

Publish Date
24/04/2024
Categories
Blogs Hot Topic
Copilot – Microsoft’s generative AI assistant – is the talk of workplaces the world over. It is fast taking off, particularly in light of the IDC report which shows that companies that invest US $1 in AI reap an ROI of 3.5 within a year or less.
While many have an overarching understanding of what Copilot is, there are some key pointers you may have missed, so we are shining a spotlight on them.
There are various versions. key to companies just starting out on their AI journey are:
Copilot With Commercial Data Protection:
This is available for all employees in organizations with a Microsoft 365 licence. It does not have access to any of the organization’s enterprise data so anything that its users paste or chat within Copilot is protected and is not shared outside of the organization.
Copilot For Microsoft 365:
This is the superpower version which has access to your Microsoft graph – that’s all the data and signals that are in your digital workplace including emails, OneDrive, Sharepoint and Teams sites, as well as external information on the Web making it a superb research and brainstorming tool. It can summarise documents helping you make sense of all the information, summarise meetings and data for more insightful actions.
Because it works on a language model, Copilot can contextually refine texts and generate ideas to resonate with different audiences.
You can use Copilot to also generate images to enliven your presentations, newsletters, and reports.
If you use Copilot you are protected against copyright infringement. However, if you are an organization with a lot of IP, it is important not to make it available to public facing websites where it could be used to feed models to create generative AI versions.
There’s no limit on how many licences you must have for Copilot M365, but it is an annual upfront paid commitment so trial it in a pilot phase before rolling it out.
Don’t forget, to get the most out of your Copilot experience, users must be upskilled to use it, such as the art of prompting, as well as the underlying technology i.e. whiteboard and Teams. Thanks to our collaboration with Storyals, we can provide their comprehensive, modern, cost effective and sustainable training programme. This is a mix of on-demand training in your own environment with evergreen, continuously updated training on how to use M365 Copilot and the underlying technology as well as live instructor-led training.
To reach out to us, email at: sales.uae@cobweb.com or call us on +971 4 455 3100.

Publish Date
03/04/2024
Categories
Blogs Hot Topic
Microsoft’s Copilot, a generative AI assistant, is revolutionizing workplaces globally. Serving as the premier solution, it accelerates research and summarization processes, fostering enhanced comprehension of issues and driving up productivity levels.
However, Copilot is only as good as its users who need to know how to get the best out of this transformative solution.
Our recent webinar on Productivity With AI highlighted three essential steps before embarking on an organizational-wide M365 Copilot journey.
Here are your three readiness steps:
Ensure that you are aware of and have approved the individuals who have access to specific resources. A frequent oversight among organizations is the assumption that information within a public Teams group is limited to its members. However, this is not the case. Unless specified as a private team group, everyone within the organization can access the information—the same goes for SharePoint.
Make sure multi-factor authentication is activated. If an account with Copilot access falls into the wrong hands, it could be exploited to gain further sensitive information. Safeguard your accounts!
Copilot is only as good as the people that use it. They should learn about good prompting and how to get the best out of the AI assistant which can transform good work into great work. Storyals trains organisations in a modern way that is extremely cost effective and sustainable. It mixes on-demand training in your own environment where it provides access to evergreen, continuously update training on how to use Microsoft 365, and not just Copilot but also the underlying technology including Whiteboard and Teams. Storayls combines the on-demand training with instructor-led training with real life scenarios on how to use the tools, continuously updated to enhance your digital workplace now and for the future.
To reach out to us, email at: sales.uae@cobweb.com or call us on +971 4 455 3100.

Publish Date
21/03/2024
Categories
Services & Solutions
Expedite is a first-of-its-kind AI solution with huge application potential for the hospitality, travel and tourism, aviation, legal and healthcare sectors. It delivers faster processing, swifter times to market, accelerates competitiveness and speeds up business growth.
It uses Open AI’s GTP4 Turbo technology and leveraged Microsoft Azure’s AI in Intelligent Apps with custom prompt engineering to extract and validate data from unstructured documents. Leveraging cutting-edge machine learning algorithms, natural language processing techniques, and contextual understanding capabilities, Expedite ensures extracted data is accurate and meaningful within its original context. It enhances context-driven data extraction and management, copes with seasonal changes and special promotional offers and provides ad hoc query handling for help desk support with data prompt features heightening customer services. Using Expedite, launch customer the German travel major FTI.de has cut its contract completion times from 10 hours to 45 minutes and increased its €1.5B hotel business.
To reach out to us, email at: sales.uae@cobweb.com or call us on +971 4 455 3100.

Publish Date
08/03/2024
Categories
Blogs Hot Topic
Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant is transforming the workplace yet before you take off with this powerful modern workplace tool and optimize its benefits, its essential you have the correct security posture in place.
Copilot works by memorizing all your data and indexing it – that way it gets to understand better what you need and how it can help. However, if you don’t have a robust security infrastructure in place, Copilot could prove to be a loose cannon putting your entire data – your most precious and sensitive business asset – at risk.
To ensure our clients have the best and most secure Copilot experience, we’ve created a new Cobweb Copilot managed service. This two-phase service will take the strain out of securing your Copilot implementation giving you the peace of mind to leverage Copilot’s extraordinary workplace efficiencies meaning your team can focus on innovation to boost competitiveness.
Here’s how our managed service works:
Phase 2:
Get Your Free Demo Now!
If you’re wanting to know more about Copilot, you can now see it in action with our demo which covers five scenarios in action:
To reach out to us, email at: sales.uae@cobweb.com or call us on +971 4 455 3100.

Publish Date
20/02/2024
Categories
Blogs Hot Topic
Whichever study you choose to pay attention to, the number of companies moving their IT operations, either fully or partially, to managed service providers exceeds 80%. I remember reading a Jump Factor report from 2021 which mentioned that 90% of IT and Business leaders were making this choice. More recent research suggests that little has changed, and I think we can all agree that’s a huge majority!
The benefits extend far beyond just addressing skills gaps and saving costs. It’s about concentrating your resources, becoming faster, fostering innovation, accelerating transformation, and gaining that competitive edge.
In a recent study by PwC, I found that among the top 20% of high-performing companies, all of them were turning to MSPs, or at least to some extent.
So, as an MSP, convincing businesses to engage with one is often pushing on an open door. The question shifts from “should I be engaging with an MSP?” to “which one?”. Seeing as there are 150,000 MSPs globally, it’s safe to assume there is a wide choice! The difficulty is knowing which MSP fits your business best.
Partnering with the right Managed Service Provider can significantly enhance your organisation’s success, not only in the IT department but throughout the entire business, so it’s vital you choose the right one for you.
In conclusion, your agreement with an MSP forms the foundation of a strong partnership. Choosing the right MSP should be a strategic decision that impacts your business’s efficiency, security, and growth. With multiple options available, following these guidelines and conducting your own research will help you find the right fit. I sometimes talk about the utopian objective finding excellence in IT, the right MSP should help you towards that.
Contact us now for a free solutions assessment.
To reach out to us, email at: sales.uae@cobweb.com or call us on +971 4 455 3100.

Publish Date
16/02/2024
Categories
Blogs Hot Topic
The arrival of Microsoft Copilot has brought a new era of productivity and innovation to software development. This AI-powered assistant has the potential to transform how developers write code and streamline the development process. However, while the excitement around Copilot is palpable, it is crucial to temper that enthusiasm with careful planning and a robust data strategy.
Microsoft Copilot is designed to be a powerful assistant, but it needs access to data to be effective. Ensuring that your company data resides within Microsoft 365 is essential. This enables Copilot to consume and interrogate the data efficiently, allowing it to provide more accurate suggestions.
Cobweb can help you migrate your data to Microsoft 365 seamlessly. We offer expert services in data migration, ensuring that your valuable information is stored securely and accessible for Copilot’s use.
Before integrating Microsoft Copilot into your Microsoft environment, it’s essential to have a clear understanding of your existing data, permissions, and access controls. Copilot’s effectiveness depends on having the right data at its disposal, and a deep understanding of your data landscape is crucial.
Cobweb’s expertise in Microsoft 365 can help you gain insights into your data structure. We can assist in conducting data audits, helping you identify and classify data that Copilot should prioritise. This ensures that Copilot is equipped with the most relevant information to assist your developers effectively.
Microsoft recommends using sensitivity labels to add an extra layer of protection to confidential data. Sensitivity labels ensure that only authorised personnel can access and view sensitive information. Integrating sensitivity labels into your data strategy is crucial, especially when Copilot is dealing with proprietary code or sensitive data.
Cobweb can assist in implementing sensitivity labels across your Microsoft 365 environment. We can help you define policies and permissions, ensuring that confidential data remains protected, even as Copilot interacts with it.
Security should always be a top priority when implementing new tools like Copilot. Microsoft’s Conditional Access and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) are essential components of a robust security strategy. These features help ensure that only authorised users can access your organisation’s resources.
At Cobweb, we specialise in security solutions for Microsoft 365, by helping you configure and implement Conditional Access policies and MFA. This adds an additional layer of protection to your data and Copilot interactions.
To maximise Copilot’s capabilities, it’s important to have a standardised and secure device environment. Microsoft recommends Windows 11 as the preferred operating system for Copilot, although support for Windows 10 is being enabled in select markets. Ensuring that your devices are secure and up to date is essential for a smooth Copilot experience.
Cobweb can assist in device management and software updates, helping you maintain a secure and compatible environment for Copilot.
Know your Usage Requirements
Being specific in your needs and goals when using Copilot is essential for maximising its effectiveness and ensuring a successful integration into your business operations. Copilot is a powerful AI tool, but its capabilities are not limitless, and it operates within defined parameters. To make the most of Copilot, you need to clearly understand what tasks it can automate and what tasks it cannot. By identifying the specific business units where you want to deploy Copilot, you can tailor its usage to suit the unique needs of each department, optimising its impact.
By ensuring your company data is well-organised, protected, and accessible, you can harness the full potential of Microsoft Copilot while safeguarding your organisation’s valuable assets. So, as you embark on your Copilot journey, remember that a solid data strategy and a partner like Cobweb can make all the difference in your success.
This March, we’ll be hosting a webinar with Storyals on ‘Productivity with AI’. Get a head start on modern workplace efficiency for 2024 Register now!.
Contact us now for a free solutions assessment.
To reach out to us, email at: sales.uae@cobweb.com or call us on +971 4 455 3100.

Publish Date
10/01/2024
Categories
Blogs Hot Topic
Our journey into 2024 has been marked by a fantastic beginning, as we proudly introduce Storyals – the Swedish digital employee upskilling program – to our expanding product range. With this modern training program, you can continuously inspire, motivate, and educate your workforce on new digital ways of working with Microsoft 365.
Storyals’ world-class training features unique on-demand courses and instructor-led programs. These help organizations build the vital digital skills for a modern workforce that is hyper productive, collaborative, and efficient.
There’s a range of Storyals programs to choose from and to suit all employee profiles from office workers, to front line staff and even leadership! They include:
This Teams App training, fits businesses looking for an easy and effective way to provide employees with continuous digital workplace training. Storyals integrates e-learning, chatbot technology, and in-person coaching to create an enjoyable and engaging learning experience.
This product will actively strengthen the digital competence of an entire organization and drive effective usage of Microsoft 365. It comes with the multi-award-winning learning management system LMS365 so clients can easily assign, track, and follow-up learning organization-wide.
This exclusive program complements an organization’s Storyals training product. It is targeted to professionals who need a more focused training plan to strengthen their digital leadership. Led by Storyals Productivity Coaches, attendees get a personalized training plan and 1-1 productivity coaching sessions. Included are workshops with their direct team to align on efficient ways of working.
The program complements an organization’s Storyals training product and is for those licensed for Microsoft 365 Copilot. The program gives employees a kick-start in using Microsoft’s AI-powered tools including Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot (former Bing Chat Enterprise). Users get expert guidance on best practices, security, tips for accelerating results, hands-on practice sessions, and feedback from their peers and coaches.
This February, we’ll be hosting a webinar with Storyals on ‘Productivity with AI’. Get a head start on modern workplace efficiency for 2024.
Contact us now for a free solutions assessment.
To reach out to us, email at: sales.uae@cobweb.com or call us on +971 4 455 3100.

Publish Date
11/12/2023
Categories
Blogs Hot Topic
7 Steps to Zero Trust Security: Your Complete Guide to Enhanced Cybersecurity
In today’s ever evolving cyberthreat landscape, traditional security models are simply ineffective. Organizations are increasingly adopting the proactive and robust Zero Trust Security (ZTS) approach to safeguard sensitive data and systems. ZTS turns conventional security models on their heads by challenging the notion that everything inside the network is trustworthy. Instead, ZTS demands verification from everyone and everything trying to connect to resources, regardless of their location or network.
Step 1: Understanding Zero Trust Security
ZTS has one guiding principle – ‘never trust, always verify.’ This means that no user, system, or application can be trusted, even if they are within the corporate network. The underlying philosophy is to assume that threats exist both outside and inside the network, and security measures should be implemented accordingly.
Step 2: Identify & Classify Assets
Begin with a thorough inventory of all organizational assets including data, applications, devices, and users. Assets should be classified as critical or sensitive to determine the security required for each. This will lay the foundation for implementing targeted security controls based on each asset’s importance.
Step 3: Adopt ‘Least Privilege’ Approach
Implement the principle of least privilege, which restricts user and system access rights to the bare minimum needed to perform job functions. By limiting access, organizations will reduce the attack surface and minimize any damage resulting from a security breach. Regularly review and update access permissions to align with changing roles and responsibilities.
Step 4: Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Additionally,authentication is key to Zero Trust Security. Multi-Factor Authentication adds an extra layer of protection by requiring users to provide multiple forms of identification before accessing systems or data. This could include something the user knows (password), something the user has (smart card), or something the user is (biometric verification).
Step 5: Continuously Monitor & Analyze Network Traffic
Implement real-time monitoring and analysis of network traffic to detect and respond to potential security threats promptly. Utilize advanced threat detection tools such as machine learning, and behavior analytics to identify anomalies and potential breaches. Continuous monitoring is crucial to Zero Trust as it allows organizations to swiftly respond to security incidents.
Step 6: Embrace Micro-Segmentation
Segment the network into smaller, isolated units to limit lateral movement in the event of a security breach. This will ensure that even if one segment is compromised, the attacker’s ability to move laterally within the network is restricted. Micro-segmentation enhances overall network security and complements Zero Trust Security by erecting barriers between different parts of the network.
Step 7: Regularly Update Security Policies & Training Programs
Cyber security threats are constantly evolving so organizations must be vigilant in their security approach. Regularly update security policies and conduct comprehensive training programs for employees to ensure they understand the importance of Zero Trust Security and how to adhere to its protocols. Additionally, an informed and vigilant workforce is critical to a successful Zero Trust Security strategy.
The Rationale:
All in all,Zero Trust Security is a strategic shift in cybersecurity paradigms. By adopting a proactive and comprehensive approach to security, organizations can better protect their assets from a wide range of cyber threats. These seven steps are a roadmap for implementing Zero Trust Security, offering a layered defense strategy that mitigates risks and enhances overall cybersecurity posture. Remember, when it comes to cybersecurity, the only constant is change, and a well-implemented Zero Trust Security model can adapt and evolve to meet these dynamic challenges.
Your Team, Extended.
Book a FREE consultation with an Expert
Get in touch now on: sales.uae@cobweb.com or call us on +971 4 455 3100.

Publish Date
28/11/2023
Categories
Blogs Hot Topic
Learn about Security Compliance & Automation with Tricent and 5 Sharing Risks in its Wake!
Collaboration is key to business growth. It’s a vital clog in today’s remote and hybrid working world, aiding efficiency, and enhancing staff recruitment and retention. And research shows collaboration is here to stay. Here’s why:
Collaborative companies are 30% more innovative and 36% more productive. Most importantly, they perform five times better than those who don’t collaborate.
There are three major trends now driving external collaboration:
Yet the sharing, collaborative landscape is getting riskier, according to ‘The State of Sharing 2023’ report from Tricent, creators of THE file sharing governance solution.
The report recognises the complexity of data governance. Although, it is essential and underlines how ungoverned file sharing presents serious business risks with sensitive data. This also includes business plans and medical records exposed to the wrong people.
The findings show:
File sharing is essential in today’s collaborative economy and Tricent advocates that it should be done in a manner aligned to company policy. This policy is integral and must take into consideration 5 top risks:
The Safer With Tricent Way:
Tricent has now focussed its solution to deliver Security, Compliance & Automation In Microsoft365.Microsoft’s robust security and Tricent’s secure solution complement your IT environment because of the dual secure layer that is provided. It complements Microsoft’s robust security and collaboration features by delivering:
Just call our security experts and learn about Security Compliance & Automation with Tricent. Because we want to help make your M365 collaborators safer than ever.
Your Team, Extended.
To reach out to us, email at: sales.uae@cobweb.com or call us on +971 4 455 3100.

Publish Date
08/08/2023
Categories
Blogs Hot Topic
Migrating to the cloud is today’s essential for business efficiency, improved productivity, data security, business continuity and regulatory compliance. Cloud migration has become even more vital in today’s remote working environment. Databases, applications, workloads, systems, and projects now need to be easily and securely accessed from anywhere, anytime. While migration is not as onerous as you may think, it does require detailed preparation.
There are 5 steps to ensuring swift and seamless migration to the cloud.
Successful cloud migration starts with an assessment of the current state of an on-premises or hybrid environment. It includes identifying all infrastructure elements and their current and anticipated utilization to reveal insights on cloud readiness, compatibility, and interdependencies of I.T. infrastructure, apps, databases, and workloads. The insights will then inform evaluation of cloud readiness and any measures needed to make them cloud ready.
You need to plan how you will move your data and applications from your on-premises architecture to the cloud. The plan will be your roadmap to the most efficient way to prioritize and migrate applications.
You need to clean, standardize, catalogue, and group your data and identify which datasets you want to move.
There’s more to cloud adoption that just migrating to the cloud. To get the most out of your migration, it’s important to ensure your team understands the shift and how to operate within it.
By identifying the compliance standards, you need to meet, you can design the best security controls for your business and totally adhere to your regulatory environment, maintain data integrity and engender customer trust.
These five steps will be the foundation of an effective cloud migration roadmap that includes detailed information about the apps you want to migrate, app/database availability, downtime constraints, and migration milestones. The plan will detail how long the data copy takes and include a realistic buffer for post-migration testing. A comprehensive migration roadmap when adhered to will minimize downtime and limit the potential operational and business impact during migration.
Our Cloud experts are ready to help. If you would like to schedule a free cloud assessment or want to know more about the benefits of migration, please click here.
Get in touch now on: sales.uae@cobweb.com or call us on +971 4 455 3100.