Staying on top of Microsoft 365 changes can feel like a full-time job, especially as Copilot and agent-based experiences continue to evolve. Here are a few recent and upcoming updates worth knowing about if you work with Microsoft 365 Copilot, Frontier features, or tenant-level AI controls.
Workforce Insights agent begins rolling out in Frontier
The Workforce Insights agent is a new Microsoft 365 Copilot agent designed to help leaders and their support staff better understand organizational structure, staffing, and skills. The agent combines organizational data with People Skills data to support scenarios such as workforce planning, skills-based discovery, and identifying opportunities for structural improvements.
From an administrative perspective, the agent appears in the Copilot Control Center in the Microsoft 365 admin center for tenants that have Microsoft 365 Copilot and the Microsoft 365 Copilot in Productivity Apps service plan. Administrators can deploy the agent on behalf of users, restrict access to specific users or groups, or block and remove it entirely if needed. The agent requires at least 50 active Copilot licenses for full functionality. Organizational data must be made available through the Organizational Data in Microsoft 365 service, and People Skills must be set up in the tenant for skill-based prompts to work. Official guidance covering Organizational Data and People Skills configuration is available on Microsoft Learn and should be reviewed before enabling the agent. You can read more about implementing the agent at the following learn article.
As this experience is in Frontier, it is intended for evaluation and feedback, and both availability and capabilities may change during the preview period. As with all Copilot-related rollouts, timelines can shift at any time, but public Preview began December 8, 2025 and is expected to complete by late March 2026.
Unified Frontier Admin Control reaches general availability
Microsoft is rolling out an update that simplifies how Frontier access is managed across Microsoft 365. With this change, Frontier enrollment is handled through a single, unified control that applies consistently across apps, platforms, and agents. This update is covered in Message ID MC1256117 and is aimed at reducing administrative overhead while making Frontier behavior more predictable.
After this rollout, only users enabled through the Frontier Admin Control will be able to see and install Frontier features. Agents published after the rollout will require Frontier enrollment, while some earlier agents may remain available to all Copilot-licensed users. In addition, Frontier features in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are now available to users in the Beta Channel and to users assigned in the Frontier Admin Control who are on Current Channel (Preview) or Current Channel. As always, rollout patterns and feature exposure may continue to evolve.
There is no required configuration action tied to this change, but administrators may want to review current Frontier enrollment and update internal documentation or support guidance accordingly. Frontier enrollment and controls are managed directly in the Microsoft 365 admin center, with additional context available through official Frontier program documentation.
General availability rollout began in early April 2026 and is expected to complete by mid-April 2026.
Copilot Cowork becomes available in Frontier
Copilot Cowork introduces a new execution-focused Copilot agent that can plan, coordinate, and carry out multi-step work across Microsoft 365. Rather than only answering questions, Copilot Cowork helps users turn intent into action by generating plans, coordinating work across apps like Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Teams, and tracking progress over time.
Copilot Cowork is available to users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium) license who are enabled for Frontier. Users can install the agent from the Copilot Agent Store and can pin it for easy access. The experience respects existing Microsoft 365 permissions and requires explicit user approval before performing actions such as sending messages, scheduling meetings, or editing files. Execution can be paused, adjusted, or stopped at any time, keeping users firmly in control.
From an administrative standpoint, the tenant must be enrolled in Frontier, Microsoft-built agents must be enabled, and Anthropic must be allowed as a subprocessor. For tenants in the European Union, Anthropic is disabled by default due to EU Data Boundary requirements and must be explicitly enabled to fully use Cowork. Agent settings, subprocessor configuration, and Frontier enrollment are all managed in the Microsoft 365 admin center (see next paragraph).
Copilot Cowork is available in Frontier now.
New tenant setting for Copilot in M365 apps with Anthropic models
Microsoft has introduced a new tenant-level setting called “Copilot in M365 apps with Anthropic models” to provide more flexibility in model choice for Copilot in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. This change applies to tenants in the European Union, EFTA, and the United Kingdom that use Microsoft 365 Copilot. When enabled, Anthropic models are available by default for Copilot in Excel and PowerPoint, with Word support planned for summer 2026.
This setting is separate from the previously announced global Anthropic subprocessor toggle. If the global setting is already enabled, this update introduces no additional change. Otherwise, the new setting is enabled by default, subject to available Anthropic capacity. When active, processing for Anthropic models occurs outside the EU Data Boundary, although no customer data is stored outside the boundary and all data remains encrypted in transit. Anthropic operates as a Microsoft subprocessor and is covered by Microsoft’s Product Terms and Data Protection Addendum.
Administrators can review or change this setting in the Microsoft 365 admin center under Copilot settings, specifically within the AI providers operating as Microsoft subprocessors section. Official documentation on this setting and Anthropic subprocessor behavior is available and should be reviewed carefully, especially for organizations with strict data residency requirements.
If you keep the default setting, Anthropic model processing for Copilot in Excel and PowerPoint will occur outside the EUDB beginning May 4, 2026. Word support for Anthropic models will be added in summer 2026.
Thanks for reading. If you want to keep up with Microsoft 365, Copilot, and admin-focused updates like these, feel free to follow me on LinkedIn. You’ll find the link in the main menu on the front page.
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