Microsoft Copilot is an AI-powered assistant built into Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) apps such as Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and PowerPoint. Copilot uses advanced AI (including OpenAI’s GPT models) to help you draft emails, summarize meetings, analyze spreadsheets, create presentations, and automate repetitive work—all within the familiar Microsoft environment. For Canadian finance professionals, Copilot brings secure, privacy-compliant AI to your daily workflows.
1. What is Microsoft Copilot?
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Microsoft Copilot is an artificial intelligence assistant integrated with Microsoft 365 cloud apps.
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It uses generative AI to help users write, analyze, summarize, and automate content directly in Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Teams.
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Copilot can access your organization’s documents, emails, and calendar (with permissions), making it a true “work assistant.”
2. Key Features
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Drafting and summarizing: Write emails, letters, and proposals, or summarize long threads and documents in Outlook and Word.
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Spreadsheet automation: Analyze Excel data, build charts, create financial models, and generate formulas or insights with simple instructions (“Show last quarter’s sales by product”).
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Meeting summaries: Get real-time notes and action items from Teams meetings—even if you join late.
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Presentation support: Turn outlines or bullet points into full PowerPoint presentations, including suggested images and layouts.
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Research and Q&A: Ask Copilot questions about your organization’s files or the web (depending on your privacy settings).
3. Privacy & Security
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Built on Microsoft’s enterprise-grade security and compliance frameworks.
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Your data stays within your Microsoft 365 environment and is not used to train public AI models.
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Meets Canadian privacy standards and integrates with your organization’s compliance controls.
4. How Can Canadian Finance Professionals Use It?
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Draft management reports, client memos, and board decks quickly in Word or PowerPoint.
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Summarize meeting notes and emails, or extract action items automatically.
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Analyze accounting data in Excel—ask Copilot to generate insights, charts, or forecasts.
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Automate repetitive finance or admin tasks (e.g., follow-up reminders, calendar scheduling).
5. How To Access Microsoft Copilot
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Included with Microsoft 365: Many business and enterprise Microsoft 365 subscriptions now include Copilot, or you can purchase Copilot Pro for additional features.
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How to use: Look for the Copilot icon in Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, or Teams. Type a prompt (e.g., “Summarize these emails” or “Build a budget template”) to get started.
Pro Tip
Experiment with prompts: Try “Summarize these 5 emails into a client update” or “Create a chart comparing Q1 and Q2 expenses.” The more specific you are, the better Copilot’s results.
Still Have Questions?
Ask your Savvy-CFO advisor about deploying Copilot in your firm, security best practices, or training your team to get the most out of AI in Microsoft 365.