QA training for the defense industry: How to maximize the value of Microsoft 365 training

Find out why Microsoft approached QA to train adopters of Copilot for Microsoft 365, making AI-driven productivity possible for the defense industry.

At last, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been made accessible to the defense industry! With the introduction of Copilot for Microsoft 365, Microsoft changed the game and put AI-driven productivity in the hands of every one of their customers – but only if those customers and users know how to use it.

That’s why Microsoft approached QA: to train early adopters of Copilot for Microsoft 365. QA had the trainers, the hands-on environments, and the learning expertise to help over 200+ learners gain “mind-blowing” understanding. This case study shares more about how organizations can benefit from QA’s training on Copilot for Microsoft 365.

As Tatiana Arventi, Senior Go To Market Manager - M365 Copilot & Usage for Growth Modern Work & Surface Business Group, Microsoft UK put it, “QA's training and hands-on labs are a powerful approach to maximizing the value of Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 adoption. Copilot is a once-in-a-generation technology, and using QA to learn this technology is a smart way to harness AI-driven productivity.”

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Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 – Modern security and productivity like never before.

Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 represents a significant advancement in the way the defense industry operates, leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to transform productivity, streamline operations, improve security and foster mission focused innovation.

“Today Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 is available for Microsoft Commercial clouds, however, for companies in Microsoft Government Clouds like GCCH Copilot for M365 is currently on the roadmap. GCCH customers use this valuable time to help prepare for copilot through this training.” Justin Orcutt- CRISC, CDPSE, MBA This transformative tool is not just an incremental update to Microsoft's suite of productivity applications; it's a comprehensive rethink of how tasks are approached, how decisions are made, and how defense contractors can advance their mission and thrive in an increasingly digital world.

• Revolutionizing Workflows with AI - At its core, Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 integrates AI-driven functionalities directly into the Microsoft 365 suite, including applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. This integration is designed to enhance user productivity by automating routine tasks, providing intelligent insights, and facilitating more effective communication. By harnessing the power of AI, Copilot enables users to focus on high-value activities, leaving the software to handle the time-consuming, repetitive tasks that often bog down productivity.
• The Impact on Mission Advancement- The business productivity impact of Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 is profound. By automating routine tasks, providing intelligent insights, and enhancing collaboration, Copilot enables defense industry professionals to achieve more in less time. This translates to increased efficiency, improved user satisfaction, the ability to allocate more resources to strategic initiatives, and ultimately to mission success.
• Improving Agility for Mission Success - Moreover, the agility that Copilot brings to decision-making processes allows defense industry leaders to respond more rapidly to challenges and opportunities. The ability to quickly analyze data, generate reports, and create compelling communications means that defense industry leaders can stay ahead of the curve, leveraging real-time insights to drive mission success.

The Challenge: How to train defense industry professionals on essential Copilot for Microsoft 365 information. 

Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 was made available for the government industry customers on November 1, 2023. However, several months ahead of its general product release, Microsoft approached QA to work with them to deliver a series of early-adopter half-day bootcamps. The bootcamps provided a deeper dive into the intricacies of Copilot architecture and offered essential information for IT professionals to effectively prepare for Microsoft Copilot. 

The half-day bootcamps featuring live demonstrations of Copilot for Microsoft 365 are focused on:

• What is Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365?
• How Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 works
• Copilot Extensibility
• Privacy and data protection
• Data residency and storage
• Compliance
• Security
• How to prepare for Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365
• Technical FAQ
• Responsible AI

Find out more by registering for our free on-demand live session: Unlocking Productivity with Copilot for Microsoft 365

The Result: 20 bootcamps of “mega useful” hands-on workshops to prepare IT for Copilot 

QA have delivered 20 sessions expert instructors to over 200 learners in 2023 and is continuing the program into 2024, with a further 16 events delivered in February and March.

Jeroen van Hilten, Global Partner Sales Executive, Microsoft Worldwide Learning said, “As a leading Cloud Solutions Training Services Partner, QA has played a valuable role in working closely with the Microsoft to deliver a series of Copilot enablement workshops to our early adopter customers.” The customer satisfaction scores were 92% from the events delivered. Learner feedback from the workshops included:

• “Very worthwhile - it was informative not only on the uses of the product but also of the deployment and management which I have not seen covered before.”
• “Excellent. Mind blowing Copilot.”
• “It was very in-depth - mind blown :-)”
• “Education was good, coming from a position of no knowledge of CoPilot, I now have a good overview of this.”
• “Fantastic. The knowledge of QA’s instructor and his enthusiasm was excellent. His ability to field questions, digress and return to the content was also excellent.”
• “Very useful. I learned so much that will help provide a business case for adoption.”
• “Fantastic session. Mega useful to learn about Copilot.”
• “Helps me understand how I can use AI in my role.”
• “Definitely worthwhile, I work in information governance so it was good to have a bit of a deeper dive into what the background settings/options are available and what we should be doing in preparation to ensure as an organization we are ready to benefit from this technology.”
• “Very good, very informative and explained everything in full. Clear steps through CoPilot and plenty for us to think of before deploying this. Will be useful to start looking at making sure our data is ready for Copilot.”

Next steps: QA’s exclusive, hands-on coursework on Copilot for Microsoft 365 & AI skills for the defense industry.

As we navigate the future of work, Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 represents a pivotal shift in how we approach productivity. The integration of AI into everyday applications is not just about automating tasks; it's about augmenting human capabilities, enabling us to achieve more than ever before. 

Organizations that embrace these technologies will find themselves better equipped to face the challenges of the digital age, with a workforce that is more productive, more innovative, and more engaged. However, 9 out 10 businesses are not prepared to roll out AI along with over 20% of enterprise employees needing to be reskilled. 

With the announcement on January 16, 2024, that Copilot for Microsoft 365 is generally available across all relevant channels including Cloud Solution Provider (CSP), QA has developed a series of unique hands-on training courses focusing on Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 for Business Users and Mastering MS365 Copilot Readiness, Deployment and Management for IT Professionals. Most importantly on the courses, learners will have hands-on experience in a live tenancy. 

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Conclusion

Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 is more than just a productivity tool; it's a catalyst for business transformation. By harnessing the power of AI, it redefines what's possible in the realm of business productivity, offering unprecedented efficiencies, insights, and capabilities.

As businesses continue to adapt to the digital landscape, Copilot will be instrumental in shaping the future of work, driving innovation, and securing competitive advantages in an ever-evolving marketplace. The importance of Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365, therefore, cannot be overstated—it's not just changing the way we work; it's revolutionizing it.

How are you identifying who you should be upskilling for key business digital transformation projects? This is a critical insight required to understand how to upskill, retrain and retain your existing Cyber Security and IT teams. QA has the ability to identify and discover the top 20% of your IT employees for upskilling and reskilling for key cyber roles.

Some of these critical defense industry programs include:

• QA/Microsoft Security CMMC Evidential learning Program
• Azure Cloud Security, Defender and Sentinel
• AI and Gen
• AI Developer learning Gamification with: Secure Code Warrior
• Re-enforce Traditional learning with: Project Ares
• Bespoke upskilling programs and learning pathways for programmers, engineers and developers