David Forde

At Microsoft, we are enabling young people across the island of Ireland to engage in STEM and AI learning and shift their perceptions about the role technology can play in their future career choices. That’s why we launched Microsoft Dream Space in 2018, expanded the offering to Northern Ireland in 2019, and opened an innovation and education hub at W5 LIFE in 2022. Through the efforts of the Microsoft Dream Space team, we have helped to empower over 30,000 students and teachers in Northern Ireland with skills they’ll need to thrive in the era of AI to date. This week, Northern Ireland Minister for Education, Paul Givan, had an opportunity to see firsthand the growing impact of the Microsoft Dream Space programme. As well as developing the skills they’ll need for their future employment, Dream Space helps students to use AI responsibly as a tool that supports learning. As we extend our impact further, we look forward to providing even more primary and post-primary students, as well as their teachers, with the opportunity to develop their digital and AI skills. To book a free Dream Space visit go to: https://lnkd.in/eWJZAR4j.     #MicrosoftDreamSpaceNI #AI #Education #DigitalSkills #STEM

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💡#CopilotCan- Turning time into reallocated value across the #NHS💡 Imagine if staff using #Microsoft365Copilot could each reclaim 3.35 hours a week – unlocking time for better care, faster collaboration, and more impactful work. Well, that’s the early output from the time savings we are seeing in #NHSnetConnect Copilot Pilot. 📊 Here's the interesting food for thought 🕒 3.35 hours saved per user per week via analytics and pilot user feedback.  💷£90.45 – Value of time saved on an NHS average hourly rate per week.  💷£361.80 – Per user, per month potentially for heavy Microsoft 365 users.  👥30,000 active users projected by July to be using the product set within the pilot.  📈 ££££ productivity benefits over a monthly period for heavy Microsoft 365 users across the 30k and the current 1.7m users…… who knows! Copilot use doesn't create money it creates time, these savings are all what we class as soft ROI benefits, that drive the reallocation of time towards, improved throughput, improved work quality and reducing burden of work on staff. This is the power of AI with purpose. This is why #CoPilotCan isn’t just a tagline – it’s a transformation. More time. More impact. More value. #NHSnetConnect #Microsoft365 #DigitalTransformation #AIinHealthcare #BetterConnectedBetterCare

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Data Loss Prevention is one of the primary features key to ensuring an appropriately implemented governance strategy ready for providing makers with agentic capabilities in Copilot Studio. This is an extension to the existing measures organisations already take to maker enablement with #PowerPlatform by governing the use of specific connectors. Copilot Studio is ever evolving, and so this will likely continue to change. Governing agentic capabilities when democratised for makers to enhance workflows with is key. DLP for Copilot Studio doesn't just focus on Power Platform connectors, but also controls various publishing channels, and features such as whether makers are enabled to make agents autonomous. Check out my latest blog post which highlights one of the primary governance tooling's amongst many others key to ensuring platform safety and governed data when enabling Copilot Studio. Now, important part... do you like my governance hat? 👀😅 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eKsUTVzS

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Migration of Azure VM backups from Standard to Enhanced policy is now generally available! Azure Backup now supports migrating VM backups (protected with Standard policy) to the Enhanced policy, offering greater flexibility and resilience. https://lnkd.in/dEft_q3w #Azure #IaaS #Resiliency #AzureBackup

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Microsoft Partners!! Changes are coming to your Microsoft partnership, I will continue to post things to be aware of and considerations you will need to make. The first thing I want to address is the PASSING SECURITY SCORE which will be a requirement for all in the channel coming into the new FY. This is a really GOOD update and change from Microsoft by ensuring the standards held by resellers, indirect providers and direct partners are high when it comes to their own internal security and practices. 🔐 What is the Partner Center Security Score? The Partner Center Security Score is a set of mandatory security requirements that partners must meet and maintain. These are validated annually during the partner’s CSP anniversary month. ✅ Mandatory Requirements Include: 🔑 Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all administrative users. 👮A designated security contact in Partner Center. 🚨Responsiveness to security alerts issued by Microsoft. 📶 Maintaining a security score above 80 These measures are designed to: ⚫️Protect customer data. ⚫️Reduce the risk of account compromise. ⚫️Ensure partners are aligned with Microsoft’s security best practices. 🔍 Steps to View Your Security Score: 1. Sign in to Microsoft Partner Center. 2. Navigate to the "Insights" section in the left-hand menu. 3. Select "Security Requirements" or "Security Score" (the exact label may vary slightly). 4. You'll see a dashboard showing: ▪️Your current security score (out of 100). ▪️A breakdown of mandatory vs. recommended actions. ▪️Specific areas where your organization can improve. 🛠️ Tip: If you're not seeing the score, make sure you have the appropriate Partner Center role, such as Global Admin or Partner Admin, to access security insights. Jeffrey De Jong Julia Ade Evan Phillips Aidas V. Ray McGrath Yolanda Kloppers Mostyn Thomas NCSC CCP Ben Bryant Alex Davies

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🚀 Exciting News! Microsoft announce the launch of the "People Administrator role" in Microsoft Entra, designed to enhance administrative functions within Microsoft 365. This new role provides specialised permissions for managing people-related configurations and profile images. Say goodbye to the need for extensive Global admin or User admin rights! Microsoft will begin rolling out early February 2025 and expect to complete by late February 2025. #MicrosoftEntra #Microsoft365 #AdminRoles #Innovation #UserFeedback

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