What’s New in Tech (News You Can Use) New AI-driven recap tool in Teams meetings

  • New AI-driven recap tool in Teams meetings 
  • Enhanced SharePoint integration 
  • Improved alerts for system changes 

Microsoft Teams Just Got Better for Hybrid Teams 

Microsoft Teams has steadily become a cornerstone of communication for modern workplaces and now, it’s just taken a big step forward for hybrid and remote teams. 


In its latest update, Microsoft has rolled out new features designed to make collaboration more seamless, reduce meeting fatigue, and help IT teams stay ahead of system changes. Whether you're supporting frontline workers, managing back-office operations, or leading strategy from the boardroom, these enhancements are well worth your attention. 


Here’s what’s new and why it matters. 


AI-Driven Recap Tool: Never Miss a Beat 

One of the most exciting additions is the AI-powered Recap Tool, now integrated into Teams meetings for Microsoft 365 subscribers. 


This feature automatically generates meeting summaries, complete with key points, suggested action items, and even AI-generated speaker timelines. If you've ever come out of a long meeting wondering what decisions were actually made or if you missed a session entirely this tool is a game-changer. 


What It Offers: 

  • Smart Summaries: AI picks out the main discussion points and outcomes. 
  • Action Item Detection: It flags follow-up tasks and who’s responsible. 
  • Speaker Indexing: Review what specific participants said, making it easier to double-check conversations. 


Why It Matters: 

Hybrid teams often struggle with continuity especially when some staff are onsite, others remote, and a few can’t attend live. The Recap Tool helps level the playing field by keeping everyone informed, without requiring someone to manually write up notes or share recordings. 


For time-strapped care home managers, busy retail teams, and high-pressure financial services environments, this means less admin and more clarity. 


SharePoint + Teams: Better Together 

Microsoft has also deepened the integration between SharePoint and Teams, allowing for a more intuitive document collaboration experience. 


What’s New: 

  • Embedded Document Libraries: You can now pin an entire SharePoint library as a tab within a Team, making files easier to find and access. 
  • Improved Co-Authoring: Edit Office files in real-time within Teams without needing to switch between apps. 
  • New Folder Syncing Options: Customise which folders sync locally based on project needs or bandwidth limits. 


Why It Matters: 

This update is ideal for teams managing shared documentation, think patient records in care, compliance documents in finance, or campaign assets in marketing. It means less time digging through folders and more time focused on value-added work. 


Cranborne’s managed clients who rely on structured document storage and version control will especially benefit from the smoother file workflows. 


Smarter Alerts for Admins & Users 

For IT admins and technically inclined users, Microsoft has also introduced improved alerting features that bring better visibility into Teams and system events. 


Key Features: 

  • Custom Notifications for System Changes: Get real-time alerts when sensitive settings are modified. 
  • User-Level Warnings: Users receive clearer prompts when access is denied or network issues arise. 
  • Admin Centre Enhancements: Easier tracking of Teams usage and policy enforcement. 


Why It Matters: 

Whether you're managing a dispersed workforce or supporting sensitive information workflows, being proactive rather than reactive is key to uptime and data protection. With these enhanced alerts, IT teams can troubleshoot faster and even automate responses using Microsoft’s Power Platform. 


For our Cranborne clients using Microsoft Intune or Defender for Business, these improvements also pair well with automated policies that help lock down Teams environments when something seems off. 


A Step Toward Smarter Hybrid Work 

These updates aren’t just technical tweaks they represent Microsoft’s continued investment in making hybrid work actually work. By adding intelligence to meetings, simplifying collaboration, and improving system transparency, Microsoft Teams is positioning itself as more than just a video call app. It’s becoming a digital headquarters for organisations navigating the modern workplace. 


For our clients across retail, health and non-profit, these changes offer tangible benefits: 

  • More productive meetings 
  • Less duplication of effort 
  • Improved data security 
  • Streamlined collaboration across locations 


And best of all, these features are already rolling out so your teams may start seeing benefits right away. 


Need Help Making the Most of It? 

At Cranborne, we help organisations configure and secure Microsoft Teams for their specific sector needs. Whether it’s training staff to use the new AI recap tool, integrating Teams with care planning systems, or tightening security around sensitive conversations, we’re here to make sure your technology supports, not slows, your mission. 


Let us show you how to get the best from Microsoft 365 and Teams. 

Contact Us
August 4, 2025
Unlocking Productivity: How CoPilot Studio Can Transform the Way You Work “CoPilot isn’t about replacing people. It’s about freeing them to do their best work. And CoPilot Studio gives you the tools to make that happen your way”. All businesses today are seeking greater efficiency, clarity, and responsiveness – drivers for business success. We’re increasingly leaning on technology to streamline operations, and Microsoft CoPilot Studio is emerging as a powerful new tool to empower teams, helping them work smarter, faster and with more confidence and security. But what exactly is CoPilot Studio? And how can it help organisations like yours? Let’s break it down. What Is Microsoft CoPilot Studio? CoPilot Studio is Microsoft’s low-code environment that allows businesses to build, customise, and manage their own AI-powered assistants tailored to their unique needs. It integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365 apps like Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and Power Platform. Essentially, it’s a way for you to train your own “CoPilot” to know your workflows, your data, and your users making it infinitely more useful than a general-purpose chatbot. Unlike the default CoPilot that sits within Microsoft 365 (which is still powerful), CoPilot Studio allows customisation and automation beyond what comes out of the box. What’s the Difference Between CoPilot Studio and Other AI Tools? While tools like ChatGPT or other LLMs are great for general brainstorming or copywriting, CoPilot Studio is: Integrated with your Microsoft 365 tools Customisable for your business Able to automate real workflows Trainable on your specific documents and policies It’s not just about “answering questions” it’s about automating tasks and surfacing knowledge in real-time, where your staff already work. Why It Matters for Your Business CoPilot Studio isn’t just a flashy new AI toy, it has real, immediate implications for how small to mid-sized organisations manage work. Here’s how it can drive impact: Custom Workflows Need to automate staff onboarding, document approval, or incident reporting? CoPilot Studio allows you to design those flows with minimal coding. It means less time spent on repetitive admin and more time focused on outcomes. Internal Knowledge Access CoPilot can be trained to access and respond with information from your own documents, policies, or procedures. Staff can ask, “How do I log a safeguarding concern?” or “Where’s the holiday policy?” and get instant answers based on your actual documents, not internet guesses. Sector-Specific Integration Whether you're a care home, a charity, or a retailer CoPilot Studio can adapt to your terminology, systems, and processes. For example: In healthcare, it can provide quick access to care plans or log compliance notes. In the non-profit sector, it can streamline grant applications or volunteer scheduling. In retail, it can help with inventory queries, staff rotas, or FAQs from customers. Real-World Example: From Request to Resolution Let’s say you run a small chain of care homes. A new employee joins and has questions about reporting medication errors. With CoPilot Studio: You’ve already built a simple assistant that sits inside Teams. The assistant is connected to your compliance handbook and company SharePoint site. The new employee opens Teams, types their question, and gets a tailored answer, complete with a link to the reporting form. That’s one less support ticket. One more confident team member. And crucially, faster compliance with CQC standards. Security and Governance Built In A key concern for many organisations is data privacy. Microsoft CoPilot Studio addresses this with enterprise-grade security: Data doesn’t leave your tenant. All information is stored within your Microsoft 365 environment. Role-based access control allows you to limit who can see or edit content. Audit trails and version control ensure oversight and compliance. This makes it a trusted option for regulated industries, like healthcare or finance, where security is non-negotiable. What Does It Take to Get Started? You don’t need to be a developer. Most CoPilot Studio apps can be built using a drag-and-drop interface, similar to Power Automate or Forms. However, working with a partner like Cranborne Tech can help ensure:  Your assistants are compliant, secure, and well-tested You’re integrating CoPilot with SharePoint, Teams, and third-party systems effectively Your users receive proper training and documentation Think of us as your AI adoption guide helping you build once, and benefit for months or years to come. Future Roadmap Organisations piloting CoPilot Studio are already seeing gains in: Staff productivity (less time searching, more time doing) Response consistency (especially for customer service or compliance) Automation ROI (reducing time spent on routine workflows) As Microsoft continues to invest in its AI stack, we expect even tighter integration with Dynamics, Outlook, and third-party SaaS tools. Ready to Explore CoPilot Studio? We’re helping clients right now to map use cases, build internal bots, and reduce time spent on manual processes. If you’d like a quick walkthrough of what CoPilot Studio could do for your organisation, get in touch for a demo or discovery call.
August 4, 2025
Hi everyone, I wanted to share something exciting that’s been brewing behind the scenes (and yes, pun intended) Cranborne Tech is now officially operating in the US. We’ve always been about growing with our clients, and this step is no different. One of our longest-standing partners, Black Sheep Coffee, has expanded across the pond, and we’ve gone with them.  If you know BSC, you know they don’t do anything by halves. Bold brand, fast growth, and a proper challenger spirit. Since 2021, we’ve been their go-to IT partner here in the UK. And now, we’re handling IT rollouts, support, and infrastructure across their growing US store network too. It’s a big moment for them and for us. “Have Tools, Will Travel” Let me be clear: this isn’t just a “we’re now international” PR line. What it really means is: You can trust us to support you beyond the UK We’ve proven we can deliver at speed, at scale, and across borders And if your business is expanding or franchising? We’re the partner who won’t need to ‘start from scratch’ every time you add a new site With BSC, we’ve built and supported 100+ sites across the UK and US, everything from WiFi and tills to AV, CCTV, and fibre installs. And because we know their setup inside out, we’re already in tune with what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to rolling out tech in high-pressure, fast-moving environments. Why This Should Matter to You (Even if You’re Not Selling Coffee) Whether you’re in retail, care, housing, finance, or charity work a lot of the challenges are the same: You need reliable IT that doesn’t slow you down You want someone who gets your business And ideally, you want fewer tech headaches That’s what we do. We’re not flashy. We’re not a faceless call centre. We’re the ones you call when something needs fixing, building, or making simpler. And now we’re offering that same energy in the US too. A Bit About What We Actually Do (in Plain English) Here’s the kind of stuff we’ve been delivering for Black Sheep Coffee and could be doing for you too: Plug-and-play IT installs (we manage the contractors so you don’t have to) POS & network setup that actually works on day one Cyber Essentials Plus protection for retail and hospitality environments Store connectivity with backup 5G (because yes, the internet will go down eventually) 24/7 remote support so your team can focus on customers, not tech tickets The best bit? We’re already approved, tested, and trusted by the people who need us most the store managers, the franchisees, the ops teams who just want things to work. Planning to Grow? Let’s Talk If your business has big plans whether that’s launching new locations, entering new markets, or just wanting to tighten things up operationally, we should chat. We’ve got the people, the tools, and the experience to scale with you. And we’ll never bamboozle you with tech jargon or trap you in long-winded contracts. We do what we say we’ll do. We fix things fast. And we’re proud to grow with the people we work with from the very first store to the 100th and beyond. Want to know more about how we’re supporting BSC in the US, or how we could help with your next move? Just drop me a message. nick@cranborne.tech You’ve probably got my mobile already 😄 Catch up soon, Nick Managing Director, Cranborne Tech