Microsoft’s Latest Moves: What You Need to Know

October 2023 update: CoPilot, Entra ID, Microsoft 365 without Teams, and the mess with ESU licensing updates.

Azure Active Directory is Now "Entra ID"

First on the agenda, Microsoft has rebranded Azure Active Directory as "Entra ID." The core functionalities remain the same. You'll find this new terminology across your Office 365 portals, licensing reports, and other documentation. This is purely a name change; don't let it throw you off.

Legal Indemnification with Microsoft Co-Pilot

Next, Microsoft has updated Co-Pilot to include legal indemnification against copyright claims. This indicates that Microsoft is confident about the legality of using Co-Pilot. Check Microsoft's terms for the exact language, but the bottom line is that they've got you covered if any copyright issues arise.

New European Office Plans: A Teams-Free Option

As of October 1st, Microsoft now offers European Office plans that exclude Teams. If you don't need Teams, you can expect a €2 reduction in cost per user per month. However, be aware that adding Teams back later will set you back €5 per user. This is applicable to those in the European Economic Area and Switzerland.

Frontline Workers Still Have Options

If you're managing frontline workers, you still have multiple options with F plans. These can be with or without Teams, depending on your needs. However, adding Teams to an existing plan later will increase your costs.

Microsoft 365 Co-Pilot: An Enterprise-Only Tool

The recently released Microsoft 365 Co-Pilot is restricted to enterprise clients with a minimum of 300 licenses. This clearly disadvantages smaller businesses. Artificial intelligence like ChatGPT has shown the ability to save time and resources, and the same can be expected from Co-Pilot.

Flexible Extended Security Updates (ESU)

ESUs are now more accessible, thanks to availability through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) channel and possibly others. While Microsoft's announcements haven't been entirely clear, the significant point here is the newfound flexibility to obtain ESUs from different providers, including those under SPLA.

Azure Arc: A Consideration for ESU Users

Lastly, if you're looking at Azure Arc for its ESU capabilities, be cautious about the data it sends back to Microsoft. While it offers advantages like per-minute SQL Server licensing, you'll have to weigh that against potential data disclosure concerns.

Further Discussions and Inquiries

If you have questions or require additional information on Microsoft licensing, don't hesitate to get in touch.