Microsoft is transforming its IT operations for the AI era

Microsoft is digitally transforming its internal IT organization, Microsoft Digital, as it enables the company to move into the new artificial intelligence (AI) era.

Microsoft has grown into a company with almost a quarter of a million global employees, all of whom rely on Microsoft Digital to provide the tools, technologies and solutions they need. Microsoft Digital is the team that powers, protects and transforms the digital employee experience across all devices, applications and hybrid infrastructure at the company.

Using its knowledge and experience in enterprise IT, Microsoft Digital is pivoting to help lead the company’s AI transformation. 

AI is the “latest chapter” in Microsoft’s digital transformation

The latest chapter in the history of Microsoft’s digital transformation is defined by the integration of AI into all its operations, according to a new blog on its website. AI is revolutionizing how Microsoft approaches IT and business processes, driving efficiency and innovation across the board.

In the last several years, Microsoft has demonstrated a commitment to rethinking all dimensions of IT. From the apps, workflows and services that power its employee experience to the network, infrastructure and devices that enable employee productivity, AI-focused investments provide a solid foundation for new innovations.

“The potential for transformation through AI is nearly limitless,” said Nathalie D’Hers, corporate VP of Microsoft Digital. “We’re evaluating every service in our portfolio to consider how AI can improve outcomes, lower costs and create a sustained competitive advantage for Microsoft and for our customers.”

Securing Microsoft’s future

Security is Microsoft Digital’s highest priority and this is no different when it comes to AI. The Secure Future Initiative, spearheaded by CEO Satya Nadella, brings together all parts of Microsoft to ensure the highest level of cyber security protection across the company and its products.

The Secure Future Initiative is built on three core principles: secure by design, secure by default and secure operations. Microsoft Digital works to fulfil these across all systems and is focusing on using AI to infuse data-driven intelligence into every part of infrastructure and network operations. This aims to enable the company to optimize operations and increase security while simultaneously improving outcomes.

Examples include:

• Network observability and governance: Ensuring data accuracy, eliminating non-compliant hardware and software real-time updates.
• Securing endpoints: Device management, asset management and patching.
• Zero Trust networking: Isolating device classes and limiting attacker’s movements across the network.

It is also investing in a range of new AI-powered device capabilities to manage a vast network of more than one million interconnected employee devices. These include AI-powered predictive maintenance and intelligent troubleshooting, advanced insights and data-driven device administration and device security and vulnerability management.

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Maintaining service fundamentals

The second of Microsoft Digital’s key priorities is to maintain the highest standards of service fundamentals. These enable Microsoft to maintain innovation, agility and resilience in a fast-changing and competitive environment. Microsoft Digital views AI as the key to unlocking the full potential of its employees, delivering personalized experiences that empower them work smarter, faster and happier.

Microsoft Digital seeks to deliver a unified, connected and personalized experience where users can access employee data, tools and insights from one place. Microsoft 365 Copilot, which functions as a “UI for AI” across employee services and tools, is a prime example. Employee Self-Service Agent is an AI-driven tool that helps employees more efficiently find context-specific answers to their questions using natural-language queries.

It is also using generative AI to transform how employees interact with support services. IT issues will be either auto-remediated or resolved remotely and instantly through conversational, personalized and contextualized solutions, often without agent intervention. This will be accomplished through user experience – self-help will use Copilot for Helpdesk to provide personalized, accurate and cost-effective issue resolution – and agent experience – operational efficiency and automation powered by Copilot for Service will be integrated into the Service Operations Workspace.

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Supporting corporate functions growth

Microsoft Digital’s third main priority is supporting Microsoft’s corporate functions. This is a major challenge because, with teams required to do more with less, Microsoft can no longer afford to grow operational costs at the same rate as in the past.

AI will therefore play a fundamental role in transforming the business workflows of corporate functions partners while improving operational efficiency, user productivity, regulatory and corporate compliance and data-driven decision making. AI will revolutionize operations by automating repetitive and time-consuming operational tasks.

“With AI, we have so many new ways to innovate,” said Patrice Pelland, a partner engineering manager for Microsoft Digital. “From saving valuable time for our legal professionals, to optimizing building occupancy, to helping our HR professionals support employees in the hybrid workplace, we have incredible potential to make our corporate functions more efficient and impactful.”

Microsoft’s digital transformation is a story of evolutionary change, resilience and adaptation across multiple eras of information technology. “We’ve been through many eras of IT at Microsoft I’m so excited to lead Microsoft Digital during this era of AI,” said D’Hers. “The future of IT has never been so exciting!”

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