Microsoft Gets Out of the Movie and TV Business: How to Save Everything You Bought
Microsoft Gets Out of the Movie and TV Business: How to Save Everything You Bought

Microsoft Gets Out of the Movie and TV Business: How to Save Everything You Bought

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Best cloud backup of 2025: ranked and rated by the experts

IDrive is my pick for the best cloud backup service as it offers great synchronization options, a wide range of compatibilities, and excellent data protection. pCloud and DropBox Backup also offer excellent cloud backup services. Use TechRadar’s exclusive 50% Off deal to get 200GB of private cloud storage for only $2.50 per month. If you have more to store, get Sync’s 2TB promo or grab their Unlimited Plan. sync speed was excellent and you can see the progress of individual files by clicking into the “drive-drive” folder. iDrive’s apps were very easy to use, and our speed tests revealed backup performance was a good match for Google Drive and the top storage contenders. Sync makes cloud storage and file sharing simple and secure. We’ve also featured the bestCloud storage for photos and pictures and the best free cloud storage providers. We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can’t be sure you’re buying the best.

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The best cloud backup services allow you to copy and store your data on a remote server to keep it safe in case something happens to the original, such as data threat, ransomware, or accidental deletion.

Experts recommend that when you back up your data, you should follow the 3-2-1 backup strategy: three copies of the data on at least two different storage mediums (physical or digital) with at least one of the copies stored in a different location to the other two.

Differing from cloud storage, cloud backup services can synchronize files to ensure they are up-to-date and provide an immediate backup of your important data if you lose it.

IDrive is my pick for the best cloud backup service as it offers great synchronization options, a wide range of compatibilities, and excellent data protection. pCloud and DropBox Backup also offer excellent cloud backup services.

TechRadar Exclusive Deal Limited Time: 50% Off Private Cloud Storage

Sync’s encrypted cloud ensures your data is for your eyes only. Use Tech Radar’s exclusive 50% Off deal to get 200GB of private cloud storage for only $2.50 per month. If you have more to store, get Sync’s 2TB promo or grab their Unlimited Plan. Sync makes cloud storage and file sharing simple and secure.

We’ve also featured the best cloud storage for photos and pictures and the best free cloud storage providers.

The best cloud backup services of 2025 in full:

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Best overall

(Image credit: IDrive)

1. IDrive Best cloud backup overall Our expert review: Today’s Best Deals IDrive 10TB $4.98 /year Visit Siteat iDrive Reasons to buy + Works on a whole range of devices + End-to-end encryption option + Choice of backup methods Reasons to avoid – Software could use a revamp – Not the cheapest option – Some options very well hidden

iDrive is a user-friendly cloud backup service that’s great for personal and business use. It effortlessly handles everything from simple photo backups for mobile and sharing files across networks, to protecting SQL, Exchange, SharePoint, and many other servers.

Wide platform support covers Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS, and an intuitive browser portal. For more experienced users, there’s Linux via assorted scripts, and a range of network-attached storage devices like QNAP, Synology, Netgear, and Asustor. You can protect as many devices as you like with a single account.

A lengthy list of backup options starts with simple file and folder protection, but you can also protect your iPhone’s photos, videos, contacts and calendar, maybe add SMS on an Android phone, even create a full disk image for disaster recovery purposes later.

We found iDrive’s apps very easy to use, and our speed tests revealed backup performance was a good match for Google Drive and the top storage contenders.

Beyond our exclusive 95% off offer (for the first year), a basic Personal plan starts at 5TB for just under $70 a year, with the multi-user Business plan starting at 250GB per user for the same price. The catch is that the price, which has already risen from around $60 as of July 2025, shoots up to just under $100 after the first year.

If your internet isn’t fast enough to back up or restore hundreds of gigabytes of data, the IDrive Express service allows you to send files to or from iDrive on a USB drive via the mail. Personal plans can do this once a year for free, while business plans can do it thrice. Though a little bit analog, this is nice to have in a pinch.

When we reviewed the service, we were impressed with how it stood up to our tests. The sync speed was excellent and you can see the progress of individual files by clicking into the “cloud-drive” folder.

When we deliberately deleted a file in order to see how iDrive handled restoring data, we were disappointed to see that it wasn’t possible to recover the data using the desktop client.

When we opened the sparse web interface, though, we were able to restore the folder from the trash without issue. We were also able to use the web app to restore a modified version of our test document to the original version with just a few mouse clicks.

Minor quibbles, really, for a platform that delivers an impressively wide breadth of services across all platforms at a good price.

Read our full IDrive review .

Best lifetime option

(Image credit: pCloud)

pCloud is a versatile backup tool loaded with extra cloud benefits, like syncing and advanced file sharing, for some of the best prices around.

We found the service very easy to set up on both mobile and desktop devices. The Windows and Mac apps add a Dropbox-like folder to the system file manager, allowing simple backups in little more than a drag and drop.

The mobile apps can automatically back up new photos and videos as they’re taken, while essential service integrations support backing up Facebook, Instagram and other content.

pCloud’s desktop apps feel a little dated, but it more than makes up for that with its hugely customizable file-sharing tools. You can create custom download pages for each file, build slideshows from shared images, and even stream media files directly from your storage space.

When we reviewed pCloud, we were particularly impressed with the app’s built-in media player – a good choice if you’re backing up a lot of media.

Our test data synced to the cloud in just 96 seconds, which is comparable to some of the big names in cloud storage like Dropbox and OneDrive. We were also able to use pCloud’s web interface to recover our deleted folder and the original version of our Test Word document with ease.

pCloud’s annual pricing for individuals is reasonable, at $49.99 for 500GB or $99.99 for 2TB. What really sets the service apart from its contemporaries, though, is its lifetime subscriptions.

That 2TB can be yours, forever, for a one-off $399. As of July 2025, pCloud claim that this is a third off of the price it usually charges for the allowance. Dropbox charges $120 a year for 2TB, so if you use pCloud for four or more years, it’ll pay for itself.

Read our full pCloud review .

Best for simplicity

(Image credit: Dropbox)

3. Dropbox Backup Best cloud backup for simplicity and features Our expert review: Today’s best Dropbox Backup deals No price information VISIT WEBSITE Reasons to buy + Slick and smooth throughout + Packed with file sharing features + Advanced selective sync options Reasons to avoid – No full device backups – Not the cheapest option – Limited free storage

Dropbox is already one of the biggest names in cloud storage. Dropbox Backup is also only available as an option for existing users using the desktop client.

When Dropbox Backup first launches, you choose which folders you wish to sync. By default the client will automatically run backups every 15 minutes.

The good news is that backups are incremental, so future backups only record the differences between this backup and the last which can save huge amounts of space. Dropbox Backup also supports backing up to external drives.

The dedicated Dropbox Backup window shows you the status of the last backup and you can click “View Contents” at any time to launch the Dropbox Backup web portal to access your files.

If a backup is running, you can also select “View Progress” to check the backup status of each file. (It also displays a percentage value at the top of the window).

From here you can also ‘modify folder selection’ to change which are backed up. The “Advanced Settings” only contain an option to throttle bandwidth at the moment, but this is a very welcome feature.

During our tests, around 650MB of data synced in just under 6 minutes, which was exactly what we’d expect for our average upload connection speed of 12Mbps.

We also had no trouble restoring a deleted folder – indeed there are two ways to do this from accessing deleted files or the built-in ‘Rewind’ feature. Dropbox Backup also was able to restore the original version of our modified file with just a few mouse clicks.

As an extension of your regular Dropbox account, pricing for Dropbox Backup is determined by the cloud storage tiers. As we mentioned there’s a free 2GB tier.

An ‘Essentials’ plan provides 3TB of storage backup, for one user, for $19.99 billed monthly or $198.96 for the year.

For teams of three users or more, the ‘Business’ plan provides a minimum of 9TB for $18 per user per month or $180 annually for the same. And just to complicate things further, a ‘Business Plus’ plan offers a minimum of 15TB for $30 per user a month, or $288 per user annually.

Read our full Dropbox review.

Best for teams

(Image credit: Sync.com)

4. Sync.com Our expert review: Today’s best Sync.com deals No price information View Reasons to buy + Strong security features + Good for teams + Simple access and setup Reasons to avoid – Single-folder sync – Basic interface options – Customer support is email only

In our full Sync.com review , we lamented the service’s single-folder sync limitation, which, for all its placement here, does make it a better fit as a cloud storage as opposed to backup service.

However, there are some decent workarounds for this – saving files to a single folder, or using Sync’s dedicated fault feature – storage without syncing to any of your other devices and taking up valuable drive space.

Sync’s unique selling point is very much ‘keep it simple’, from its austere yet utilitarian interface (as above) to lack of proper collaboration and writing tools in line with household name competitors like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. Sync does integrate with Microsoft 365 for live edit collaboration, but having this built in is always ideal.

And yet, Sync could still tempt small businesses and teams. Some of that comes down to price: $6 per user for 1TB a month isn’t bad at all (even if the price has risen by a dollar as of July 2025), while larger teams have access to unlimited cloud storage for $15 per user.

Team accounts are also given provision for how to keep data compliant with international privacy standards, such as HIPAA and PIPEDA in the US and GDPR in the EU.

All accounts support protecting links with passwords and set expiration dates, and a file size limit. These features aren’t unique to Sync by any means, but they’re nice to have bundled together.

Read our full Sync.com review.

Best for security

(Image credit: Internxt)

From now until the 31st of October, for its Cyber Awareness Month sale, Internxt is offering 80% off discounts on all of its premium plans.

Internxt, already a leading choice in our other best cloud storage buying guides for its steadfast dedication to end-to-end encryption (keeping your files hidden from everyone but you, including the company), is a natural choice for backing up your files too.

That’s, first and foremost, thanks to heavy regular discounts (up to 80% off at time of writing in July 2025) on robust lifetime purchasing options, including 5TB of lifetime cloud storage.

Internxt is also constantly evolving, now offering off-app support via rclone and WebDAV, making Internxt truly multiplatform.

However, the standard apps are easy to use enough that we consider Internxt a genuine contender against more popular household names in the cloud backup space who pride themselves on clean user interfaces that ‘just work’.

Internxt might lose points by offering less free storage than pretty much all of those competitors (just 1GB; bewildering in 2025), but if you’re looking for a new, secure cloud backup provider to confidently invest in long-term, we feel as though it’s hard to go wrong with it.

Best no-limits

(Image credit: CrashPlan)

6. CrashPlan Best cloud backup service for no-limit versioning Our expert review: Today’s Best Deals VISIT WEBSITE Reasons to buy + No limits on how much data you can store + Create backups to cloud and physical hard drives Reasons to avoid – No mobile app available

A comprehensive business backup service that’s simple to use with no file size limits: That’s the eye-catching pitch from Crashplan.

We found this to be a hugely customizable service for Windows, Mac, and Linux with a pain-free setup. Once up and running you can mostly just forget about it, and leave CrashPlan to handle securely continuous and scheduled backups with both online and local destinations.

On top of no-limit file sizes, there’s no fixed limit to its versioning support. You can keep previous versions of files for years, if necessary. The desktop client can even limit its CPU usage when the user is active to reduce impact on system performance.

There are also no limits to the amount of users that can be attached to your plan. For larger businesses, this is crucial.

Since July 2025, there are two monthly subscription plans. Essential ($2.99 a month) and Professional ($8), while two annual offerings, Professional ($88 per user) and Enterprise ($120 per user- a price hike of $12 as of July 2025) makes sure all bases are covered.

During our original tests, we found CrashPlan to be less than perfect. We found upload speeds proved slower than expected on default settings. It’s more cumbersome to restore files than we’d like. And there are occasionally silly UI choices, like requiring you to tag specific folders for storage and recovery.

Having revisited the service in late 2023 however, although specific folder tags are still required, performance seems to have improved hugely. Using an average upload speed of 17Mbps, the ‘Documents’ folder on our test machine was able to sync in just over four and a half minutes.

We’d usually have expected this amount of data to take at least 30 seconds longer, so were very impressed by CrashPlan’s improvement in performance.

We were also able to use the ‘Restore Files’ feature to recover the test folder we’d deliberately deleted as well as the original version of our Test document in seconds.

Ultimately, if you want a desktop client cloud backup solution, CrashPlan is a suitable choice, but there’s also not much separating it from better known quantities on this list.

Read our full CrashPlan review .

Best for value

(Image credit: Backblaze)

7. Backblaze Business Best cloud backup for value Our expert review: Today’s Best Deals VISIT WEBSITE Reasons to buy + Unlimited cloud backup + No file size limits + Straightforward operation + Affordable pricing + Multiple recovery methods Reasons to avoid – One computer per licence – Basic web interface – No full disk image backup – No support for network drives – No support for file sync between computers

Backblaze is one of the best cloud backup services with a strong focus on simplicity. Just install the app on Windows or Mac, and it backs up all your files on hard drives and external drives, while uploading new or changed files as they appear.

Our tests found Backblaze’s impressive upload speeds kept delays to a minimum compared to many rivals. Like iDrive, Backblaze will also ship up to 8TB of your data on a USB to you.

Like CrashPlan, there’s no limit on storage space or file sizes. Versioning support keeps previous versions of your files only for up to 30 days – whereas CrashPlan has no versioning limit.

The mobile apps are basic. There’s no file syncing, no clever collaboration tools, and only the simplest of file sharing options. However, smart system integration and simple apps make it easy to set up Backblaze, and the minimal web interface provides basic tools for browsing your files and restoring whatever you need.

During our tests we were able to upload over 5GB of data in less than 9 minutes with an average upload connection speed of 70Mbps, which is faster than most of the cloud storage providers we’ve reviewed.

We were also able to recover our deliberately deleted test folder and the original version of our modified test Word document. However, in order to do so Backblaze had to generate a link to a ZIP file, which was sent to us via e-mail. We’d much rather have had the option to simply restore the data to its original location.

Despite recent price bumps, Backblaze is still tough to beat for value, with prices starting at $9 billed monthly to back up workstations. Business users can back up servers and NAS devices to BackBlaze’s B2 cloud storage service for $6 per TB per month, a fraction of the price you’ll pay with Amazon S3, Google Cloud or Microsoft Azure.

Read our full Backblaze review .

Best for Microsoft users

(Image credit: Microsoft)

8. Microsoft OneDrive Best cloud backup for Microsoft users Our expert review: Today’s best Microsoft OneDrive deals No price information VISIT WEBSITE Reasons to buy + Tight integration with Windows and Microsoft 365 + Expertly designed mobile apps + 250GB file size limit + 5GB free cloud storage Reasons to avoid – macOS client app could use some work – Storage plans could be clearer – Greater value if you’re a Microsoft Office users

Microsoft OneDrive is more a cloud storage service than a backup service, but it earns its place in this for sheer simplicity and convenience.

If you’re running Windows, OneDrive comes built in with no installation required. Drag and drop the files you’d like to protect into the OneDrive folder, and they’re quickly synced to the cloud and made available on your other devices.

You can access files from other platforms, though with mixed success. The web interface covers the basics, for instance, but doesn’t have the easy style of Google Drive or Dropbox. The Mac client is more straightforward, although we found some conflicts with iCloud.

Overall, we found the mobile apps elegant and intuitive, scoring high for their photo and video syncing tools, and solid security customizations.

During our tests we found our files uploaded in just 95 seconds, which is around 10% faster than most of the other cloud storage providers we’ve reviewed.

Even without using Microsoft 365 we were also able to restore deleted test files and recover the original version of our test Word document without issue.

You get up to 5GB capacity for free while igning up for Microsoft 365 gets you 1TB of storage, along with access to the full Office suite – all apps are tightly integrated with OneDrive. You can collaborate on documents, and have them auto-saved to the cloud for maximum protection.

OneDrive’s backup features are limited. The service is fine for saving your documents and photos, but it can’t do drive imaging or disaster recovery.

Still, that bundled 1TB of Microsoft 365 storage is a very welcome extra, especially for the price, so if your backup needs are simple, OneDrive could serve you well.

Read our full Microsoft OneDrive review .

Take a look at our Microsoft discount codes for the best Microsoft offers and savings.

Best cloud backup FAQs

How to choose a cloud backup service

Greg Lissy, VP Products at SolarWinds MSP, shares his views on how businesses can choose the best cloud backup solution:

A backup plan for a business is like an insurance policy for your data, so choosing the right provider isn’t something to be taken lightly. Low-priced consumer-grade products may be tempting, but if your business depends on access to your data, reliability is essential.

Check out the backup vendor’s performance and reputation. What do their customers say? How quickly do they get systems back up and running again? If something goes wrong, how much downtime can you afford before your business is seriously impacted?

Another critical consideration when choosing a cloud backup provider is where, specifically, your backups are stored. Many businesses must comply with regulatory requirements about keeping data in-country, so be sure your vendor can meet your requirements around data sovereignty.

Finally, it’s important to realize that security is a big part of backup and that backup is an essential ingredient in your overall security plan. Insist on secure data transfer to and from the cloud storage location, data encryption, and role-based access that ensures only authorized personnel can access or restore data.

While backup is critical, it’s typically your last line of defense. Be sure it’s complemented by a robust defense strategy including managed antivirus, web protection, patch management, and mail filtering. If one vendor offers a full layered security portfolio, you’ll be in an even better position, as you’ll have one trusted partner to rely on in your time of need.

Why are backups important? Check Point Research (CPR) revealed that with an increase in phishing and ransomware attacks, human error and a greater reliance on the cloud and enterprise networks, regular backups are essential for organisations to protect their data. Preventive measures do not always work: As cybercriminals continue to target the remote workforce, companies have started to expand their cybersecurity strategy through robust defense software, both for the corporate network and the cloud, to update systems and apps on a regular basis, to install a VPN and to increase levels of protection on employees’ devices, as well as to provide cybersecurity training for workers. While these measures do considerably increase the level of protection for a business, it is still possible that they could fail to stop an attack, as cybercriminals constantly develop new ways to get round the defenses. It is essential to have a backup plan so that no data is lost in the event of a cyberattack. If a company becomes the victim of a double ransomware extortion attack, having a backup system in place gives them the chance to quickly restore things back to normal. Cyberattacks are evolving: Cyberattacks are evolving every day and cybercriminals are constantly striving to find security loopholes. Companies are often unprepared for new ransomware, phishing emails, and malware. This is why, despite the updates and protective barriers they may have in place, new generation cyberattacks could still get through these defenses and achieve their objectives. Data theft puts a company’s reputation at risk: Losing information by exposing customers’ personal data can have irreparable consequences for a business in terms of reputation and financial loss. Since GDPR came in a few years ago, allowing q customer’s personal documents to be compromised can lead to litigation. The cloud becomes another attack vector: It is true that the cloud has brought great advantages to companies, like reducing costs and allowing remote working. However, storing data on cloud platforms exponentially increases the attack surface through which cybercriminals could gain access to the corporate network. So, it’s a good idea, in fact, it’s essential to carry out regular manual backups of the information stored in the cloud, in case anything outside the company’s control might happen. Internal dangers are sometimes undetectable: Unfortunately, even with all possible cybersecurity measures and the best protection software in place, the responsibility of users is fundamental. It is essential to train employees on the different techniques and correct approaches to cybersecurity. Instilling in employees the importance of having up-to-date backups in the event of an unforeseen event or cyber-attack can be one of the best defenses.

How did we test the best online backup services?

We looked at the features and the quality of service of the cloud backup services when we reviewed them.

Number-based tests like upload or download speeds tend to be anecdotal because of so many variables involved, so while we did carry them out, we only noted any outliers (super fast speeds or very slow performances) in our individual reviews.

More important for us is how intuitive a cloud backup service was to use (either when using a web browser or a dedicated client or a mobile app where appropriate), security features (file encryption, ransomware protection), and value for money.

Read more on how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar.

Source: Techradar.com | View original article

Sick of AI Slop? DuckDuckGo Now Lets You Block AI-Generated Images

DuckDuckGo has rolled out a new feature that lets you hide AI-generated images from your search results. The privacy-focused Google Chrome alternative admits the new feature isn’t perfect, but it promises to “greatly reduce the number of AI- generated images you see” The new feature uses manually curated open-source blocklists, including what it calls a “nuclear” list, provided by uBlock Origin and the search blocker uBlacklist.

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Whether you are trying to escape from political disinformation or simply avoid AI-assisted cyberscams, AI images are becoming increasingly hard to avoid in the world of search.

Now, the privacy-focused Google Chrome alternative DuckDuckGo has rolled out a new feature that lets you hide AI-generated images from your search results. The browser admits the new feature isn’t perfect, acknowledging that it “won’t catch 100% of AI-generated results,” but it promises to “greatly reduce the number of AI-generated images you see.”

The new feature uses manually curated open-source blocklists, including what it calls a “nuclear” list, provided by the open-source content-blocking browser extension uBlock Origin and the search blocker uBlacklist.

Giving the feature a whirl is relatively simple. First, make a search via DuckDuckGo and head to the Images tab. You’ll then see a new drop-down option allowing you to show or hide AI images. Alternatively, for a more consistently AI-free browsing experience, you can bookmark http://noai.duckduckgo.com, where the image filter is auto-enabled and AI-assisted summaries are switched off. This also hides DuckDuckGo’s own AI chat feature.

Even if they’re not intentionally malicious or manipulative, AI images have become a valid cause of complaint for search engine users. TechCrunch, which covered the new feature, noted that numerous users on X, Reddit, and blogging platforms like Medium have complained that for certain search terms, such as “baby peacock,” AI images often outnumbered or equalled pictures of the real animals in search results, which could easily lead to confusion about what a real baby peacock even looks like.

DuckDuckGo isn’t the only firm rolling out new tools to keep unwanted AI content out of your browsing session.

In 2024, Hiya rolled out a Chrome extension to help you detect deepfaked audio online, including on YouTube, X/Twitter, and Facebook—though again, it’s not always going to be 100% accurate. Meanwhile, search engines like Microsoft’s Bing have partnered with non-profit organizations such as Stop Non-Consensual Intimate Image Abuse (StopNCII) to remove explicit deepfakes from its search results.

Source: Au.pcmag.com | View original article

How real-world businesses are transforming with AI — with 261 new stories

More than 85% of the Fortune 500 are using Microsoft AI solutions to shape their future. For every $1 organizations invest in generative AI, they’re realizing an average of $3.70 in return. In this blog, we’ve collected more than 700 of our favorite real-life examples of how organizations are embracing Microsoft’s proven AI capabilities to drive impact. We hope you find an example or two that can inspire your own transformation journey. We’ll regularly update this story with more examples of what companies are doing with AI. The post will be updated regularly with new stories.Updated April 22, 2025: The post contains 261 new customer stories, which appear at the beginning of each section of customer lists. Check out the top 5 AI trends to watch from IDC and Microsoft at IDC.com/AI and Microsoft/AI-Trends. The next major platform shift to AI is from client server to internet and the web to mobile and cloud to now.

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Updated April 22, 2025: The post contains 261 new customer stories, which appear at the beginning of each section of customer lists. The post will be updated regularly with new stories.

One of the highlights of my career has always been connecting with customers and partners across industries to learn how they are using technology to drive their businesses forward. In the past 30 years, we’ve seen four major platform shifts, from client server to internet and the web to mobile and cloud to now — the next major platform shift to AI.

As today’s platform shift to AI continues to gain momentum, Microsoft is working to understand just how organizations can drive lasting business value. We recently commissioned a study with IDC, The Business Opportunity of AI, to uncover new insights around business value and help guide organizations on their journey of AI transformation. The study found that for every $1 organizations invest in generative AI, they’re realizing an average of $3.70 in return — and uncovered insights about the future potential of AI to reshape business processes and drive change across industries.

Check out the top 5 AI trends to watch from IDC and Microsoft

Today, more than 85% of the Fortune 500 are using Microsoft AI solutions to shape their future. In working with organizations large and small, across every industry and geography, we’ve seen that most transformation initiatives are designed to achieve one of four business outcomes:

Enriching employee experiences: Using AI to streamline or automate repetitive, mundane tasks can allow your employees to dive into more complex, creative and ultimately more valuable work. Reinventing customer engagement: AI can create more personalized, tailored customer experiences, delighting your target audiences while lightening the load for employees. Reshaping business processes: Virtually any business process can be reimagined with AI, from marketing to supply chain operations to finance, and AI is even allowing organizations to go beyond process optimization and discover exciting new growth opportunities. Bending the curve on innovation: AI is revolutionizing innovation by speeding up creative processes and product development, reducing the time to market and allowing companies to differentiate in an often crowded field.

In this blog, we’ve collected more than 700 of our favorite real-life examples of how organizations are embracing Microsoft’s proven AI capabilities to drive impact and shape today’s platform shift to AI. Today, we’ve added new stories of customers using our AI capabilities at the beginning of each section. We’ll regularly update this story with more. We hope you find an example or two that can inspire your own transformation journey.

Enriching employee experiences

Generative AI is truly transforming employee productivity and well-being. Our customers tell us that by automating repetitive, mundane tasks, employees are freed up to dive into more complex and creative work. This shift not only makes the work environment more stimulating but also boosts job satisfaction. It sparks innovation, provides actionable insights for better decision-making and supports personalized training and development opportunities, all contributing to a better work-life balance. Customers around the world have reported significant improvements in employee productivity with these AI solutions:

New Stories:

Reinventing customer engagement

We’ve seen great examples of how generative AI can automate content creation, ensuring there’s fresh and engaging materials ready to go. It personalizes customer experiences by crunching the numbers, boosting conversion rates. It makes operations smoother, helping teams launch campaigns faster. Plus, it drives innovation, crafting experiences that delight customers while lightening the load for staff. Embracing generative AI is key for organizations wanting to reinvent customer engagements, stay ahead of the game and drive both innovation and efficiency.

New Stories:

Reshaping business process

Transforming operations is another way generative AI is encouraging innovation and improving efficiency across various business functions. In marketing, it can create personalized content to truly engage different audiences. For supply chain management, it can predict market trends so companies can optimize their inventory levels. Human resources departments can speed up the hiring process, while financial services can use it for fraud detection and risk assessments. With generative AI, companies are not just refining their current processes, they’re also discovering exciting new growth opportunities.

New Stories:

Bending the curve on innovation

Generative AI is revolutionizing innovation by speeding up creative processes and product development. It’s helping companies come up with new ideas, design prototypes and iterate quickly, cutting down the time it takes to get to market. In the automotive industry, it’s designing more efficient vehicles, while in pharmaceuticals, it’s crafting new drug molecules, slashing years off R&D times. In education, it transforms how students learn and achieve their goals. Here are more examples of how companies are embracing generative AI to shape the future of innovation.

New Stories:

CTAs:

IDC InfoBrief: sponsored by Microsoft, 2024 Business Opportunity of AI, IDC# US52699124, November 2024

Tags: AI, AI Azure, Azure OpenAI Service, Copilot, Copilot Studio, Microsoft 365 Copilot

Source: Blogs.microsoft.com | View original article

What’s New in Microsoft Copilot for Sales: April 2025

Microsoft Copilot for Sales harnesses the power of generative AI and customer data to keep sellers in their flow of work so they can spend more time with customers. Starting this month, sellers can save AI generated meeting summaries to CRM directly in Teams, eliminating manual logging and context switching. Improved extensibility for 3rd party insights in email summaries in Outlook, allowing partners to surface richer sales insights. The ability to Save AI notes toCRM directly from the meeting recap, allowing sellers to be able to save meeting notes directly to. CRM. It may take time for specific capabilities to reach every tenant in each market, but we look forward to bringing you even more features in the coming months. We always welcome your feedback and ideas in our product feedback portal. Check out the Cop Pilot for Sales product documentation.

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Microsoft Copilot for Sales is reimagining sales. Integrated seamlessly into your daily tools across Microsoft 365 and Teams, Copilot for Sales harnesses the power of generative AI and customer data to keep sellers in their flow of work so they can spend more time with customers.

We’re excited to announce improved extensibility for 3rd party insights in email summaries in Outlook, allowing partners to surface richer sales insights. We’re also delivering the ability to Save AI notes to CRM (both Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Salesforce) directly from the meeting recap, allowing sellers to be able to save meeting notes directly to CRM.

Capabilities highlighted below are being released this month. It may take time for specific capabilities to reach every tenant in each market. We look forward to bringing you even more features in the coming months!

In Outlook

Improved email summary extensibility for richer third-party insights

Email summaries can now show richer third-party insights. As of this month, the extensibility API now passes more input parameters such as resource data and related entities. Resource data includes the full email content and metadata, message ID, conversation ID, and CRM related entities. Third parties can leverage the additional data to improve the quality of their insights.

These insights appear in:

The email summary on the Outlook canvas (that Premium users see)

The Key email info card in the Outlook side pane (that Standard users see).

In Teams

Easily save meeting notes to CRM following Teams meetings

Today, sellers receive AI generated meeting notes following a meeting as part of Teams’ recap capability, but it is difficult to manually save the notes to CRM. Starting this month, sellers can save AI generated meeting summaries to CRM directly in Teams, eliminating manual logging and context switching. Sellers can also edit the meeting summaries before saving to CRM. This not only saves time but also ensures that your organization’s business data remains up to date and accurate.

As a seller, you can update your CRM directly from the post-meeting Microsoft Teams recap page. Select the Sales button to see sales-related insights.

Select Save to CRM to update your CRM by performing the following actions:

Review and edit the AI-generated meeting summary prior to saving.

Link the meeting entity to a record of your choice.

By default, meeting summaries are saved to the description field of the appointment in Dynamics or event in Salesforce for the sales team to access. For custom entities, admins will choose the save field.

Image of AI generated meeting notes in Teams with the ability to edit and Save to CRM

Image of notification that AI notes have been successfully saved to CRM

Get Started

Join us and other top-performing sales organizations worldwide. Reach out to your Microsoft sales team or visit our product web page.

Install Copilot for Sales. Have a look at our deployment guide for Dynamics 365 Sales users or our deployment guide for Salesforce users.

Learn more

All the details. Check out the Copilot for Sales product documentation.

The latest tips…and more. Copilot for Sales Tip Time can serve as a foundation for your training of Copilot for Sales users, customers, or partners! This content includes use cases and demonstrates how each feature will benefit sellers, administrators, and sales managers.

The latest adoption resources. Visit the Copilot for Sales Adoption Center and find the latest information about how to go from inspiration to adoption.

Stay connected

Learn about the latest improvements before everyone else at https://aka.ms/copilotforsalesupdates. Join our community in the community discussion forum and we always welcome your feedback and ideas in our product feedback portal.

Source: Microsoft.com | View original article

Source: https://www.pcmag.com/news/microsoft-gets-out-of-the-movie-and-tv-business-how-to-save-everything

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