Enhancing Productivity and Security with Microsoft 365 Copilot

During our event AI and Cyber Security Strategies with Microsoft Copilot for CyberScotland Week 2025, various aspects of Microsoft 365 Copilot were discussed, highlighting its potential to enhance productivity and security within organisations. This article summarises the key points and insights shared during the meeting, providing a comprehensive overview of how Copilot can be utilised effectively. We collected valuable insights from attendees at the event and have incorporated relevant statistics throughout the article. 

We are also able to share a limited time offer read more to find out on how to take advantage of the discount. 

We are also able to share a limited time offer read more to find out on how to take advantage of the discount.

Security Insights from Jeremy and Norman

Jeremy Clarke, the Assistant Director of Practice for the Institute of Chartered Accountants Scotland and Norman Stevenson, from the Cyber and Fraud Centre Scotland, provided valuable insights into the current threat landscape and the importance of building resilience.

Key Themes 

• Organisations must stay ahead by continuously updating their security measures to respond to various types of cyber threats, including phishing, ransomware and supply chain attacks.  
• Employees need quality training to allow them to recognise and response to potential threats.  
• Company directors have a legal responsibility under the UK GDPR legislation to ensure that personal data is protected, which includes implementing appropriate security measures to prevent data breaches, as failing to do so not only risks legal penalties but also exposes the company to significant cyber security threats and reputational damage. 
• To stay ahead of cyber criminals organisations must build a culture of security awareness, continually improving their security practices.  
• Creating a robust incident response plan and conducting regular risk assessments are crucial for cyber security, as they help organisations quickly identify, mitigate, and recover from potential threats while ensuring vulnerabilities are proactively addressed to minimise risks and maintain operational continuity. 

From our research at the event we found:

• Cyber security Awareness: 28% of organisations rated their cyber security awareness as excellent, while 40% rated it as good but could be better. 

• Cyber security Incidents: 29% of organisations experienced cyber security incidents in the past year. 

• Training Frequency: 20% of organisations conduct cyber security training monthly, while 34% do so yearly and worryingly Approximately 27.03% of the people never conduct cyber training. 

• Policy Reviews: 26% of organisations review their cyber security policies annually, and 14% do so quarterly. 

Understanding Microsoft 365 Copilot

Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI-powered tool designed to assist users in their daily tasks by integrating seamlessly with Microsoft 365 applications such as Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. It leverages natural language processing to understand user commands and provide relevant assistance, making it a powerful addition to any workplace.

• Familiarity with Copilot: 20% of respondents rated their familiarity with Microsoft Copilot as very high, while 25% rated it as high. 

• Perceived Impact of AI: 45% of respondents believe that AI will have a very significant impact on their industry in the next five years. 

Key Features and Benefits

Enhanced Productivity:

Meeting Summaries: Copilot can summarise meeting notes, action items, and key points, allowing users to stay informed and organised. This feature is particularly useful for those who attend multiple meetings and need to keep track of various discussions and decisions.

Email Management: It helps prioritise and summarise emails, reducing the time spent on managing the inbox. By understanding the user’s email patterns and relationships, Copilot can highlight the most important messages and suggest appropriate responses.

Document Creation: Users can draft documents, presentations, and reports quickly by providing Copilot with the necessary context and goals. This feature is especially beneficial for creating first drafts, which can then be refined and customised as needed.

There is a lot more insights from Microsoft based on productivity and AI.

Improved Security

Data Privacy: Copilot respects existing privacy and security settings, ensuring that sensitive information is protected. It adheres to the organisation’s data loss prevention policies and conditional access rules, providing an additional layer of security.

Compliance: It adheres to data protection regulations, making it suitable for use in various industries. Microsoft has implemented comprehensive security measures to ensure that Copilot complies with GDPR and other relevant standards.

In addition to our comprehensive suite of security solutions, we offer an extra layer of protection with LugoLocker, our advanced application allow listing software. Application allow listing is a security measure that only permits approved applications to run on your systems. By using LugoLocker, you can ensure that only trusted software is executed, significantly reducing the risk of malware and unauthorised programs. This added security measure not only enhances your system’s defences but also provides peace of mind by safeguarding your valuable data and assets.

Practical Applications

Finance:

Report Generation: Finance managers can use Copilot to analyse financial data, create reports, and generate insights, saving significant time and effort. By automating routine tasks, Copilot allows finance professionals to focus on more strategic activities.

Expense Management: Copilot can automate expense approval processes, ensuring accuracy and efficiency. By integrating with finance applications such as Xero, SAP or Dynamics, it streamlines the workflow and reduces the risk of errors.

Marketing:

Campaign Planning: Marketers can leverage Copilot to draft campaign plans, analyse market trends, and generate creative content. This feature helps marketing teams stay ahead of the competition by providing timely and relevant insights.

Content Creation: It assists in creating engaging presentations and documents, enhancing the overall quality of marketing materials. By using Copilot to generate first drafts, marketers can save time and focus on refining their messaging.

Implementation and Adoption:

• Adoption Rate: 59% of organisations have adopted AI technologies. 

• Policy Reviews: 26% of organisations review their cyber security policies annually, and 14% do so quarterly. 

• Pilot Program Success: 45% of respondents believe that AI will have a very significant impact on their industry in the next five years. 

• Beneficial for Organisations: After our event 34.29% of respondents rated Microsoft Copilot as very beneficial for their organisation, while 40% rated it as beneficial. 

Getting Started:

Evaluation: Organisations should start with a readiness evaluation to understand their current data structure and security posture. This assessment helps identify potential gaps and areas for improvement before deploying Copilot.

Pilot Program: Implementing a pilot program with a select group of users can help identify potential challenges and benefits. By starting with a small group, organisations can gather feedback and make necessary adjustments before a full-scale rollout. Why not take advantage of the Microsoft Copilot offers until the 31st of March, get in touch with us for more information.

Training and Support:

Prompting Workshops: Conducting workshops to train users on effective prompting techniques can maximise the benefits of Copilot. These sessions help users understand how to interact with the AI and get the most out of its features.

Ongoing Support: Providing continuous support and resources ensures that users can fully utilise Copilot’s capabilities. This includes access to a dedicated helpdesk, online resources, and regular updates on new features and best practices.

Advanced Features

Copilot Chat:

Task Management: Copilot Chat allows users to manage tasks and stay organised by providing reminders, tracking deadlines, and suggesting next steps. This feature helps users stay on top of their workload and ensures that important tasks are not overlooked.

Information Retrieval: Users can ask Copilot Chat to retrieve specific information from emails, documents, or other sources, saving time and effort. This feature is particularly useful for quickly finding relevant information without having to manually search through multiple files.

Integration with Third-Party Applications:

Custom Connectors: Copilot supports over 4000 connectors, allowing it to integrate with various third-party applications such as Adobe, Expedia, Kayak, and MailChimp. This integration enables users to access and manage data from different sources within a single platform.

Autonomous Agents: Copilot can create autonomous agents that automate routine tasks and processes. For example, an agent can be set up to handle expense approvals, reducing the need for manual intervention and ensuring consistency.

Continuous Improvement:

AI Training: Microsoft is committed to continuously improving Copilot by training its AI models on new data and incorporating user feedback. This ongoing development ensures that Copilot remains up-to-date and relevant to users’ needs.

Feature Enhancements: Microsoft plans to introduce new features and enhancements to Copilot, such as improved natural language processing, better integration with additional applications, and more advanced analytics capabilities.

Broader Adoption:

Industry-Specific Solutions: Microsoft is working on developing industry-specific solutions for Copilot, tailored to the unique needs of different sectors such as healthcare, finance, and education. These customised solutions will help organisations maximise the benefits of Copilot in their specific contexts.

Global Reach: As Copilot continues to evolve, Microsoft aims to expand its availability to more regions and languages, making it accessible to a broader audience. This global reach will enable organisations worldwide to leverage the power of AI to enhance their productivity and security.

Conclusion

Microsoft 365 Copilot offers a range of features that can significantly enhance productivity and security within organisations. By understanding its capabilities and implementing it effectively, businesses can streamline their operations and achieve better outcomes. The insights shared in the meeting provide a valuable foundation for leveraging Copilot to its fullest potential.

Secure the Power of AI with Microsoft 365 Copilot

The insights from our CyberScotland Week event highlight the transformative potential of Microsoft 365 Copilot in boosting productivity and strengthening cyber security. With AI-driven automation, enhanced data protection, and seamless integration into your Microsoft 365 environment, Copilot is shaping the future of work.

Now is the time to assess how your organisation can harness these benefits. Take advantage of our exclusive offers available until 31st March 2025:

 

Discounted Microsoft 365 Copilot Licences

Secure a limited-time discount when you sign up for at least 10 subscriptions before the deadline.

Ideal for organisations looking to enhance efficiency with AI-driven automation.

 

Deployment Support Worth up to £5,000

Limited availability for businesses purchasing at least 5 annual subscriptions.

This funding is provided by Microsoft and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so act fast to secure your share!

 

Exclusive Access to the Lugo AI User Group

All Lugo clients who subscribe to Copilot will be invited to be inaugural members of our Lugo’s Microsoft Copilot User Group, a space to share insights, best practices, and exclusive Copilot updates.

 

Don’t miss out! Contact Lugo today to secure your discount and claim your deployment support. Let’s enhance your security and efficiency together!