You understand what a Frontier Firm is. You know the Microsoft technology stack that powers them. Now comes the crucial question: How do you actually transform? The good news: successful organisations follow a predictable pattern. Microsoft’s research reveals three distinct phases that organisations progress through, each with specific objectives, timelines, and technologies. The better news: you don’t need to have everything figured out on day one. Different parts of your organisation can progress at different speeds. Let’s break down each phase with practical timelines, key actions, and real-world examples. Phase 1: AI as Assistant (Months 1-4) The Objective Make every employee…
Author: Dave
In our previous post, we explored what defines a Frontier Firm and why this transformation matters. Now, let’s examine the practical question every leader is asking: What technology do I actually need to become a Frontier Firm? Microsoft provides the most comprehensive, enterprise-ready platform for this transformation. The ecosystem spans five critical layers, each addressing different aspects of your AI journey. Layer 1: Microsoft 365 Copilot – The Foundation Microsoft 365 Copilot serves as the universal AI assistant embedded across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Outlook, and other applications you already use daily. This is where most organisations begin their Frontier Firm…
The business landscape is experiencing its most profound transformation since the Internet revolution. If you’ve been following enterprise technology trends, you’ve likely encountered a new term gaining momentum: Frontier Firm. But what does it actually mean, and why should business leaders care? The Birth of the Frontier Firm Concept In April 2025, Microsoft released its annual Work Trend Index report titled “2025: The Year the Frontier Firm Is Born.” The research surveyed 31,000 workers across 31 countries and revealed something striking: 82% of business leaders recognise 2025 as pivotal for fundamentally rethinking their operations. The data is unequivocal: 81% expect AI agents to be extensively…
Microsoft has just announced the availability of Claude Sonnet 4.5, Anthropic’s most advanced AI model, in Microsoft Copilot Studio. This significant development, rolling out on September 28, 2025, marks a pivotal moment in Microsoft’s commitment to providing multi-model flexibility within its AI ecosystem. The Multi-Model Revolution The integration of Claude Sonnet 4.5 represents more than just another model option; it signals Microsoft’s strategic shift toward providing organisations with unprecedented choice in AI model selection. This move directly challenges the traditional single-vendor AI approach, positioning Copilot Studio as a truly flexible platform where businesses can select the optimal model for their specific use…
The era of truly autonomous business intelligence is no longer a fantasy on a pitch deck. With the 2025 Release Wave 2, launching on October 1, Microsoft Copilot Studio transitions from a clever chatbot builder to a comprehensive agent platform for enterprise-grade automation. It is built to think, decide, and act within your business, then explain its actions. Autonomous agents: beyond conversation The headline change is the general availability of autonomous agents that can monitor events and execute complex workflows without requiring manual intervention. These are not reactive bots; they are proactive digital workers that can: Monitor business events around…
I recently had a call with a potential new client, and it was more of an interview style meeting. A number of technical questions were asked, and one has stood out in particular. The purpose of this post is to discuss two points. The first point is to talk about how to protect your flow run history from prying eyes and add an additional level of security. The second point is more of a personally one in regards to it is ok to say I don’t know during an interview, its all about how you handle it. Point 1: How…
I was recently asked to talk to a group of Brownies (again) to help them obtain their jobs interest badge. This involves them interviewing an adult about their career and what they do. My job is vast, and I did not want to bore the girls, so I decided to focus on the solution architecture and more specifically Power Apps! The audience were one of the hardest I have spoken in front of, and I had literally started talking and the first hand went up. A girl proceeded to tell me how my job sounded really boring! It did not…
As part of my commitment to the community and to the Power Platform, I will be running introductory sessions for teens and young adults. Do you know and 13-19 year olds that are interested in learning more about getting involved? These will be run as 1-hour introductory sessions giving attendees an overview of the following: What is the Power Platform? Getting started building Applications. Available resources and getting involved in the community. To get the latest information on the next session dates please register your interest below: [wpforms id=”1781″ title=”false” description=”false”]
Are you looking for community or learning resource for the Power Platform? Below are a list of some of my favourites. Microsoft Learn Learning content to get you up to speed quickly with the Power Platform and other Microsoft products. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/powerplatform/ 365 Community – Community Content Directory A very useful blog aggregator that collates blogs from the community accross the Power Platform, Dynamics 365 and Azure. https://365community.online/ Dynamics Weekly A curated list of all the best Power Platform and Dynamics 365 blogs. https://www.getrevue.co/profile/DynamicsWeekly/ Power Platform Community The Microsoft Power Platform Communities feature forums, trainings, blogs, sample galleries, user groups, resources,…
With the recent updates, PowerFX was announced, and it will be a game-changer for the No-Code developers out there. It allows citizen developers to use complex functions without writing complex code! What is PowerFX? Microsoft says: Power Fx is the low-code language that will be used across Microsoft Power Platform. It’s a general-purpose, strong-typed, declarative, and functional programming language. Power Fx is expressed in human-friendly text. It’s a low-code language that makers can work with directly in an Excel-like formula bar or Visual Studio Code text window. The “low” in low-code is due to the concise and simple nature of…