the cloud (such as testing the underlying shared cloud fabric and services operated by the provider.) Our Microsoft Cloud Penetration Testing Rules of Engagement already allow customers to extensively test their security in the cloud. Testing security of the cloud is continuously done by Microsoft internal teams, as part of our third-party Pen Test and Security Assessments, and by security researchers through the Microsoft Bug Bounty Programs.  

How Microsoft further helps to enable end-to-end cyber resilience 

An important element of a highly effective cyber security strategy is to minimize the number of independent security vendors that are used by financial services firms. Having too many security suppliers makes it harder to maintain oversight, and limits the ability to correlate suspicious events. By reducing the number of vendors, firms can foster key benefits such as consolidated signal processing and faster incident reporting, which under DORA, must happen in four hours or less for critical incidents.

Fortunately, the maturation of cybersecurity technology has enabled Microsoft to build a comprehensive suite of solutions that collectively enable seamless, end-to-end enterprise cyber defense—at a level that is arguably greater than the sum of its individually excellent parts. The cornerstones for financial services include: 

• Microsoft Sentinel: A cloud-native security information and event management (SIEM) system that enables real-time analysis, detection, and response to security threats—facilitating compliance with incident reporting requirements. 
• Microsoft Defender: An extended detection and response (XDR) security platform that coordinates detection, prevention, investigation, and response across endpoints, identities, email, and applications. 
• Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence: A platform that streamlines threat hunting, incident response, and threat intelligence analyst workflows—making it easier for security teams to neutralize cyberthreats such as ransomware.  
• Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management: A compliance solution to help detect, investigate, and act on malicious and inadvertent activities. 

These and related cybersecurity solutions are enhanced by Microsoft’s ongoing investments in ensuring that Microsoft Azure delivers a highly secure cloud foundation, with multilayered security controls and unique threat intelligence.  

Employing generative AI to advance cybersecurity in financial services 

As much as generative AI has delivered value to financial services and other industry sectors, it has also been a boon to cyber attackers. From small-scale criminal actors to nation-state organizations, AI is increasingly being employed in cyberattacks against financial services businesses.  

Among many other things, generative AI is being used to build and continuously modify malware tailored to specific vulnerabilities in financial services, create new phishing and social engineering attacks featuring fake identities and multimedia messages, and power automated attack execution.  

Fortunately, generative AI is an equally powerful tool for cyber defense. The first and most immediately effective step that firms can make is to evaluate Microsoft Copilot for Security—the first generative AI security product designed to defend businesses at machine speed and scale. It combines the most advanced GPT models from OpenAI with a Microsoft-developed security model, powered by Microsoft’s global threat intelligence and expertise. 

Designed to work seamlessly with a firm’s financial systems and the Microsoft enterprise cybersecurity suite, Copilot for Security offers numerous benefits to streamline and accelerate security operations. For example, it can help manage anomalies and threats, respond rapidly to minimize the impacts of attacks, automate time-intensive routine tasks such as creating security alerts, and much more. 

Importantly, Copilot for Security also helps solve the talent challenge by empowering analysts to become more effective threat hunters and responders without specialized technical training.  

Learn more  

Cybersecurity will only become more essential in enabling financial services innovation and success through technology. Microsoft and our global partners are ready to help every company identify and implement a modern protection strategy that will address their unique needs, today and in the years ahead.  

Here are some useful resources to help you in your cybersecurity journey: 

• To learn more about how Microsoft empowers financial services companies to achieve more, visit our website.  
• For a set of actionable steps to improve operational resilience in financial services with the Microsoft Cloud, see our earlier blog post, “6 steps to improve operational resilience in financial services with the Microsoft Cloud.” 
• To stay updated on Microsoft’s security progress, see the Microsoft Security Blog.
• To learn more about Microsoft’s commitment to the advancement of ethical AI, see the Microsoft responsible AI standard. 
• Discover more information on how Microsoft addresses threat and vulnerability management.
• To review Microsoft’s annual penetration testing reports, visit our Service Trust Portal.

¹ United States Senate RPC, The SolarWinds Cyberattack, January 29, 2021.

The post How financial services firms are strengthening cyber resilience in a new regulatory environment appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs.

To address this growing need, Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability data solutions in Microsoft Fabric (preview) can help organizations take sustainability data in any format, organize, and normalize the data for sustainability regulatory reporting. This quantitative data reporting approach is complemented by a joint solution from Accenture and Avanade that leverages generative AI to provide qualitative insights. This enables organizations to manage workflows associated with multiple sustainability reporting frameworks globally, including CSRD, Global Report Initiative (GRI), and the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). Organizations can optimize both quantitative data from Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability solutions and qualitative data with Accenture and Avanade’s generative AI-powered solution. 

The solution integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Sustainability Manager, offering a comprehensive platform for managing sustainability key performance indicators (KPIs) across different frameworks. The solution’s collaborative features, generative AI-enhanced insights, and streamlined data integration can help organizations simplify compliance-related processes. Meanwhile, the improved richness of its sustainability reporting enables organizations to take more effective actions to achieve their ESG targets.  

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Navigate the complexities of reporting frameworks

All ESG reporting frameworks carry their own complexities. However, the CSRD has been top of mind in 2024 for organizations in and outside of the European Union as they begin to gather, analyze, and report the required data. This is no simple task—the CSRD encompasses 12 standards and 82 reporting requirements, which amounts to approximately 500 KPIs and over 10,000 underlying data points. In addition to managing this large array of ESG data, companies face other significant challenges associated with CSRD compliance and data management including reporting on the entire value chain versus only on their own organization. The evolving nature of sustainability criteria and metrics further complicates the reporting process. 

Navigating the intricacies of a multitude of reporting frameworks and intricate regulations necessitates extensive data gathering and assimilation. The process of ESG reporting often engages various departments and resources within an organization, introducing its own set of risks and costs. The more manual a process, the more opportunities there are for errors to occur, and the complexities of each reporting framework require time, diligence, and accuracy. A proficient solution can help simplify the process and effectively aid in the generation of accurate reports with fewer resources required. 

Accenture and Avanade’s generative AI-powered solution allows users to select from different reporting frameworks and adapts to the specific requirements of the chosen framework, displaying relevant categories and reporting structures. Users can access the breadth and depth of their data and translate it into the necessary reporting frameworks. This flexibility is crucial for organizations that are subject to multiple reporting obligations or need to adhere to international standards beyond local mandates. 

Streamlining data management using Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service

Accenture and Avanade’s solution addresses the dual challenges of qualitative and quantitative data in sustainability reporting, utilizing Azure OpenAI for enhancing its reporting capabilities, especially for qualitative data input. Using Azure OpenAI to create an AI assistant, Accenture and Avanade’s solution offers a unified platform for sustainability reporting, simplifying the process of compiling CSRD reports, making it easier for users to interact with data and generate reports quickly.  

• Qualitative data management: Leveraging Azure OpenAI integration, Accenture and Avanade’s solution assists in drafting responses to qualitative questions, such as detailing a company’s sustainability policies, practices, and goals. This AI assistant ensures that responses are not only in keeping with reporting standards but also reflective of best practices and forward-thinking sustainability strategies.  
• Quantitative data management: The integration of Microsoft Sustainability Manager allows for the automatic import of calculated quantitative metrics. This means that insights or recommendations provided by Accenture and Avanade’s solution is informed by the data in the user’s ESG platform. The AI assistant enables identification of trends and patterns in both qualitative and quantitative data sources, aiding in a more holistic analysis.   

An enhanced collaborative workflow  

One of the biggest pain points that companies have related to ESG reporting is managing the approval workflow with multiple process and approval steps. It’s important to have a trail of accountability, which depending on organization size, can exist across several departments and users. Accenture and Avanade’s solution enables organizations to assign responsibility and accountability, thereby streamlining the process of preparing the report and its associated approval processes.   

Importantly, team members can work on the same sections of the report simultaneously and the platform maintains comprehensive audit trails of all changes made to the report. This transparency is vital for accountability, enabling team leaders to monitor progress and ensure that all contributions align. 

Learn more about sustainability solutions

By facilitating clear communication, structured workflows, and shared access to data in Microsoft Sustainability Manager, Accenture and Avanade’s generative AI-powered solution enables teams to work together toward their sustainability reporting goals. 

To learn more about Accenture and Avanade’s generative AI-powered solution and how it can be customized for your industry and region, register for a complimentary workshop.  

The post Leverage AI to simplify CSRD reporting   appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs.

Digital transformation is essential for a resilient, durable, and sustainable mining sector. Geopolitical volatility and trade uncertainties are disrupting supply chains, while the industry grapples with the challenges of meeting the soaring demand for minerals essential for the energy transition. 

Existing deposits are being exhausted and new deposits are increasingly more difficult and expensive to discover. In 2015, McKinsey & Company reported that worldwide mining operations were 28% less productive than they were a decade prior, even after adjusting for declining ore grades.² Nearly a decade later, the shortage now impacts the availability of metals creating a potential risk for a near-term supply shortfall, particularly for copper, lithium, and cobalt vital to the energy transition. There is an expected supply deficit in critical minerals like copper with a potential shortfall of 9.9 million tons by 2035.³ 

The mining industry also faces a chronic labor shortage which adds even more to its challenges, with 86% of mining executives finding it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain necessary talent.⁴ Amidst these complexities, mining companies are striving to balance productivity and profitability with purpose using cloud-based platforms, the Internet of Things (IoT), mixed reality, and more recently, generative AI.  

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Accelerating digital transformation

In the December 2023 blog, I discussed how mining companies are adopting digital technologies to enable business agility, drive efficiency, and accelerate innovation across the entire mining value chain, from exploration and extraction to processing and transportation. While these efforts have traditionally centered around specific business outcomes, current trends emphasize broader goals such as corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) targets and the transition to net-zero emissions. 

Meeting these goals requires a strong data foundation, digital effectiveness, and digital maturity. Transformation starts with technology-savvy leaders who have a grounding in AI and a focus on sustainability. With a vision informed by a clear understanding of their organization’s challenges and opportunities, effective leaders can take a leap forward on their innovation roadmap with solutions like Microsoft Intelligent Data Platform, which provides a single, flexible platform for databases, analytics, AI, and data governance.  

Digital maturity deepens with an empowered, skilled workforce that harnesses AI to make informed decisions and streamline repetitive tasks, gaining more time for value-added activities. For example, in my last blog, I shared how Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Guides combines generative AI with mixed reality to help frontline workers in industrial settings complete complex tasks and resolve problems faster for minimal downtime and accelerated learning. 

Exploring innovation with a future-ready mindset 

At Microsoft, our enduring mission is to “empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more.” We are privileged to work with a partner ecosystem that shares our vision.  

Digital innovation that stays relevant over time integrates people, processes, technology, and information. Multinational Japanese firm Asahi Kasei Group and ZEAL Corporation showcased that approach by implementing a data management platform based on Microsoft Azure Data Factory, Microsoft Purview, and Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics. The platform unifies 1,200 systems across multiple diverse operations such chemicals, healthcare, electronics, construction, materials, services, and engineering. By eliminating data silos, the team can gain new insights that unlock business advantages.

Siemens is another great example of enabling people to achieve more. To empower employees, the company created an AI-powered collaboration app based on Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and Microsoft Teams. Siemens aimed to enhance innovation, efficiency, and problem-solving agility by connecting field and shop floor workers with operations and engineering teams. Now, frontline workers who find problems in the design and manufacturing process can easily connect with engineers to resolve them. 

Employees can receive notifications, create problem reports, and collaborate on tasks on any device. The app provides preconfigured industrial machinery solutions and accelerates knowledge-sharing with an AI-powered natural language interface. For instance, employees can report issues in their own language, which is automatically translated into a common language. 

In my final example, Schieder Electric wanted to speed innovation for key goals such as reducing carbon emissions. With a vast portfolio of connected devices, solutions, and services, AI has become essential for generating data-driven insights and actions The company is using multiple AI services to fast-track innovation, including Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing, Azure OpenAI, and Azure Machine Learning. Schneider Electric is using Copilot to automate routine tasks and to offer intelligent code suggestions that streamline programmable logic controller (PLC) programming. The company has also created bots to help with customer service and financial analysis. 

Creating durable innovation for a sustainable future 

Digital transformation can be a long journey, and the pressing issues of today can sometimes overshadow our efforts toward growth and innovation. For durable innovation, we incorporate the McKinsey Three Horizons Model into our digital transformation roadmaps. 

The model provides a structured approach that miners can use to allocate resources effectively, balancing immediate business needs with sustained innovation for future success. Organizations are encouraged to explore new markets and invest in business models, products, and technologies that align innovation programs with future challenges and growth opportunities. As a framework for strategic innovation and growth, Three Horizons Model can support miners during times of change, disruption, and uncertainty.   

In addition to innovation initiatives, we consider critical aspects such as user adoption, change management, change fatigue, organizational capabilities, culture transformation, workforce reskilling, and governance. These considerations are vital for futureproofing the mining enterprise and sustaining digital and AI innovation. 

How Microsoft can help

Digital transformation and AI adoption are poised to revolutionize the mining industry in the next decade and beyond. Microsoft technologies are already making a significant impact, with improvements in safety, productivity, profitability, safety, health, and environmental performance. From clarifying your vision for innovation and identifying top challenges to creating your solution roadmap, a disciplined approach is crucial for continuing this momentum. 

The digital sustainable mine of the future integrates physical, digital, and sustainable elements with information, innovation, and human ingenuity. The adaptive, resilient, forward-thinking mine offers a customizable reference model and roadmap to help mining organizations achieve their vision for the future. 

That vision isn’t just about the outcome, or business impact—it’s about investing in the processes and technologies that enable the mining industry to adapt to change and help us all accelerate toward a sustainable tomorrow.  

Learn more about Microsoft solutions

• Microsoft for Energy and Resources  
• Microsoft Industry Blogs: Energy and Resources
• Microsoft AI solutions  
• Microsoft Azure AI Services  
• Microsoft Intelligent Data Platform

¹Mining’s top ten ESG trends for 2024, Mining.com.

²Productivity in mining operations: Reversing the downward trend, McKinsey & Company.

³Tracking the trends 2024, Deloitte Global.

⁴Has mining lost its luster? Why talent is moving elsewhere and how to bring them back, McKinsey & Company.

The post Futureproof the mining industry with AI and digital innovation appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs.

They decided to migrate their 10-year-old architecture and technology stack to a cloud-based solution to support their long-term goals and operate more efficiently. The question was how to make the move while also keeping the power on.  

At Microsoft for Government, we work with organizations and agencies around the world to help solve these kinds of challenges. We help each organization navigate their unique requirements and chart a path that works best for them, balancing the promise of AI and cloud native applications with the need to be more cost efficient, secure, and compliant.  

For Energinet, the solution was to build a new digital operating system based on Microsoft Azure, which is improving efficiency in automating energy balancing processes, lowering costs, and resolving issues in 15 minutes that previously took an hour. Modernizing helped them meet their near-term requirements, and it positioned them to remain agile and open to change as opportunities evolve.  

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Migrate to innovate—the benefits of modernization

In many government organizations, the migration to cloud computing has long been mitigated by important concerns, including cost, security, and a need to maximize legacy systems. As cloud technology has matured, however, the barriers to adoption have declined as the price of inaction has risen.  

With the promise of AI to deliver new efficiencies and opportunities for service improvements, cloud migration is now clearly the best path forward, provided it is done in ways that meet an organization’s unique requirements.  

For government organization, the advantages of cloud computing are compelling, and easier to realize than before. Governments that choose to migrate to Azure are realizing important benefits in many areas of their greatest concerns—among them: 

• Performance and resilience: Azure enables businesses to scale their operations globally with ease, with purpose-built infrastructure, dynamic compute capacity, scalable storage, and real-time disaster-recovery options. Governments such as the State of Alaska are migrating to Azure to achieve their vision of becoming digital public service innovators. To expand access to secure services, Alaska migrated 700 applications and one-third of its infrastructure in just three months. They not only achieved better resilience, cost efficiency, and security, but with the state’s vast geography and often isolated communities, the migration also sparked a cultural shift by bringing agencies together and unlocking unexpected value. 

• Security: To counter the expanding cybersecurity threat facing governments, Azure is supported by more than 8,500 security experts, more than 100 compliance certifications, and a cloud-native application protection platform that spans the application and infrastructure stack. Microsoft plans to invest USD$20 billion in security in the next five years to continue our commitment to a safe future.¹ The importance of ensuring world-class security was a key factor in the decision by Qatar’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to digitize government operations with Azure. The ministry established information assurance measures and security programs that not only enhanced the government’s data security and operational efficiency, but also achieved $7.3 million in cost savings. 

• Hybrid and multi-cloud management: Azure supports hybrid, multi-cloud, and edge environments with Microsoft Azure Arc, a solution that allows governments to build applications and services with a consistent development, operations, and security model across deployments. This proved essential for the World Bank, which provides lending services in 189 developing countries around the world to help lift people out of poverty. They wanted to build applications and services that could extract insights from their SQL Server estate and multiple cloud infrastructure providers. Using Azure Arc, they streamlined their cloud migration journey, built new solutions, and gained unexpected efficiencies. 

• Cost savings: By migrating to Azure, customers can optimize costs and resources by consolidating solutions and choosing from a variety of consumption models and flexible migration approaches. For example, the Statistical Office of Republic of Serbia saved time and money by conducting the nation’s first-ever paperless census using a hybrid cloud solution, which reduced the time required to publish official results from 18 months to just six. The solution delivered faster data encoding and more accurate results, and the Statistical Office of Republic of Serbia was able to streamline maintenance while ensuring optimal security, real-time monitoring, and improved data quality.  

A 3-step approach to becoming AI-ready

Modernization, which provides for greater scale, efficiency, and flexibility, also positions an organization to explore the benefits of AI. Governments recognize the potential of AI to generate new cost efficiencies and to power new offerings in service delivery. In the near term, this is motivating many to accelerate their digital transformation journeys. 

Implementing a cloud migration strategy is an absolute prerequisite to adopting and innovating with AI in a government organization. The cloud provides the hyperscale performance required for generative AI functionality, and a modern data strategy not only consolidates disparate data systems but also ensures access control and data security.  

Cloud migration is a long-term process, and the journey is unique to every organization. Whatever the course, governments should remain mindful of the following three steps, which are key to becoming AI-ready in ways that are efficient, effective, and responsible. 

Step 1: Co-locate data and workloads in the cloud

Strategically placing applications, databases, and AI resources into the Microsoft Cloud ecosystem delivers exponential improvements in performance and prepares data and services to take advantage of new AI innovations.  

Step 2: Infuse Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and copilot integrations

Once your data and applications are co-located, you are ready to take advantage of AI services such as Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365, which integrates generative AI into everyday productivity applications, and Azure OpenAI, which enables the development of customized copilots, plugins, integrated AI services, and much more.  

Step 3: Ensure secure and responsible AI

From the outset, AI innovation should be delivered with the highest standards for security, assurance, and trust. Beyond taking a leadership role in ensuring safe, secure, and trustworthy AI at a global level, Microsoft provides comprehensive guidance for governments to ensure secure and responsible AI in their efforts, such as the Microsoft Responsible AI Standard, and Microsoft responsible AI practices.   

Continue your modernization journey and become AI ready 

No matter where your government organization stands in its digital transformation, Microsoft and our network of global partners are ready to help you move forward. For more, please explore the following resources: 

• To learn how Microsoft is helping governments solve society’s biggest challenges, see our Microsoft in Government website.  

• For guidance, expert assistance, and resources to help move to Azure, visit Azure Migrate and Modernize and Azure Innovate.  

• To develop a cost management strategy when migrating or operating in the cloud, see Cloud Migration Cost Management Resources.  

¹Microsoft commits $20 billion to advance cybersecurity following meeting with President Biden, Windows Central.

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Driving change with copilots 

By leveraging advanced technologies such as machine learning, AI, and data analytics, copilots can provide farmers with real-time insights and recommendations to improve crop yields, reduce waste, and increase profitability. For Microsoft, part of facilitating the adoption of AI and use of copilot templates involves empowering partners. We assist partners by leveraging our unified data estate platform to create tailored, role-specific AI solutions that provide meaningful experiences to customers.  

AgPilot, designed by Microsoft’s partner Headstorm, leverages generative AI along with data from Microsoft Azure Data Manager for Agriculture and agricultural retailers to create actionable insights for agronomists in real time. AgPilot gives them access to essential information ranging from customer purchase histories and product inventories to weather data, enabling proactive management and strategic decision-making. 

Microsoft is working closely with partners like Headstorm to extend Azure Data Manager for Agriculture, a cloud-based platform that enables farmers to collect, store, and analyze data from various sources—including sensors, drones, and satellites. By using this platform, farmers and organizations can gain a deeper understanding of their operations and make data-driven decisions to improve their yields and reduce costs. Supporting agronomists by providing AI-powered tools, Microsoft and its partners are working together to provide optimized agricultural decision-making. 

Enhance communication using AI-generated insights 

AgPilot enhances communication between agronomists and growers, which is crucial for the efficient management of agricultural operations. By leveraging advanced data analytics and AI-driven insights, AgPilot facilitates real-time access to critical agricultural data like soil health, crop conditions, weather forecasts, and pest and disease information. This allows agronomists to quickly gather and analyze relevant information and communicate necessary actions to growers. For example, AgPilot pulls relevant weather data from Azure Data Manager for Agriculture, and if an unexpected frost is predicted, agronomists can promptly advise growers on protective measures to mitigate crop damage. 

AgPilot also includes features that allow agronomists to draft and send customized messages and recommendations directly to growers. These communication tools make it easier to maintain regular contact and ensure that all advice is clear, concise, and actionable. By streamlining and enhancing communication channels, AgPilot helps agronomists deliver a higher level of service, making agricultural management more collaborative, informed, and proactive. This improved communication is key to achieving the ultimate goal of increased productivity and sustainability in farming.

Facilitate sustainable practices with real-time data 

Growers and agronomists working towards more sustainable farming methods—agronomists working with specialty crops (like tree fruit, tree nuts, vineyards) can particularly benefit from AgPilot. Growing specialty crops usually requires more intensive management practices compared to traditional crops. This includes closer attention to the specifics of plant care, such as precise water needs, specialized pest and disease management, and labor-intensive harvesting processes.  

Agronomists can use AgPilot to identify potential pest and disease threats before they become widespread. This proactive approach allows for more effective and minimal use of chemicals, supporting eco-friendly pest control methods. For specialty crops in particular, water management is crucial. AgPilot offers insights into optimal irrigation schedules based on weather data and soil moisture levels, promoting efficient water use and helping to prevent over-irrigation. 

Deployment is simple 

Headstorm has made it very straightforward for existing Microsoft Azure customers to get started right away by subscribing to AgPilot through the Azure Marketplace, available soon. This approach ensures that the setup process aligns with Microsoft cloud infrastructure, leveraging its security and scalability features. Once subscribed, AgPilot is deployed directly into the customer’s Azure instance, adhering to the established data privacy and security protocols of Azure. This setup helps maintain data integrity and compliance with industry regulations, providing peace of mind for users.

Users can tailor AgPilot to align with their specific data sources and systems, integrating it with internal mechanisms such as inventory management, customer relationship management (CRM), and agronomy systems utilized by agricultural retailers. AgPilot combines proprietary customer data with real-time, real-world data from Azure Data Manager for Agriculture. This integration facilitates the generation of alerts that link crop health insights with current weather conditions sourced from Azure Data Manager for Agriculture, enabling quicker and more informed decision-making. Azure Data Manager for Agriculture delivers up-to-date, predictive weather information using an extension-based and provider-neutral framework, permitting integration with any chosen provider. 

AgPilot, leveraging Azure and Azure Data Manager for Agriculture, helps agronomists provide enhanced decision-making to support sustainable management of both traditional and specialty crops. Future roadmap items for AgPilot include leveraging Azure Data Manager for Agriculture satellite imagery to provide on-demand scouting intelligence to the agronomist simply by requesting the intelligence about a particular farm through the chat prompt interface.  

Learn more

• Explore our Azure Data Manager for Agriculture resources.
• Discover how you can accelerate innovation with Microsoft Cloud for Agriculture.
• Learn how Headstorm’s AgPilot tool can help your business.

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