ICYMI Microsoft is rolling out new enhancements for its AI-driven products and introducing new offers, including Copilot Pro and the expansion of Copilot for Microsoft 365 to a broader range of customers. The company also announced that it is extending its Copilot for Microsoft 365 offering, previously available primarily for large enterprises, to businesses of all sizes. This expansion includes Microsoft 365 Business Premium and Business Standard, with options for small businesses to purchase between one and 299 seats. The update removes the 300-seat purchase minimum for commercial plans and makes Copilot accessible for Office 365 E3 and E5 customers. Copilot for Microsoft 365 integrates AI capabilities across a user’s data environment, including emails, meetings, documents and web content. It offers features such as generating status updates from daily interactions and streamlining tasks in Microsoft Teams and other Microsoft applications. Microsoft Expands Copilot Access to SMBs While 2023 represented a down year for the endpoint and device market, a rebound could be on the horizon, argue executives at TD SYNNEX. In the coming year, we’re likely to see an emergence of AI PCs, where AI and ML capabilities are built directly into the processor for faster speeds and the smartest computing we’ve ever had available at the consumer level. The launch of AI PCs could represent the much-needed reboot that the device market needs, said TD SYNNEX in its recent 2024 tech predictions. “As we see AI at the desktop, that may open up more opportunities around AI devices, better networking and more innovation in mobility,” executive vice president of sales at TD SYNNEX. It could also open up monetization opportunities for the channel. “The introduction of AI is likely to accelerate the growth of hyperscaler services, the launch of AI PCs, and significantly increase service opportunities for partners in managed services, adoption and implementation,” said Sergio Farache, TD SYNNEX chief strategy officer. AI Could Bring Endpoint Device Market Rebound Partners offering AI/ML solutions have increased 625 percent in just one year, according to a new study from TD SYNNEX, from 4 percent in 2022 to 29 percent in 2023. Future plans to invest in AI/ML are also growing exponentially. In 2022, 14 percent of partners planned to offer AI/ML by 2025, with that number jumping to 34 percent in 2023. The growth is supported by findings on the demand side, as well. TD SYNNEX cited research from S&P Global Market Intelligence showing nearly 70 percent of responding large businesses have at least one AI project in production. However, 31 percent reported that those projects were still in pilot or proof-of-concept stage, and only 28 percent said they’ve reached enterprise scale with an AI project. The global survey gathered responses from more than 550 technology resellers, revealing that these businesses are recalibrating their priorities and services in response to the evolving landscape, said the report. “The business partner ecosystem is a bellwether for the global technology landscape,” said Rich Hume, CEO at TD SYNNEX. “It’s encouraging to see that our channel partners are demonstrating flexibility in their business models by focusing on emerging technologies and responding to changing customer demands.” Study Shows Surge in AI Interest Among Resellers Technology Solutions Resellers Plan to Offer Within 24 Months Security 46% Networking 46% Data analytics 35% AI/ML 34% Hybrid cloud 34% Servers and storage 34% Automation 33% Collaboration 29% Source: TD SYNNEX 28 THE CHANNEL MANAGER’S PLAYBOOK
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