Done, go ahead and buy! Beginner's Guide to Buying Copilot for Microsoft 365
SoftwareOne Blog Copilot for Microsoft 365: Ready, Go Buy!? | SoftwareOne Blog
The long-awaited Copilot for Microsoft 365 (also known as Microsoft 365 Copilot) is now available even without the minimum required number of licenses. Previously, only large enterprises that purchased 300 or more licenses with an Enterprise Agreement (EA) had access to it. However, AI capabilities in the workplace are now available to everyone, including ordinary users.
But before you pull your credit card out of your wallet, here's what you should know about Microsoft 365 Copilot licensing.
What is Copilot for Microsoft 365?
Copilot for Microsoft 365 is Microsoft's AI-powered technology built into the Office 365 suite of products that many people use every day, including Word, PowerPoint, Outlook , Excel and Teams.
The combination of Copilot for Microsoft 365, the power of the query engine, and your business data running in Microsoft 365 applications has created the most powerful possible a tool for increasing the productivity of our planet. A study conducted by Microsoft among early adopters of this technology confirms this: 81% of users said that they spend less time searching for information, 73% that it increases the efficiency of meetings, 79% that they spend less time processing e-mail, and 94% indicated that this makes the datasets easier to work with.
If you want to learn more about Copilot for Microsoft 365, read this guide in detail. Now we will move on to the complexities of licensing.
How does Copilot licensing for Microsoft 365 work?
You undoubtedly already want to test the advantages of the new Gen AI technology in your daily work. However, licensing such a product can be difficult if you are not familiar with the different levels of licensing. We will explain it here:
CSP vs EA vs DWE
CSP (Coordinated Service Provider ) is a Microsoft licensing program that allows companies of any size to purchase licenses through authorized Microsoft partners, as opposed to an Enterprise Agreement (EA), under which a customer would purchase licenses directly from Microsoft.
Until now, Copilot for Microsoft 365 could only be purchased through EA, but now Microsoft has announced that you can purchase a license through the CSP licensing program.
SoftwareOne is a partner in the CSP program, and in fact, we have resold and managed over $22 billion worth of Microsoft licenses and supported over 175 million users Office 365 worldwide. We also participated in the Microsoft Copilot pilot project to prepare our EA-level customers for the world's first launch of this technology. In other words, we already have experience in working with this new technology, which many others are just getting the right to sell.
We sell CSP licenses in a bundle we call Digital Workplace Essentials (DWE). The DWE package gives you support from SoftwareOne, a Copilot license for M365, and access to a learning portal so you can get up to speed on this new technology.
What license is required for Copilot M365?
Copilot for M365 is an add-on license, so you need to add it to your existing license to purchase. There are six license options that Copilot can be attached to:
M365 Premium Recommended
Eligible for organizations with 300 users or less, but with the security features required to interact with Copilot M365 data and information security.
M365 Business Standard Be careful
Also suitable for organizations with 300 or fewer users. If you already have these licenses available, we encourage you to review your information security carefully before purchasing Copilot.
Microsoft 365 E5 or A5 (A license – for schools) Recommended
Microsoft 365 is a package that includes Office 365 and EMS (Enterprise Mobility + Security), Microsoft's security suite that includes a wide range of security technologies needed to interact with Copilot's data and information security. In a special case, the E5 package also includes Microsoft Defender.
Microsoft 365 E3 or A3 Be careful
Microsoft 365 includes Office 365 and EMS, but does not include Microsoft Defender. We encourage you to review your information security carefully before purchasing Copilot.
Office 365 E5 Be careful
Office 365 license, without EMS, but with Defender and other security features such as access control and identity and management them, information protection and insider risk management. Despite some security features, they may not be sufficient to interact with Copilot data.
Office 365 E3 Be extra careful
Includes only the Office 365 suite license, without additional security or compliance features.
How does the Copilot license for M365 affect existing licenses?
Copilot for M365 is only available in yearly format, not monthly. If you already have current annual licenses, you can renew your Copilot license until the same date that your existing annual licenses expire. This means that your current licenses and Copilot licenses will continue together, making license management much easier.
If you are already a SoftwareOne DWE customer (remember, DWE is our bundled offering that includes CSP licenses from Microsoft ), your manager can help add a Copilot for M365 license to your existing license package. We are also ready to help you analyze the business case in more detail, check the required number of licenses, make you an offer and place an order.
If this is your first time ordering such a Microsoft license from SoftwareOne, our customer service experts will make every effort to ensure that you enter into a new DWE agreement that will enable you to purchase this product.
What technical requirements are needed to implement Copilot for Microsoft 365?
You must have certain programs installed to run Copilot. If you already use Microsoft 365 E3 or E5, A3 or A5, you probably already meet most of the requirements.
At the highest level, these requirements include:
- Microsoft Enterprise Apps for 365
- Microsoft Entra ID
- Microsoft OneDrive
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Teams
- Microsoft Loop - this feature must be activated in your Microsoft account.
- Microsoft Whiteboard
You can learn more about settings, network requirements, conditional access, and access control in this article.
Consider the Licensing and Security Impact of Copilot for M365
Implementing a revolutionary technology like Copilot for Microsoft 365 to transform how your organization works seems like a very mouth-watering prospect . However, make sure you know and consider all aspects related to licensing and security before diving headfirst into this technology. Experiment with it on a small number of licenses – no more than five – until you prepare your organization for a full-scale implementation. Explore it in detail, identify setup challenges for your organization, and consult with SoftwareOne to help prepare your company for Gen AI in your workplace.
Contact the experts at Software One. Our licensing specialists will be happy to discuss with you which options are best for you and answer any additional questions you may have.
Learn more about Copilot by SoftwareOneAnswers to questions
What products includes Copilot for Microsoft 365?
Copilot for Microsoft 365 includes products such as Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, and Teams that are part of the Office 365 suite of products.
How does Copilot Licensing for Microsoft 365 work?
Copilot for Microsoft 365 can be purchased by licensing through the Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) licensing program. This gives companies of all sizes the opportunity to purchase licenses through an authorized Microsoft partner.
What are the technical requirements for using Copilot for Microsoft 365?
Copilot for Microsoft 365 requires deployed applications such as Microsoft Enterprise Apps for 365, Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft OneDrive, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Loop and Microsoft Whiteboard. Detailed requirements can be found in the Microsoft documentation.
More information
- SoftwareOne is a company that is part of the CSP program and provides support and Microsoft license management. They also participated in the pilot launch of Microsoft Copilot.
- Microsoft 365 is a suite of programs that includes Office 365 and other Microsoft tools.
- Copilot for Microsoft 365 is a Generative AI-based technology that extends the capabilities of Office 365 programs.
- Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) is a licensed program of Microsoft, which allows companies to purchase licenses through authorized partners.
Link
- SoftwareOne
- Copilot Technical Requirements for Microsoft 365
- Learn more about Copilot by SoftwareOne
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The long-awaited Copilot for Microsoft 365 (aka Microsoft 365 Copilot) is now available! Check out our beginner's guide on how to purchase this powerful app.
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