Microsoft Ignite 2024 explores AI innovations, Copilot upgrades, and process automation. It will also explore the latest advancements in Windows 11, Azure, and Microsoft 365!
Microsoft Ignite is the company’s annual conference for developers and IT professionals. At it, we hear about the changes in Copilot, Windows, Microsoft 365, and Azure that will impact some of Microsoft’s biggest customers. Microsoft Ignite 2023 included a big focus on AI, and this year’s show will be the same.
Windows 11’s taskbar is getting contacts, files, and calendar ‘companions’
Microsoft is creating a new companion experience for the Windows 11 taskbar that will surface important data with just a click. Microsoft 365 Companions will include contacts and people, files, or calendar appointments integrated into the taskbar.
“We will bring Microsoft 365 People, Files, and Calendar to your taskbar so your Graph data is just a click away,” said Windows chief Pavan Davuluri on stage at Microsoft Ignite 2024 today.
Microsoft’s head of Experiences & Devices, Rajesh Jha, just quietly announced a strange change to Microsoft 365 at Ignite today.
“Over the next couple of months, we will change the Microsoft 365 app icon to the new Microsoft 365 Copilot icon,” says Jha. The new icon is identical to the Copilot one, instead of the blue and purple Microsoft 365 icon that’s used right now. Microsoft has been struggling with its Copilot branding recently.
The idea with Azure AI Foundry is that it will help organizations manage their AI tools. As Microsoft says in a blog post:
Azure AI Foundry helps bridge the gap between cutting-edge AI technologies and practical business applications, empowering organizations to harness the full potential of AI efficiently and effectively.
Meta has been working on improving the Windows VR experience with its Quest headsets in recent months. Now, Microsoft says the full capabilities of Windows 11 are coming to the Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S in December. In the public preview next month, you’ll be able to have a large multiple-monitor workstation through Quest 3 headsets.
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We’re still waiting to hear when Windows Volumetric Apps will be available.
Microsoft announces its own Black Hat-like hacking event with big rewards for AI security
Microsoft is creating an in-person hacking event, Zero Day Quest, which it says will be the largest of its kind. The event will build upon Microsoft’s bug bounty program and incentivize research into high-impact security flaws that can affect the software powering cloud and AI workloads.
“This new hacking event will be the largest of its kind, with an additional $4 million in potential awards for research into high-impact areas, specifically cloud and AI,” explains Tom Gallagher, VP of engineering at Microsoft’s security response center. “Zero Day Quest will provide new opportunities for the security community to work hand in hand with Microsoft engineers and security researchers — bringing together the best minds to share, learn, and build community as we work to keep everyone safe.”
Microsoft’s new Windows Resiliency Initiative aims to avoid another CrowdStrike incident
The CrowdStrike catastrophe that took down 8.5 million Windows PCs and servers in July has left many of Microsoft’s biggest customers looking for answers to ensure that such an event never happens again. Microsoft has some answers in the form of a new Windows Resiliency Initiative designed to improve Windows security and reliability.
The Windows Resiliency Initiative includes core changes to Windows that will make it easier for Microsoft’s customers to recover Windows-based machines if there’s another CrowdStrike-like incident. There are also some new Windows platform improvements to provide stronger controls over what apps and drivers are allowed to run and to help allow antivirus processing outside kernel mode.
A new “improved” Windows search will allow you to search for documents, photos, and other files by just describing them — even when you’re not connected to the internet. The new AI search experience will roll out to Windows Insiders on Copilot Plus PCs early next year.
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Windows 365 Link is a $349 mini PC that streams Windows from the cloud
Microsoft plans to launch a new purpose-built miniature PC for its Windows 365 cloud service next year. Windows 365 Link is a $349 device that acts like a thin client PC to connect to the cloud and stream a version of Windows 11.
The Link device is designed to be a compact, fanless, and easy-to-use cloud PC for your local monitors and peripherals. It’s meant to be the ideal companion to Microsoft’s Windows 365 service. It lets businesses transition employees over to virtual machines that exist in the cloud and can be streamed securely to multiple devices.
Microsoft is making Places, its new app to coordinate in-office days with colleagues, available today. Microsoft Places uses AI and a dedicated location plan section where you can set and share the days you’ll use the office and view which days your co-workers are heading in. Microsoft is also planning to integrate this all into Copilot soon.
The enterprise-focused feature downloads updates in the background that “become effective immediately upon installation, eliminating the need for a restart.” It’s supposed to pair with Windows Autopatch, a cloud service that automates updates across Windows, Microsoft 365, Edge, and Teams.
Windows Hotpatch is now available to commercial customers in preview.
Microsoft’s new Copilot Actions use AI to automate repetitive tasks
At Microsoft’s Ignite conference today, the software giant introduced Copilot Actions, a new way for Microsoft 365 Copilot users to automate repetitive tasks. Microsoft is also adding AI agents to SharePoint, allowing PowerPoint to translate entire presentations and improving how Copilot works in Outlook to find the best meeting time.
Copilot Actions, now in private preview, enable anyone to automate repetitive everyday tasks. That could include automating a summary of meeting actions from Teams meetings, generating weekly reports, or even automating meeting prep. Copilot Actions is designed to be something you set and forget, much like an AI-powered macro that goes off and does its thing based on some fill-in-the-blank prompts.
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Microsoft Teams will help you speak in a foreign language during meetings
Microsoft Teams meetings are getting a new interpreter feature that lets participants speak or listen in their chosen language. Interpreter in Teams uses real-time AI-powered speech-to-speech translation to simulate your speaking voice during meetings.
A preview will be available in early 2025 that will include up to nine languages and the ability for the interpreter feature to simulate your voice in a different language.
