CBA Consult

Microsoft Teams provides a versatile, feature-rich integration platform for enterprises to streamline workflows, digitize and automate processes, and connect and empower employees across departments and locations to strengthen strategic alignment, engagement and productivity. Read this Forrester Analytic Report for everything you need to know about cost savings and business benefits enabled by Teams as a unified platform for communication and collaboration. Download it today. Contact CBA with questions and comments. View: The Total Economic Impact of Microsoft Teams

Today, we are excited to announce a reimagined data governance experience within Microsoft Purview, available in preview April 8, 2024. Learn more. Read More...

The new era of generative AI development is here. And it's empowering developers to explore, build, test and deploy AI innovations at scale. Watch this informative video looking at the advantages of Azure AI Studio, the solution that helps your developers move projects from ideas to impact faster and more efficiently.

SecOps teams are facing a seismic shift as AI accelerates innovation and redefines security challenges. The eBook, "The Path to AI," outlines strategies to prepare your team for emerging threats, securing sensitive data, and navigating regulatory compliance in an AI-driven future. Download this essential guide and learn how Microsoft Security empowers organizations to adapt and thrive. Contact CBA to discuss how these insights can apply to your organization with one of our experts. View: The Path to AI

With the shift towards a modern workplace, Microsoft Surface devices are changing how Financial Services operate. They're designed to boost productivity through enhancing flexible work and AI experiences. For front-line branch workers like Bank Tellers and Mortgage Lenders, the lightweight and high-resolution Surface Go ensures top-tier customer service and communication. For wealth advisors, the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop provide powerful performance for financial software and AI, ensuring efficient remote work and secure client data. Investment analysts trust the Surface Laptop Studio, designed to handle sophisticated software and complex models while providing connectivity for collaboration. Executives and leaders turn to Surface laptops for computing power and versatile work modes, reflecting the premium brand image while keeping sensitive data protected. Lastly, Surface Hub devices enable effective team collaboration, offering premium meeting experiences and impressive pre...

With Azure AI, you have a convenient one-stop-shop for building generative AI applications and putting responsible AI into practice. Watch this useful video to learn the basics of building, evaluating and monitoring a safety system that meets your organization's unique requirements and leads you to AI success.

Customers around the world are already unlocking Microsoft Copilot to more value and learning the power of generative AI at work with Microsoft Teams. In this blog, you will discover exciting new Copilot in Teams enhancements that will supercharge collaboration, save time and make your company's hybrid meetings better. You'll also learn about MS's ongoing and future efforts to improve Teams performance, reliability and ease of use. Contact Copilot AI tech specialist CBA for assistance integrating AI-powered collaboration with Microsoft Teams into your organization. Read More...

As AI reshapes industries, security teams face complex risks from data leakage to malicious AI applications. The whitepaper, "Accelerate AI Transformation with Strong Security" details strategies for securing AI adoption. Find out how your organization can safeguard sensitive information while leveraging AI for innovation. Download this essential resource to learn how Microsoft Security provides the tools and guidance you need to navigate these challenges. Contact CBA for a personalized consultation. View: Accelerate AI transformation with strong security

Wondering how to get the most effective AI for your organization? You'll need a unique strategy to deploy and drive adoption. Check out this solution brief for the guidance you need to do AI the right way. Contact CBA for assistance rolling out your AI adoption with Copilot. View: What is the Right Way to AI?

'Microsoft Copilot for Security' White Paper, provides insightful data on enhancing cybersecurity operations. The paper reveals that using Copilot within Microsoft Defender XDR environments, professionals and novices alike can significantly improve in both speed and accuracy. Embracing Microsoft Copilot for Security's transformative ability can assist customers in adopting this advanced tool that not only saves time but also provides substantial improvements to the quality of security incident analysis and reporting. View: Microsoft Copilot for Security

Have you tried Microsoft Copilot for Security? If not, you need to watch this video which explains how Copilot can boost your security posture with features to help detect threats and vulnerabilities, provide analysis and insight, and even suggest "next steps" for security staff to take in a variety of situations. That helps elevate the expertise of your junior staff and gives senior professionals more time to focus on more advanced issues.

Week 1's focus is on "Leveling Up Customer Service with Microsoft Dynamics 365." Microsoft's latest blog post reveals an impressive 315% ROI for businesses that modernize their customer service using Dynamics 365 Customer Service. This comprehensive Forrester TEI study highlights the tangible benefits of upgrading service operations, including improved efficiency and customer satisfaction. Read the blog for valuable insights on the financial benefits of implementing Dynamics 365 Customer Service. If you're looking to achieve substantial returns on investment with a transformed customer service strategy, this blog is a must read. is ready to help you explore these benefits and integrate this powerful solution into your business operations. Contact us. Read More...

There's a strong need for a cloud solution capable of solving data fragmentation problems of the past and present. Find out why the Microsoft Intelligent Data Platform is the best answer in this informative blog pointing out how it can easily manage spikes in data, new workloads and the challenges of emerging technologies. Read More...

Recently, Microsoft conducted a study of more than 1,300 early Copilot adopters across multiple industries to discover what their early behaviors could teach them about the good and bad effects of adopting and rolling out AI. Read this blog post for an analysis of what "the 11-by-11 tipping point" means for your Copilot users in terms of improved productivity, work enjoyment, work-life balance and the ability to attend fewer meetings. Ready to adopt and roll out AI? Microsoft Copilot expert CBA can help get you started. Read More...

When leadership at Del Monte Foods Inc. saw that their existing cloud infrastructure was leading to higher maintenance costs, limited scalability and performance bottlenecks, the company turned to Microsoft Azure as a solution. Read this revealing customer story highlighting how Del Monte reduced infrastructure costs and increased system uptime with the help of Azure and the Microsoft Defender security stack. Read More...

By watching 'Microsoft Surface in Healthcare - Day in the Life', you'll learn how Microsoft Surface for Business devices can reshape the healthcare industry in favor of greater productivity and accelerate AI capabilities. The Surface Pro 10, for example, allows physicians to efficiently manage patient information and carry out their routine tasks seamlessly despite their hectic daily schedules. The working day commences with Windows Autopilot connecting the Surface Pro to Microsoft Intune for automatic downloading of hospital's physician profiles and compliance policies. With top-notch features such as the anti-reflective technology on the touchscreen, voice dictation using dual Studio Mics, and AI-enhanced video conferencing, physicians are set to rethink the obsolete healthcare management strategies. Watch this engaging video and contact us for more information on Surface devices for your healthcare providers.

How can organizations minimize infrastructure costs, automate workflows and deliver new or improved services to customers? With the Microsoft Intelligent Data Platform (MIDP), your organization can benefit from a unified approach that delivers a projected ROI of 95% to 232%. The Forrester Report, New Technology: The Projected Total Economic Impact™ of Microsoft Intelligent Data Platform highlights key findings. Download your complimentary copy of the report to review quantified projected benefits to productivity, efficiency, cost savings, uptime and income. Contact Microsoft partner, CBA, to discuss how we can support your migration to MIDP. View: New Technology: The Projected Total Economic Impact™ of Microsoft Intelligent Data Platform

Even when well along on the journey to digital transformation, many organizations are still unable to extract timely and accurate insights from their data. How do they get back on the right track? Read this eBook about how unified cloud analytics help IT teams uncover new insights and explore data in a scalable, secure and timely manner. View: Analytics Lessons Learned: How five companies increased data value with unified analytics solutions

When Belfius, a prominent Belgian bank, started using AI and Machine Learning in operations, they struggled to synergize results for monitoring potential illegal activity. What did they do? Read this insightful customer story showing how by using Azure Machine Learning, Azure Synapse Analytics and Azure Databricks Belfius improved development time, increased efficiency and gained reliability. Read More...

Yo! Copilot for Microsoft 365 is a highly capable, always-available, dot-connecting data chaser that empowers you to co-create, co-author, co-produce, co-analyze, co-visualize, and just work on. Check out the video for the down low. Copilot techspert CBA is ready to help you get started with Copilot for Microsoft 365.

Passwords are still the most commonly used method of authenticating end users, making them vulnerable to cyberthreats. That's why a robust incident response plan should include a process for doing a mass password reset, especially in the event of a ransomware or other major cyberattack. Unfortunately, password resets are rarely top-of-mind for SOCs dealing with a crippling attack. This article explains the processes and technologies involved in managing a mass password reset, with advice from Microsoft Incident Response. Read More...

While the jury is still out on how much AI tech will boost productivity and profitability, enterprise tech is all in on AI—with nearly half of the companies on the Enterprise Tech 30 list having origins rooted in generative AI. Read the article for details on why companies building AI's infrastructure, tooling and core model technologies are attracting the most venture capital attention and what that means for the future of enterprise tech. Read More...

Ready to plan a cloud migration but not sure where to begin? Reach out to CBA for help moving forward at your own pace.

Unlock the potential of generative AI to revolutionize your customer service with Microsoft Copilot in Dynamics 365 Customer Service. This quick-hitting infographic showcases the transformative impact of AI on support teams and highlights key Copilot capabilities. From swift answer retrieval to polished email composition and insightful analytics generation, Microsoft Copilot in Dynamics 365 Customer Service elevates team performance to new heights. Check out the inforgraphic and see up-close and in living color how AI streamlines operations, enhances decision-making, and redefines customer service excellence.Ready to harness generative AI for your support team? Let CBA guide you in leveraging this game-changing technology. Reach out today to explore the possibilities. View: Copilot in Dynamics 365 Customer Service

There are a lot of good reasons to migrate your VMware workloads from your datacenter to Azure with Azure VMware Solution (AVS). Get this infographic to see the top 5 reasons we think AVS is the optimal route to the cloud, and get in touch with CBA to see how we can help. View: Top 5 reasons to migrate to Azure VMware Solution

This datasheet offers a quick overview of the features and capabilities of the Microsoft Entra Suite, including Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft Entra Permissions Management, Microsoft Entra Private Access and more. Download your Entra overview and learn how you can improve security while enhancing your end users' experience. View: Microsoft Entra

Microsoft's AI-ready Surface devices are set to transform the way students, faculty, and staff experience education. Designed with versatility, these devices enhance productivity and provide robust data protection, delivering security from the chip level upward. The integration of Windows 11 and Microsoft 365 further enables a seamless digital learning experience. Surface devices also offer powerful AI capabilities, supporting clear communication and improved collaboration. With cloud management features, Surface devices ensure a smooth transition to remote learning, providing the flexibility to work from anywhere. From the Surface Pro for Business with its high-quality speakers and cameras that facilitate interactive learning, to the Surface Laptop Go 3 for Business providing robust performance in a travel-friendly design, multifunctional devices cater to diverse educational needs. Factor in the Surface Hub 3 for Business, a device specifically designed to enhance team collaborati...

Processing mathematical models of data to help a computer learn without direct instruction is how machine learning (ML) is defined. However, as you probably know already, there's so much more to ML. See this instructive website by Microsoft Azure explaining how ML works to solve problems, how it's used in modern industry and how ML learning algorithms are developed. Read More...

The intensity of work and always-on communications are outpacing the ability of businesses like yours to keep up. Working faster and smarter has become more challenging than ever. Read this infographic for a visualized account of how AI can overcome obstacles to productivity and create a whole new way of working. Contact CBA for help navigating the complex challenges of integrating AI into your organization. View: Will AI Fix Work?

The future lies at the dynamic intersection of data analytics and AI. The whopping $42.5 billion investment in AI startups is elevating data science to new heights, empowering decisionmakers to derive critical insights from the escalating volume of data. Check out this article. Read More...

Cloud computing powers services from transportation and healthcare to streaming services. With nearly 3 in 4 companies going over their estimated cloud budgets, cloud overspend is a serious problem that undermines the cloud's many transformative benefits. Keeping cloud costs in check requires a mix of human and tech solutions outlined in this compelling article. Read More...

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon sparked debate on the future of work in New Zealand this week when he ordered public service employees back to the office. Read More...

Searching for the best identity threat detection and response (ITDR) service? We're pleased to share the news that Microsoft has been recognized as an overall leader in the Kuppinger Cole Leadership Compass Identity Threat Detection and Response: IAM Meets the SOC. This report looks at Microsoft's strengths in a range of areas, from identity posture to remediation. Read More...

Read this latest (March 2024) Microsoft-commissioned Forrester TEI report based on the responses of five interviewees that were combined into a single composite organization that generates revenue of $1 billion per year and has 500 full-time support agents. In it you will discover the cost savings and business benefits enabled by Dynamics 365 Customer Service, most notably a 315 ROI, 40% increase in agent productivity, 20% faster first call response time and $1.13 million in new profitability. Dynamics 365 Customer Service can help your service organization unlock trusted knowledge to accelerate on-boarding and case resolution, improve efficiency, and automate tasks for agents in their flow of work. Reach out to to put the power of MS Dynamics 365 Customer Service to work in your organization. View: The Total Economic Impact ™ of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service

This new Surface and Windows 11 Inking in Education datasheet presents innovative ways to reshape the concept of classroom teaching. Windows 11 digital inking in Education on Microsoft Surface devices, is an efficient tool that can save teachers time while promoting significant learning outcomes. Digital ink as more than an information input method; it helps learners and educators to rethink their expression patterns and idea sharing practices. Apart from helping students with complex concepts, digital inking also allows teachers more control over lessons and grading. Coupled with Windows 11, Surface devices offer engaging learning tools and options like 10-point multi-touch, palm rejection, Ink Anywhere, haptic feedback, and zero-force inking, which redefine the teaching and learning experiences. The Surface Slim Pen and Microsoft Classroom Pen play crucial roles in empowering this transformation, offering accuracy, an intuitive design, and easy deployment. Contact us today to get you...

In today's rapidly changing tech environment, being recognized by an organization as prestigious as Gartner® calls for a celebration. Read this inspiring blog about how Microsoft was named a Leader in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Strategic Cloud Platform Services. The report showed that Microsoft had gone furthest in Completeness of Vision. Read More...

Collaboration tools are critical business enablers, but many organizations, yours may be among them, now find themselves with multiple duplicative internal solutions, resulting in both money and work fragmentation. Read this Forrester report for a detailed cost-benefit analysis of Microsoft Teams' efforts to engage and empower employees across a broad array of hybrid workplace environments and the potential return on investment (ROI) your enterprise may realize by deploying Teams as a platform. Contact CBA for assistance getting started with Microsoft Teams. View: The Total Economic Impact of Microsoft Teams

Unearth a window into the world of advanced education enabled through Microsoft Surface Laptop 6. Discover how technology can reshape professors' experiences, like our example, Dr. Mansour, a computer science professor accelerating her research through the state-of-the-art Surface Laptop 6. With benefits including secure login, lightweight and durable design, and seamless integration into her class and office setups, Dr. Mansour manages her schedules and meetings with ease. Use AI tools like Microsoft Copilot & Teams to nail down collaborations, discussions, and summaries. Enjoy visual clarity, excellent battery life, increased security, and ergonomic typing with Surface Laptop. Witness how educators can manage work and research effortlessly on the go while keeping their work secure. Take your education experience ahead with Microsoft Surface. Discover more about Microsoft Surface for Education. Contact us today to get the newest Surface devices for education.

What happens when a worldwide leader in insurance finds that its technology infrastructure is slowing down and preventing future innovation? Find out in this perceptive customer story about how Canopius migrated from dual data centers to the more agile, cost-effective environment of Microsoft Azure. Read More...

When Microsoft learned that the oldest digital library and leading distributor of free eBooks wanted to make its collection more accessible to a broader community of members, including the visually impaired, and those without access to traditional libraries, they donated their generative AI driven solutions, enabling Project Gutenberg to create nearly 5,000 new audio books in record time. Ready to open a bright new chapter in your company's transformation to the Cloud? Azure AI techspert CBA can help you get started. Read More...

Watch this brief demo video to see how Microsoft's Copilot in Teams helps you run more effective meetings, get up to speed on the conversation, organize key discussion points, and summarize key actions so that the entire group knows what to do next. Ready to take the work out of working together. Contact CBA

Measuring successful service engagement solely on customer issue resolution is no longer good enough. Today, it's a business imperative to deliver personalized, fast service experiences at every touch point and through every engagement channel. The most effective way to achieve this is to build long-term customer loyalty and transform operations with modern, AI-enhanced capabilities across all service processes and interactions. Microsoft is continuously enhancing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer service to empower customers to differentiate service organizations, and Forrester Research has noticed and designated Microsoft a Leader in "The Forrester Wave™: Customer Service Solutions, Q1 2024." This blog post highlights the significance of this distinction. Read the blog post and contact us to learn how CBA can help you differentiate your organization's service operations with AI. Read More...

Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), a major university in Spain, needed to replace its on-site Active Directory Federation Services with a cloud-based authentication service to protect it from power outages at the university. In this case study, you'll learn why ULPGC decided to adopt Microsoft Entra ID for identity-based and risk-based adaptive access policies. Read More...

The 2024 New Jersey Big Data Alliance Symposium, held last spring at Rutgers-New Brunswick, focused on the impacts of AI on society and higher education. Key takeaways include AI's amazing ability to automate tedious manual tasks (e.g., transcribing handwritten historical documents into text), streamlining the admissions process and significantly improving the feedback loop. Read More...

Within three years, many organizations will be running most applications on public clouds, new CDW research finds. Read More...

Investors will be scrutinizing the AI spending levels of tech titans like Microsoft when they report earnings this week. Read More...