Latest news with #MicrosoftCopilotStudio


Geeky Gadgets
18-07-2025
- Business
- Geeky Gadgets
Use MS Copilot Studio to Create a Custom AI Assistant for Work : No Coding Required
What if you could build your own AI assistant—one that understands your unique needs and works tirelessly to simplify your day-to-day tasks? With Microsoft Copilot Studio, this isn't just a futuristic dream; it's a reality accessible to anyone, even if you have zero coding experience. Imagine automating tedious workflows, analyzing complex datasets in seconds, or creating a customer service agent that never sleeps—all without writing a single line of code. Designed to empower users across industries, Copilot Studio is redefining how we approach productivity and problem-solving in the workplace. But how exactly does it work, and what makes it so fantastic? That's what this walkthrough is here to uncover. In the sections ahead, Kevin Stratvert explains how to harness the full potential of Microsoft Copilot Studio, from setting up your first AI agent to customizing its behavior and integrating it with your favorite tools. Whether you're looking to streamline repetitive tasks or tackle more complex challenges like data analysis or customer support, this platform offers a wealth of possibilities. Along the way, we'll explore practical tips, advanced features, and real-world applications shared by Kevin Stratvert, a trusted voice in the tech community. By the end, you'll not only understand how to use Copilot Studio but also how to tailor it to meet your specific goals. After all, the true power of AI lies not just in its capabilities but in how you choose to wield it. Overview of Microsoft Copilot Studio What Is Microsoft Copilot Studio? Microsoft Copilot Studio simplifies the process of building AI agents by allowing users to create them through natural language instructions. These agents are purpose-built for specific tasks, such as conducting research, analyzing data, or managing customer service interactions. The platform is designed to be accessible to users without technical expertise, making it a valuable tool for individuals across various roles within an organization. Whether your goal is to automate repetitive tasks or optimize workflows, Copilot Studio provides the tools and flexibility to meet your needs efficiently. Getting Started with Copilot Studio To begin using Microsoft Copilot Studio, you will need access through a work or school account, as personal accounts are not supported. The platform offers pre-built templates for common tasks, such as data analysis, research, or customer support. These templates serve as a starting point, allowing you to quickly deploy functional AI agents while familiarizing yourself with the platform's features. Once you've selected a template, you can customize it to suit your specific requirements. The intuitive interface ensures that even users with no prior experience in AI development can navigate the platform with ease. By using these templates, you can save time and focus on tailoring the agents to address your organization's unique challenges. How to Use Microsoft Copilot Studio Watch this video on YouTube. Unlock more potential in Microsoft Copilot Studio by reading previous articles we have written. How to Customize AI Agents Creating a custom AI agent in Copilot Studio is a straightforward process. Follow these steps to build an agent that aligns with your organizational needs: Define the Agent's Purpose: Clearly outline the specific task or problem the agent will address. This ensures the agent is focused and effective in its role. Clearly outline the specific task or problem the agent will address. This ensures the agent is focused and effective in its role. Upload Knowledge Sources: Provide the agent with access to relevant documents, websites, or databases. These resources equip the agent with the necessary context to deliver accurate and informed responses. Provide the agent with access to relevant documents, websites, or databases. These resources equip the agent with the necessary context to deliver accurate and informed responses. Configure Behavior: Customize the agent's tone, response style, and fallback instructions to align with your organization's communication standards and operational requirements. For users seeking advanced functionality, Copilot Studio offers additional features such as code interpretation and image generation. These capabilities enable your agents to handle more complex tasks, such as debugging code or creating visual content, thereby expanding their range of applications. Using Advanced Features Microsoft Copilot Studio provides robust integration options that enhance the functionality of your AI agents. These integrations allow your agents to seamlessly interact with external tools and systems, improving efficiency and reducing manual effort. Here's how you can use these features: Connect to External Tools: Integrate your agents with platforms like Salesforce, Dataverse, or APIs to retrieve live data, execute specific actions, or enhance decision-making processes. Integrate your agents with platforms like Salesforce, Dataverse, or APIs to retrieve live data, execute specific actions, or enhance decision-making processes. Automate Workflows: Set up triggers for tasks such as responding to emails, processing form submissions, or sending notifications. This automation reduces the need for manual intervention and ensures consistent task execution. By incorporating these advanced features, your AI agents can operate as an integral part of your business ecosystem, allowing smoother operations and improved productivity. Publishing and Sharing AI Agents Once your AI agent is fully configured and tested, you can publish it for organizational use. Microsoft Copilot Studio supports multiple sharing options, including integration with platforms like Microsoft Teams and SharePoint. Additionally, you can extend accessibility by sharing the agents through third-party services such as Slack. These sharing capabilities ensure that your team can easily access and interact with the agents, fostering collaboration and improving task management across departments. Monitoring Agent Performance Monitoring the performance of your AI agents is crucial for maintaining their effectiveness and making sure they continue to meet your organization's needs. Copilot Studio includes an Activity Map that provides detailed insights into agent interactions. Key metrics, such as session counts and unanswered queries, can help you identify areas for improvement. Regularly analyzing these metrics allows you to refine your agents, optimize their performance, and address any gaps in their functionality. Practical Applications of Copilot Studio Microsoft Copilot Studio is a versatile platform with applications across various industries and organizational functions. Here are some practical use cases: Customer Service Automation: Develop AI agents that provide quick, accurate, and tailored responses to customer inquiries, enhancing satisfaction and reducing response times. Develop AI agents that provide quick, accurate, and tailored responses to customer inquiries, enhancing satisfaction and reducing response times. Boosting Productivity: Automate repetitive tasks, such as scheduling meetings, generating reports, or managing routine communications, to save time and resources. Automate repetitive tasks, such as scheduling meetings, generating reports, or managing routine communications, to save time and resources. Data Analysis: Deploy agents to analyze large datasets, extract actionable insights, and streamline decision-making processes. These examples highlight the adaptability of Copilot Studio, making it a valuable tool for addressing a wide range of organizational challenges. Maximizing the Potential of Microsoft Copilot Studio Microsoft Copilot Studio offers a powerful yet user-friendly platform for creating and managing AI agents. By using its natural language configuration, advanced integration options, and performance monitoring tools, you can streamline workflows, enhance productivity, and address specific organizational challenges. Whether you're automating customer service, optimizing internal processes, or exploring innovative applications, Copilot Studio provides the flexibility and functionality needed to achieve your goals effectively. Media Credit: Kevin Stratvert Filed Under: AI, Guides Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.


Scoop
10-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Pax8 To Unlock The Era Of Managed Intelligence For SMBs
Press Release – Pax8 Empowering MSPs to build, orchestrate, and deliver AI-powered business outcomes through agentic innovation leveraging Microsoft technology SYDNEY, NSW (June 10, 2025) Pax8, a leading cloud commerce marketplace, today announced at their annual Beyond conference the development of the first-ever Managed Intelligence Toolkit available in Q2 2026 that will enable managed service providers (MSPs) to deliver transformative AI solutions at scale to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). This will accelerate the shift of MSPs into the Managed Intelligence era. Pax8 is building a Managed Intelligence Toolkit, which is a purpose-built unified environment for MSPs to orchestrate, scale and manage agentic automation across their SMB customers. By integrating Model Context Protocol (MCP) into Pax8's Marketplace commerce APIs and catalog infrastructure, Microsoft Copilots and agents will interact with the Marketplace directly. In this effort, Pax8 will include the use and delivery of Microsoft Copilot Studio, Microsoft Azure AI Foundry, Model Context Protocol (MCP), and Microsoft Entra Agent ID, with Pax8's Marketplace, orchestration infrastructure, and partner ecosystem. Together, these technologies will enable agents to search, procure, and orchestrate services autonomously and in real time, allowing MSPs to become even better strategic advisors to their clients. As a result, MSPs will evolve into Managed Intelligence Providers (MIPs), delivering more than just infrastructure but agentic transformation and business outcomes to their SMB clients. 'MSPs are no longer just managing infrastructure—they're managing intelligence,' said Scott Chasin, CEO at Pax8. 'Our platform development utilising the latest Microsoft AI solutions will unlock a future where SMBs can scale through digital labor, and MSPs become the architects of that transformation.' Accelerating the MSP Shift into the Managed Intelligence Era The Pax8 Marketplace brings additional breakthrough innovations directly into the hands of MSPs: Microsoft Copilot Studio and Pax8 Frameworks: Pax8 will offer verticalised agent templates and curated solution bundles designed for deployment through Microsoft Copilot Studio, allowing partners to compose and customise domain-specific agents easily. Microsoft Agent Identity with Entra Agent ID: With Microsoft Entra Agent ID, agents sourced and deployed through Pax8 can be assigned unique, scoped identities across customer tenants, enabling fine-grained control and policy enforcement at scale. What's Coming To accelerate this transformation, Pax8 is also launching: 30+ Guided Growth Journeys: Structured enablement paths designed to help MSPs and their customers adopt Microsoft-based agents across key functions, including sales, finance, support, operations, compliance, and more. The Pax8 Agent Marketplace (launching 2026): A full-stack marketplace experience for horizontal and vertical AI agents, bringing Copilot Studio and Azure AI Foundry to MSPs. Transformation Academy: A curriculum of technical and business training programs to help partners build, price, and manage agentic services effectively. 'Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of the global economy, and their ability to adopt AI solutions will define the next wave of innovation,' said Allison West Hughes, CVP Global SMB at Microsoft. 'We're excited to see new platforms, such as Pax8's initiative that further aims to empower SMB's to achieve more.' Availability The first wave of Copilot Studio, MCP, and Entra Agent ID integrations with Pax8 will begin rolling out in the summer of 2025, with full commercial availability expected by fall 2025. The Managed Intelligence Toolkit will be released in phased previews starting in Q2 2026. About Pax8 Pax8 is a technology marketplace of the future, linking partners, vendors and small-to-midsized businesses (SMBs) through AI-powered insights and comprehensive product support. With a global partner ecosystem of nearly 40,000 managed service providers, Pax8 empowers SMBs worldwide by providing software and services that unlock their growth potential and enhance their security. Committed to innovating cloud commerce at scale, Pax8 drives customer acquisition and solution consumption across its entire ecosystem.


Scoop
10-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Pax8 To Unlock The Era Of Managed Intelligence For SMBs
SYDNEY, NSW (June 10, 2025) Pax8, a leading cloud commerce marketplace, today announced at their annual Beyond conference the development of the first-ever Managed Intelligence Toolkit available in Q2 2026 that will enable managed service providers (MSPs) to deliver transformative AI solutions at scale to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). This will accelerate the shift of MSPs into the Managed Intelligence era. Pax8 is building a Managed Intelligence Toolkit, which is a purpose-built unified environment for MSPs to orchestrate, scale and manage agentic automation across their SMB customers. By integrating Model Context Protocol (MCP) into Pax8's Marketplace commerce APIs and catalog infrastructure, Microsoft Copilots and agents will interact with the Marketplace directly. In this effort, Pax8 will include the use and delivery of Microsoft Copilot Studio, Microsoft Azure AI Foundry, Model Context Protocol (MCP), and Microsoft Entra Agent ID, with Pax8's Marketplace, orchestration infrastructure, and partner ecosystem. Together, these technologies will enable agents to search, procure, and orchestrate services autonomously and in real time, allowing MSPs to become even better strategic advisors to their clients. As a result, MSPs will evolve into Managed Intelligence Providers (MIPs), delivering more than just infrastructure but agentic transformation and business outcomes to their SMB clients. 'MSPs are no longer just managing infrastructure—they're managing intelligence,' said Scott Chasin, CEO at Pax8. 'Our platform development utilising the latest Microsoft AI solutions will unlock a future where SMBs can scale through digital labor, and MSPs become the architects of that transformation.' Accelerating the MSP Shift into the Managed Intelligence Era The Pax8 Marketplace brings additional breakthrough innovations directly into the hands of MSPs: Microsoft Copilot Studio and Pax8 Frameworks: Pax8 will offer verticalised agent templates and curated solution bundles designed for deployment through Microsoft Copilot Studio, allowing partners to compose and customise domain-specific agents easily. Microsoft Agent Identity with Entra Agent ID: With Microsoft Entra Agent ID, agents sourced and deployed through Pax8 can be assigned unique, scoped identities across customer tenants, enabling fine-grained control and policy enforcement at scale. What's Coming To accelerate this transformation, Pax8 is also launching: 30+ Guided Growth Journeys: Structured enablement paths designed to help MSPs and their customers adopt Microsoft-based agents across key functions, including sales, finance, support, operations, compliance, and more. The Pax8 Agent Marketplace (launching 2026): A full-stack marketplace experience for horizontal and vertical AI agents, bringing Copilot Studio and Azure AI Foundry to MSPs. Transformation Academy: A curriculum of technical and business training programs to help partners build, price, and manage agentic services effectively. 'Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of the global economy, and their ability to adopt AI solutions will define the next wave of innovation,' said Allison West Hughes, CVP Global SMB at Microsoft. 'We're excited to see new platforms, such as Pax8's initiative that further aims to empower SMB's to achieve more.' Availability The first wave of Copilot Studio, MCP, and Entra Agent ID integrations with Pax8 will begin rolling out in the summer of 2025, with full commercial availability expected by fall 2025. The Managed Intelligence Toolkit will be released in phased previews starting in Q2 2026. About Pax8 Pax8 is a technology marketplace of the future, linking partners, vendors and small-to-midsized businesses (SMBs) through AI-powered insights and comprehensive product support. With a global partner ecosystem of nearly 40,000 managed service providers, Pax8 empowers SMBs worldwide by providing software and services that unlock their growth potential and enhance their security. Committed to innovating cloud commerce at scale, Pax8 drives customer acquisition and solution consumption across its entire ecosystem.


Business Wire
28-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Chargebacks911 Appoints Donald Kossmann as CTO to Lead AI-Driven Innovation in Payments
TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Chargebacks911, a global leader in chargeback prevention and dispute management, announced Tuesday the appointment of Donald Kossmann as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Kossmann, a globally recognized technologist and AI pioneer, joins the company after an exceptional decade-long tenure at Microsoft, where he most recently served as Distinguished Engineer and Vice President of Business Copilot. Kossmann's arrival marks a pivotal moment for Chargebacks911, as the company continues its mission to transform the post-transaction payments ecosystem through cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI). Possessing more than 30 years of experience in computer science, AI, data systems, and fraud protection, Kossmann brings a rare blend of academic distinction and enterprise innovation to the role. At Microsoft, Kossmann led several groundbreaking initiatives, including serving as General Manager of Fraud Protection and Managing Director of Microsoft Research's Redmond Lab. He played a key role in the development of SQL Hyperscale and Microsoft Copilot Studio —two flagship products that define Microsoft's cloud and AI strategy today. Before joining Microsoft, Kossmann was a Professor at ETH Zurich, a Visiting Professor at Stanford University, and co-founder of Teralytics AG, a Big Data startup powering behavioural insights across industries like retail, finance, and transportation. Kossmann also holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science. 'Payments are a pillar of civilization, but trust in digital transactions remains a fundamental challenge,' said Kossmann. 'Chargebacks911 is on a mission to reinvent the future of payments with AI at the core. I'm excited to roll up my sleeves and work hands-on, solving hard problems with a team that is passionate about creating secure, scalable systems for the digital economy.' Kossmann's appointment underscores Chargebacks911's commitment to advancing technology that prevents fraud, reduces friction, and restores trust between merchants and consumers. As CTO, he will spearhead the development of next-generation solutions that integrate machine learning, and real-time data intelligence across the company's global platform. 'Donald's decision to join Chargebacks911 is a resounding validation of our vision and direction,' said Monica Eaton, Founder and CEO of Chargebacks911. 'He's not just one of the top minds in AI and data systems—he's a builder, a thinker, and a leader who understands how to move fast and make a real-world impact. We're thrilled to welcome him aboard.' With Donald Kossmann at the helm of its technology strategy, Chargebacks911 is poised to redefine how the world approaches chargeback management, fraud prevention, and digital trust in commerce. For more information on Chargebacks911, visit Chargebacks911® is the global leader in chargeback prevention and remediation technology. As a platform provider to merchants and financial institutions, Chargebacks911 is the first global company fully dedicated to providing an end-to-end platform specifically designed to counter post-transactional fraud and chargeback misuse. Today, Chargebacks911 safeguards more than 2.4 billion transactions per year on behalf of clients in 87 countries around the world, supporting over 2.5 million merchants. For details on Chargebacks911's comprehensive dispute management solutions, visit


Channel Post MEA
23-05-2025
- Business
- Channel Post MEA
UiPath Annonces Bi-directional Integrations With Microsoft Copilot Studio
UiPath has announced new capabilities that enable the orchestration of Microsoft Copilot Studio agents alongside UiPath and other third-party agents using UiPath Maestro, an enterprise orchestration solution to seamlessly coordinate agents, robots, and people across complex processes. Developers can now orchestrate Microsoft Copilot Studio agents directly from Maestro. This capability builds on bi-directional integration between the UiPath Platform and Microsoft Copilot Studio recently announced by Microsoft, that facilitates seamless interaction between UiPath and Microsoft agents and automations — allowing customers to automate complex end-to-end processes, enable contextual decision-making, improve scalability, and unlock new levels of productivity. Developers can now embed UiPath automations and AI agents directly into Microsoft Copilot Studio and integrate Copilot agents within UiPath Studio— all while orchestrating seamlessly across platforms with UiPath Maestro. 'Our continued partnership with Microsoft enables millions of Microsoft users to take full advantage of the capabilities and flexibility offered by agentic automation and orchestration,' said Graham Sheldon, Chief Product Officer at UiPath. 'The UiPath multi-agent, cross-system capability uniquely enables seamless interaction and collaboration across various enterprise systems and applications, breaking down silos and enhancing overall operational efficiency.' Building an Open Ecosystem Business processes are complex, spanning modern SaaS systems, legacy platforms, documents, desktop applications and user actions. As several agentic platforms continue to take 'walled garden' approaches, UiPath is committed to building an open ecosystem so customers can focus on business outcomes without getting bogged down by technology limitations. UiPath Maestro can leverage the bi-directional integration with Copilot Studio to give customers built-in capabilities to build, manage, and orchestrate agents built in Microsoft Copilot Studio and other platforms in a controlled and scalable way—all while driving tangible business outcomes. 'You cannot automate a process in isolation; integrating across technology boundaries is necessary for real business impact,' remarked Ramnath Natarajan, Director of Global Intelligent Automation & Integration at Johnson Controls. Real World Applications Customers who use Microsoft Copilot Studio agents and Power Automate for email monitoring, email classification and intelligent Q&A are already seeing measurable ROI by augmenting their processes with UiPath agentic automation. For example, Johnson Controls enhanced an existing automation—originally built with UiPath robots and Power Automate—by adding a UiPath agent for confidence-based document extraction. The result: a 500% return on investment and projected savings of 18,000 hours annually that were previously spent on manual document review. 'This bi-directional integration harnesses the combined strengths of Microsoft Copilot and UiPath agents to fully automate complex workflows across documents, emails, PowerApps, and enterprise systems,' added Ramnath Natarajan, Director of Global Intelligent Automation & Integration Johnson Controls. Empowering Developers The integration extends other new capabilities that elevate business processes and drive smarter outcomes with agentic automation across departments and platforms. For instance, customers can now run coded agents built using LangGraph natively on the UiPath Platform without changing a single line of code. This empowers professional developers to build and test their agents using Python tooling while getting advantages of the UiPath Platform including governance, security, evaluations, and more—while running LangChain agents in their business process. Developers can also use UiPath UI Agent for computer use, to navigate real-world enterprise interfaces. The UiPath UI Agent understands intent, plans, and acts autonomously using a combination of computer use models and UiPath industry leading UI Automation. UI Agent is currently in private preview. Partnership with Microsoft UiPath has partnered with Microsoft to build a joint agentic vision anchored on industry leadership and customer choice. These integrations join the availability of its enhanced Autopilot agent for Copilot for Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams, allowing joint customers access to UiPath enterprise-grade automation capabilities from anywhere they use Copilot for Microsoft 365 or Teams. UiPath and Microsoft are also working together to make Azure tools discoverable to UiPath agents with an MCP integration as well as bring models and capabilities built on AI foundry to customers through the UiPath Platform. 0 0