Level Up M365

AI Generated Transcript

[00:00:03] Welcome to Episode 21 The episode focuses on Microsoft Copilot Notebooks explaining how they can create a second brain for individuals and organizations It covers M365 updates knowledge retention and automation scenarios for IT teams

[00:01:32] Personal Update Moving into Endpoint Management The host discusses a professional shift from SharePoint and Power Platform toward endpoint device management aiming to understand how it complements the broader M365 ecosystem

[00:03:30] Message Center Radar A brief overview of the months key Microsoft 365 updates

[00:04:01] Microsoft Whiteboard Legacy Retirement Legacy Microsoft Whiteboards are being retired Organizations must migrate content to avoid loss offering improved governance in the process

[00:05:09] Scheduled Prompts in Copilot Agent Builder A new feature allows scheduled prompts for Copilot Agents This enables automatic recurring updates on topics like service health or news reducing the need for manual queries

[00:05:46] Windows 11 Lifecycle Reminder A reminder for enterprises to review upgrade plans for older Windows 11 releases to meet upcoming support deadlines referencing the

August 2026 M365 roadmap link to show notes below.

[00:07:25] Main Topic Creating a Second Brain with Copilot NotebooksDefinition A Copilot Notebook is a curated collection of sources files documents that Copilot references to answer questions acting as a focused knowledge domainKnowledge Preservation It allows organizations to capture the expertise of tenured employees in documents emails etc into a searchable repository preserving institutional knowledge even after they retire or change rolesHelp Desk Optimization Tier 1 technicians can query the notebook to resolve issues faster reducing interruptions to senior engineersAutomation Integration The episode suggests integrating Notebooks with Power Automate to monitor service health notifications automatically filtering and routing relevant updates to ticketing systems to improve problem management records

[00:13:01] Practical Considerations and LimitationsGarbage In Garbage Out The quality of Copilots answers depends entirely on the quality and organization of the source materialKeep Knowledge Fresh Notebooks require ongoing maintenance a stale knowledge base becomes a liabilitySource Restrictions Currently notebooks work best with files and documents SharePoint Lists are not directly supported requiring a workaround such as exporting lists to files to be included

[00:15:38] Tip of the Week AI Is the Feature Not the Product A caution against buying solutions that market AI as the primary product AI should be viewed as a tool that enables specific outcomes not the value itself link on show notes. [00:16:55] Final Thoughts on Apples MacBook Neo Commentary on the rumored MacBook Neo suggesting it is designed to extend Apples ecosystem for specific users rather than directly competing with traditional PCs[00:18:14] Closing Thoughts Reiteration that Copilot Notebooks are a practical use case for preserving knowledge and improving productivity.

Show notes:

• https://levelupm365.com/2026/08/03/podcast-21-create-a-second-brain-with-copilot-notebooks/

Follow :

• Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/level-up-m365/id1718776415
• Spotify – https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/levelupm365/
• Newsletter/Socials – https://levelupm365.com/subscribe-social-page/

AI Generated Timestamps

Episode 20 – Timeline00:03 — Opening Thesis

• Core statement: “Governance should come after innovation.”

• Sets the theme: guardrails slow creativity.

• Host introduces the episode: “Hi all, welcome to another fireside chat.”

• Notes this is Episode 20 and the second consecutive release.

• Mentions the previous episode about building an app and optimizing for time to business value.

• Encourages listeners to check the prior episode but clarifies it’s not required.

• Focus: When to implement mechanisms and guardrails.

• Emphasizes high‑level thinking and trade-offs:“There’s not a perfect solution, only trade-offs.”

• Argues that early solution-building should avoid heavy governance.

• Introduces Rust as a metaphor for guardrails.

• Rust prevents memory errors but can slow innovation.

• C and C-like languages powered systems for decades.

• Mentions iPhone hacks caused by memory leakage that Rust mitigates.

00:07 — Welcome & Context

00:14 — Serendipitous Timing

00:33–00:43 — Connection to Previous Episode

00:43–01:09 — Purpose of This Chat

01:09–01:27 — Guardrails Can Hinder Early Creation

01:27–02:23 — Rust vs. C Example

Link to show notes

• ⁠https://levelupm365.com/2026/04/06/podcast-19-fireside-chat-mitigate-risk-with-software-development

Timestamps:

00:03 — Welcome & Episode Setup

00:12 — Episode Theme: Mitigating Software Development Risk

00:20 — A Break from the Usual M365 Focus00:25–00:39 — What a Fireside Chat Means

00:39–00:50 — How This Relates to M365Core Philosophy

00:53–01:26 — Joe’s Background & Context

01:26–01:53 — The One‑Sentence Philosophy

02:05–02:32 — Why Speed Matters

02:32–03:29 — Why SharePoint & Power Apps Fit This Model

03:29–03:49 — Good Enough vs. Perfect

03:49–04:29 — The Cost of Slow Development

04:29–04:40 — The Origin of “Fail Fast”Pitfalls & Cautions

04:53–05:42 — Pitfall 1: Governance Gaps

05:42–06:10 — Pitfall 2: Prototype Stagnation

06:10–06:32 — Product Ownership Matters

06:32–07:15 — Show Progress Early & HonestlyAdditional Insights

07:15–07:37 — Honest Ugly Demos vs. Fake Pretty Demos

07:37–07:55 — Invitation for FeedbackTechnical Analogy

08:00–09:22 — WebAssembly as a Cautionary TaleClosing

09:33–09:46 — Wrap‑Up & Call to Action

Link to show notes

• https://levelupm365.com/2026/04/06/podcast-19-fireside-chat-mitigate-risk-with-software-development

Timestamps

00:03–00:12 — Show Introduction

00:12–00:52 — Preamble + What’s New

00:52–03:17 — Personal Update (Dominican Republic Trip)

03:17–04:01 — YouTube Channel Update

04:01–10:00 — Message Center Updates (“Message Radar”) MC1235123 — OneNote for iOS Local Backups

(04:01–06:42) MC1193421 — Planner Features Being Retired

(06:42–07:55) MC1234661 — DLP Blocking Copilot Processing

(07:55–10:00) 10:00–14:00 — Main Topic: Planner vs Project for the Web Planner Standard Planner Premium Recommendation

14:00–18:00 — Project Management Concepts + Gantt Discussion

18:00–21:32 — Planner Changes Summary

21:32–23:20 — Tip of the Week #1: Copilot Bug (Drafts/Sent Items)

23:20–23:55 — Tip of the Week #2: Copilot Chat Conversations

23:55–24:30 — Closing

Link to show notes

• ⁠https://levelupm365.com/2026/02/26/podcast-18-project-for-the-web-retirement-and-project-management-options-in-m365/

Timestamps

00:04–00:27 — Intro

• Welcome, episode overview, quick note about being under the weather.

00:27–01:24 — Sponsor & Support

• Self‑funded show; encourages ratings, shares, and coffee donations.

01:24–04:58 — Preamble / Personal Updates

• Deepening work in software development, extending SharePoint/Power Apps, and using YouTube as a repository for demos.

05:04–09:22 — Message Center Radar

• MC11820: Teams chat with any email — potential security concern.
• MC1138798: SharePoint workflows modernized via Power Automate (Feb–Mar 2026).
• MC792601: Retirement of domain‑isolated SPFx web parts (April 2026).

09:27–15:23 — Main Topic: Gantt Chart Options in M365

• Buy it: Planner Premium (Project for the Web).
• Out‑of‑the‑box: SharePoint list Gantt view (legacy but free).
• Build it: Custom Power Apps Gantt chart Joe created.

15:50–18:31 — Tip of the Week #1: Azure B2B Access Packages

• Time‑bound external access to reduce security risk; restrict access to specific Teams/Sites.

18:31–22:12 — Tip of the Week #2: OneDrive Shortcuts

• Syncing folders locally improves Windows search; recommended for active projects.

22:12–End — Closing

• Subscribe, visit levelupm365.com, and thanks to listeners.

Link to show notes

• https://levelupm365.com/2026/02/26/podcast-18-project-for-the-web-retirement-and-project-management-options-in-m365

Full Write up - https://levelupm365.com/2025/10/13/episode-16-from-generic-to-genius-personalized-ai-with-copilot-memory/ 

Show Notes and Timestamps 

00:00 – Intro 

• Joe Cole introduces the episode and its focus on Microsoft 365 and Copilot. 

00:44 – Episode Overview 

• Topics: Teams calendar updates, quantifying AI value, and Copilot memory deep dive. 

01:21 – Sponsor Segment 

• Joe self-sponsors the show and shares ways listeners can support (engagement, tip jar). 

02:10 – Preamble 

• Joe’s recent work: prepping sensitive environments for AI, cleaning data estates, and shifting focus from Copilot Notebooks to Copilot Memory. 

04:05 – Message Center Radar 

• 04:16 – Teams Calendar Update (MC1129730): Outlook web calendar replaces Teams calendar toggle.  https://admin.microsoft.com/?ref=MessageCenter/:/messages/MC1129730 

• 05:40 – Power Automate Savings Tool (MC1160319): New feature to quantify time/money saved by automations.  https://admin.microsoft.com/?ref=MessageCenter/:/messages/MC1160319 

• 07:23 – Copilot Memory Update (MC58329): Improved memory settings and personalization controls.  https://admin.microsoft.com/?ref=MessageCenter/:/messages/MC1158329 

07:58 – Deep Dive: Copilot Memory 

• 08:11 – What is Copilot Memory?: Using Copilot to retain context and boost productivity. 

• 09:33 – Feature Comparison: 

• Copilot Conversations: Short-term, real-time chats. 

• Copilot Pages: Long-form writing (blogs, proposals). 

• Copilot Notebooks: Developer-focused (code, data analysis). 

• Copilot Memory: Stores personal info for contextual responses. 

• Full Write up:  https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sorry-conversation-has-reached-its-limit-lets-start-new-joe-cole-uav9e/?trackingId=o3xbOwwXAs%2B%2BkDYefJdjkQ%3D%3D 

15:08 – Workflow Tips 

• Export chats to Word docs and store in SharePoint for future reference. 

• Use SharePoint agents to tap into stored knowledge. 

17:05 – Future Ideas 

• Building a knowledge base with SharePoint and Copilot agents for deeper AI integration. 

18:52 – Tip of the Week 

• 19:01 – Quote from Paul Thurrott: “AI is not making us dumber”—it’s saving time by parsing the web. 

• 21:14 – Microsoft Lists Updates From João Ferreira –  https://lists.handsontek.net/microsoft-lists-updates-2025-deprecations-new-features/ 

• Mobile app retiring in November. 

• Power BI quick integration retiring in December. 

• SPFX field customizers likely deprecated. 

• Browser policy changes. 

• Copilot + Lists integration: Lists now usable as Copilot knowledge sources. 

25:44 – Final Thoughts 

• SharePoint rules and approval mechanisms are evolving. 

• Teaser for future write-up on SharePoint list automation. 

26:18 – Outro 

• Subscribe and visit https://levelupin365.com for visuals and links. 

Follow 

• Apple Podcasts –  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/level-up-m365/id1718776415 

• Spotify –  https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/levelupm365/ 

• Newsletter/Socials –  https://levelupm365.com/subscribe-social-page/ 

If this post was helpful support the effort by ether of the following, share, like, subscribe, leave a tip! 

For all the links see full post here - https://levelupm365.com/2025/07/17/podcast-15-what-the-heck-are-copilot-pages/

Timestamps (Generated by AI)

00:02 – Welcome & Introduction 

02:25 – Message Center Radar Joe highlights three Microsoft 365 announcements from the Message Center:

• MC1085569: Teams recording policy update — recordings now default to the meeting organizer’s OneDrive, streamlining record management.
• MC1060780: Copilot Chat now visible for unlicensed users across Office web apps.
• MC1041457: New usage report for Copilot Chat showing active users across Teams, Outlook, and Copilot.cloud.microsoft..

06:36 – Feature Deep Dive: Copilot Pages Joe explores Copilot Pages and their architecture. Key takeaways:

• A Copilot Page is technically a Loop Page, powered by the Microsoft Loop app.
• Pages begin as Copilot chats and become editable documents via the “Edit in Pages” button.
• These are stored as .loop files on OneDrive, inheriting full M365 governance like retention, sensitivity labels, and lifecycle policies.
• Under the hood, each page lives in a SharePoint Embedded container, which is essentially a lightweight SharePoint site.
• Admins can view, manage, and restore these containers, with reassignment workflows coming soon — crucial for maintaining ownership after users leave.

18:17 – Tip of the Week: Folder Ownership Mapping with Power Automate Joe shares a clever solution for a messy SharePoint migration:

• Users didn’t know who owned what folder.
• He built a Power Automate flow to get file properties, track editors, deduplicate with a union expression, and email requesters with appropriate contacts.
• He also used the item() expression to loop through results and automate notifications.

Thing of the week links

• Power Automate Item() Expression video example - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC86gF_774I

• Bulb Digital Episode - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/josephbcole_m365-is-changing-heres-what-it-means-for-activity-7349507471398322176-5wZX?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAVnRisBMH96yvZL0kLlMFU2BE0wcYGEj_Y

Follow

• Apple Podcasts – ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/level-up-m365/id1718776415⁠

• Spotify – ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/levelupm365/⁠

• Newsletter/Socials – ⁠https://levelupm365.com/subscribe-social-page/

Timestamps (Generated by AI)

[0:00:00 - 0:03:06] Introduction

[0:03:06 - 0:07:03] Microsoft 365 News

[0:07:03 - 0:09:18] Co-Pilot Chat Features

[0:09:18 - 0:11:49] Practical Uses of Co-Pilot Chat, Tip of the Day

Links

• Full Write up - https://levelupm365.com/2025/05/26/podcast-14-exploring-copilot-chat-features-and-benefits-plus-all-the-retirements-coming-up/
• Hardcore Software: Inside the Rise and Fall of the PC Revolution by Steven Sinofsky (affiliate link) https://amzn.to/43xSToa. 

• Retirement of classic Teams – Classic Teams will reach end of support on July 1, 2024, and end of availability on July 1, 2025
• Retirements of SharePoint Alerts – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sharepoint-alert-retirement-take-action-now-avoid-business-joe-cole-9oaff/?trackingId=mX8ptsIUPvj8m3BRFHNZvA%3D%3D
• Changes to Microsoft Project for the web (retirement of the location not the app) – https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/plannerblog/transitioning-to-microsoft-planner-and-retiring-microsoft-project-for-the-web/4410149
• CoPilot chat URL - Go to https://copilot.microsoft.com

Follow

• Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/level-up-m365/id1718776415
• Spotify – https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/levelupm365/
• Newsletter/Socials – https://levelupm365.com/subscribe-social-page/

Microsoft Build 2025 introduced over 50 announcements aimed at accelerating AI-driven development. Highlights include:

• Microsoft 365 Copilot Tuning: Enterprises can train Copilot with internal knowledge for domain-specific tasks.
• Advanced AI Agents: Microsoft 365 and Teams now support multi-agent workflows, enabling smarter collaboration.
• Azure AI Foundry Updates: New AI models, including Grok 3 and Sora, are available, along with multi-agent orchestration for enterprise applications.
• Copilot Studio Enhancements: Developers can now create task-specific AI agents with expanded customization options.
• Security & Compliance: Microsoft Purview now provides enterprise-grade security controls for AI applications.
• Edge Innovations: New AI-powered tools, including PDF translation, on-device AI APIs, and agent-powered web apps.
• Windows AI Foundry: A unified local AI platform for Windows, supporting on-device model deployment.
• Developer Productivity: Enhancements to GitHub Copilot, Power Automate, and new AI-powered development tools.
• Quantum Security Measures: Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) integration for Windows and Linux to future-proof encryption.

Reference

• Book of News from Microsoft https://news.microsoft.com/build-2025-book-of-news/
• Text Write up - https://levelupm365.com/2025/05/19/microsoft-build-2025-thoughts/

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AI Summary

• Chatbots are reactive; they respond when prompted (e.g., retrieving a calendar event when asked).
• Agentic AI (Autonomous Bots) take proactive actions based on predefined conditions (e.g., monitoring tasks for inactivity and flagging overdue ones).Use Case Example: In software development, an agentic bot could take requirements from a structured document, set up databases, create UI forms, and generate Power BI dashboards—automating much of the early development work.
• Differentiation: Autonomous bots are typically specialized in a narrow task, while chatbots are broader in scope but less in-depth. IE. Password reset, queries on HR policies, onboarding FAQ, etc.

Links

• Microsoft Blog autonomous agents - https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2024/10/21/new-autonomous-agents-scale-your-team-like-never-before/
• Copilot Chat Bot - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot/copilot-101/what-is-a-chatbot
• checkout my Copilot AI category for my details - https://levelupm365.com/category/microsoft/copilot/
• AI Generated Transcription - https://levelupm365.com/portfolio/podcast-12-fireside-chat-autonomous-agentic-agents-vs-generative-ai-chat-bot-ai-transcripts/

If this was helpful consider following the show and view the website for more resources - https://levelupm365.com/