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Ben L

@ctrlaltben.com
122 followers 108 following 83 posts

Copilot Fiddler | Microsoft 365 Enthusiast & MVP | Teams Veteran | Speaker & Author

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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 13h
Microsoft is changing how its Learn docs work, removing repositories used for documentation history and feedback. techcommunity.microsoft.com...
techcommunity.microsoft.com
Changes to Microsoft Learn’s public documentation repositories | Microsoft Community Hub
Microsoft Learn is changing how it manages public documentation repositories. Learn what the changes mean for GitHub contributors and where to continue...
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 19h
FYI, if you or your customers have had Office deactivating or disappearing, this might be the reason. www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/micro…
bleepingcomputer.com
Microsoft pauses KB5002907 update after Office license deactivations
Microsoft has paused the rollout of the KB5002907 Microsoft 365 update after users report that it deactivated, or in some cases completely removed, perpetual Office 2016 and Office 2019 installations.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 29/09/2026
Pricing model: techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microso... USL and UBB on Learn: learn.microsoft.com/microsoft-36... Managed Runtime admin doc: learn.microsoft.com/microsoft-36... #M365 #Copilot #Cowork #Licensing
blogs.microsoft.com
Introducing the new Copilot with Home, Code and Autopilot - The Official Microsoft Blog
We’re reimagining Microsoft Copilot to enable work as it evolves and to help expand what every individual and every organization can accomplish in the flow of human ambition. Today we’re introducing…
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 29/09/2026
Nobody's leavers process was written for it. Sources- Official blog: blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2026/09...
blogs.microsoft.com
Introducing the new Copilot with Home, Code and Autopilot - The Official Microsoft Blog
We’re reimagining Microsoft Copilot to enable work as it evolves and to help expand what every individual and every organization can accomplish in the flow of human ambition. Today we’re introducing…
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 29/09/2026
Food for thought 🤔 🔹 Copilot deciding when you pay extra is convenient right up until the invoice. Who set the router's budget? 🔹 "Start on credits, move into the licence later" is now written down. Early adopters fund the bundle. 🔹 An agent with its own identity is a new kind of account.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 29/09/2026
This is the enterprise story. The Copilot Business default-on change is a separate one, I posted on that last week. I'll be unpicking each of these properly over the next few weeks, starting with a map of what Copilot actually is now.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 29/09/2026
🔹 Code looks like App Builder reframed: dashboards and small line of business apps. Building them costs credits, and running them will too. 🔹 Scout is now Autopilot. Cloud-hosted, its own identity, its own memory, consumption based. Less "my Copilot got a memory", more "I've hired a colleague".
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 29/09/2026
The switch you used to flick was the thing that started the bill. 🔹 If your spending policy has "auto-apply new services" on (it's the default), every new metered thing Microsoft ships lands in it without anyone touching the policy.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 29/09/2026
🔹 Chat and Cowork are merging, and Copilot will decide which one runs your request. Chat is in the seat, Cowork is on the meter.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 29/09/2026
🔹 Two terms to learn. USL is the user subscription licence, the M365 Copilot seat and everything in it. UBB is usage-based billing, credits and pay-as-you-go. Microsoft have now written that split down as the model, so it isn't going away.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 29/09/2026
So Microsoft put out three posts on Friday about the future of Copilot, tucked in at the end of the quarter. Everyone has done the headlines. This is three minutes on the bits underneath them. youtube.com/shorts/XYiCP...
youtube.com
So Microsoft put out three posts on Friday about the future of Copilot, tucked in at the end of the
So Microsoft put out three posts on Friday about the future of Copilot, tucked in at the end of the quarter. Everyone has done the headlines. This is three minutes on the bits underneath them. 🔹…
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 09/04/2026
7/ Sources: portal.changepilot.cloud/MC1269219 learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot/copilot-flex-routing
portal.changepilot.cloud
ChangePilot
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 09/04/2026
6/ What to do: 🔹 Find the flex routing MC post in your tenant's Message Center 🔹 Admin Center > Copilot > Settings > Flexible inferencing during peak load periods 🔹 PPAC has a separate toggle for Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Copilot Studio 🔹 Not visible if you've bought Multi-Geo
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 09/04/2026
5/ Data at rest still stays in the boundary. Data is encrypted in transit. But if flex routing is on, prompts and responses may traverse to the US/Canada/Australia during peak load.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 09/04/2026
4/ Context: When Copilot joined the EU Data Boundary commitment in March 2024, the message was "EU traffic stays within the EU Data Boundary." Flex routing is the release valve, it lets MS satisfy demand from datacenter regions around the world as needed.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 09/04/2026
3/ The default state is per-tenant: 🔹 New tenants (post-25 March 2026): on by default 🔹 Existing tenants: individual MC posts communicate your tenant's default Mine (MC1269219) shows off by default, live from 17 April 2026. Yours could differ.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 09/04/2026
2/ Microsoft is introducing "flex routing", a setting that lets EU/EFTA tenants use Copilot LLMs outside of their sovereign data boundary (i.e. in USA, Canada etc.) when they are having peak demand issues.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 09/04/2026
🧵 1/ Flex routing goes live today for EU/EFTA Copilot tenants. Check MC to validate your default. Your Copilot data could process out of region now...
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 07/04/2026
7/ Pilot with a scoped group. Enable only where the data posture works. Keep it off where it doesn't. If you've been parked on this decision for client tenants — this is the control you've been waiting for. Source: portal.changepilot.cloud/MC1263276
portal.changepilot.cloud
ChangePilot
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 07/04/2026
6/ From late April you can scope it. Specific users, Entra ID groups, up to 999, nested groups supported. Enforced across Admin Center, PPAC, and Copilot Studio.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 07/04/2026
5/ Until now you had to choose: accept that for every user in the tenant, or turn Anthropic off and lose the features entirely. Not exactly a fun conversation with a compliance team.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 07/04/2026
4/ Excluded from the EU Data Boundary. Excluded from in-country commitments for the UK, Australia, India, Japan etc. EU/EFTA and UK tenants have it off by default for exactly this reason.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 07/04/2026
3/ Why it matters: Claude powers some of Copilot's best stuff — Researcher, Agent Mode in Excel, Office agents, Copilot Studio. But processing happens outside Microsoft's data boundary.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 07/04/2026
2/ TL;DR: Admins will soon be able to assign Anthropic (Claude) access in M365 Copilot to specific users or Entra ID groups. No more all-or-nothing tenant toggle.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 07/04/2026
🧵 1/ Granular toggle for enabling Anthropic AI in Copilot coming soon. MC1263276, rolling out late April 2026. If you run Copilot or manage anyone who does, this one matters.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 27/01/2026
Any of these deprecations eating into your planning time? Or are you now worrying about which changes you've missed entirely... 😅
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 27/01/2026
This isn't random churn. It's a security strategy playing out over years. Doesn't remove the pain. Migrations are still work. But remembering the why does shift how you look at 2026.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 27/01/2026
Evergreen platform means standards evolve. MS has too much history maintaining legacy stances, so it's good to see movement here. That said, some changes are still unfathomable without knowing the goal. Other than Copilot everywhere. 😄
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 27/01/2026
At least one ties directly to the Secure Future Initiative. The security overhaul Microsoft kicked off after those high-profile breaches. It's been running quietly in the background. Timelines fit for changes to show up in production now.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 27/01/2026
Microsoft has ~15 retirements and service changes on the 2026 roadmap. A lot of coverage frames this as chaos. But there's a why behind it. 🧵
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 23/01/2026
🏢 Shared Device → Shared Space • One licence now covers up to 4 desks/spaces • Space analytics & booking policies included Teams Premium is left more tightly focused on meetings, calling and intelligence. Details still to come, but the direction is clear: techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microso...
techcommunity.microsoft.com
Licensing updates extend access to advanced capabilities in Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Places | Microsoft Community Hub
At Microsoft, we empower organizations to achieve more through intelligent communication, inclusive collaboration, and connected workplace experiences. Our...
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 23/01/2026
📍 Places changes follow the same pattern Core end-user features move into base M365 (E3/E5/Business): • Places Finder • Places Explorer • Desk booking No extra cost if you already have E3/E5. Places is no longer positioned as Premium-adjacent by default.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 23/01/2026
🎥 Events & webinars Many features that previously required Teams Premium move into Teams Enterprise at no extra cost, including chat, reactions, engagement insights, branding and eCDN. Capacity is now licensed via Attendee Packs
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 23/01/2026
Big picture: Teams Premium has long been a catch-all for “advanced” Teams features. These changes narrow that scope. The licensing gate is shifting from who has Premium to what you need to do at scale. Events are the clearest example.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 23/01/2026
Microsoft has announced a significant change to what’s covered by Teams Premium, landing 1 April 2026. It impacts both Places and large-scale events, and it’s worth a look if Places felt too expensive before or if you bought Premium mainly for events. 🧵⬇️
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 21/01/2026
Copilot scheduled prompts update: you can edit schedules without deleting/recreating! 🎉 Also: Web mode support + agent scheduling Caveats: 10 prompt max, 15 runs each, not all agents yet I once scheduled myself into trouble by not thinking it through 😅 youtube.com/shorts/v4Gj-... #M365
youtube.com
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 20/01/2026
Part 2 of my Microsoft 365 Updates series is out. This one covers the mechanics: rings, feature flags, regional rollouts, and why "Launched" on the roadmap doesn't mean you have it yet. If Part 1 was where to look, Part 2 is why it looks like that. www.bibble-it.com/how-microsof...
bibble-it.com
How Microsoft 365 Updates Work: Pt2 Rings, Channels, and Rollout Mechanics - Bibble-IT.com
Rings, Channels, Rollouts, and Why “GA” Still Means “It Depends”. Your guide to Microsoft 365 Updates.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 13/01/2026
The N-Able Head Nerds are hitting BSky over at @nableheadnerds.bsky.social. In the next days, weeks, months there should be a good stream of decent technical content explaining who the Nerds are, what we do & then providing technical issues and providing useful insights :)
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 18/12/2025
I write a lot about Copilot, but this infographic wasn’t made by it. NotebookLM generated this Copilot Frontier explainer from Microsoft docs + my write-up. I think it does a decent job, especially the text 😅 Did it explain Frontier well? 👉 www.bibble-it.com/what-exactly... #M365 #Copilot
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 18/12/2025
Two good posts on how AI memory works across conversations, focusing on ChatGPT and Claude. ChatGPT: manthanguptaa.in/posts/chatgp... Claude: manthanguptaa.in/posts/claude... Also raises questions for tools like Copilot when multiple models sit behind one interface.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 16/12/2025
Quick sense check. Anyone else seeing Microsoft 365 Copilot truncate output in code blocks? Twice today I had missing PowerShell lines and even a lost closing brace. Logic was fine, content just didn’t render fully. Easy to miss if you’re skimming. Seen this too? #M365 #Copilot
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 05/12/2025
AAAAnd Cloudflare is having issues again... Friday internet chaos ensues ;)
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 03/12/2025
Arguing about Timezones with AI. One of their big issues & blind spot areas for sure. It's trying to persuade me that 13.00 GMT is a prime USA lunch time window.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 25/11/2025
Win 11 26H1 not for everyone but only adding specific support for new silicone?? Well that's not going to confuse anyone at all 😂😅 blogs.windows.com/windows-insi...
blogs.windows.com
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28000 (Canary Channel)
Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28000 to the Canary Channel. What’s new in Build 28000 [General] This u
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 25/11/2025
Anyone else seeing issues with Outlook on mobile not updating with new emails? Desktop has them (as does web) but mobile just won't refresh for a good 10 mins then suddenly emails appear
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 25/11/2025
Looks like MS is doing a bit of re-orging at the top? News: Leaked Microsoft organizational chart shows the 16 executives helping Satya Nadella in the AI race ino.to/cFg34m0
ino.to
Leaked Microsoft organizational chart shows the 16 executives helping Satya Nadella in the AI race
This highlights the leadership reshuffles and strategy shifts driving Microsoft's pivotal artificial intelligence push.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 21/11/2025
Thought “Frontier” was another mysterious Microsoft preview ring? It is, but it isn’t. It’s the new home for early Copilot features, and most orgs are already in it without realising. Breakdown here: www.bibble-it.com/what-exactly...
bibble-it.com
What Exactly is Microsoft’s Frontier Programme? | Bibble-IT.com
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 21/11/2025
The good news: it’ll be available direct and through CSP, so MSPs can actually package this into readiness and adoption work. Curious to hear how MSPs plan to position this. Are customers more likely to jump in now?
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 21/11/2025
Microsoft say it offers the same experience as the enterprise Copilot… probably true, but the fine print has a habit of making life interesting. Still no clarity on whether the SharePoint Advanced Management uplift comes with it.
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Ben L @ctrlaltben.com · 21/11/2025
SMBs finally have a Copilot they can actually buy. Microsoft 365 Copilot Business lands in December and it’s the first version that really fits the <300 seat crowd. MSPs have been waiting for this one. techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microso...
techcommunity.microsoft.com
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