It's incredible how quickly time flies - we're already more than halfway through the year! While it may signal the end of summer, there's still so much to look forward to, especially with the exciting new releases from Microsoft Power Apps. Let's dive into the highlights of the upcoming features in the 2023 release Wave 2, which will be rolling out between October 2023 and March 2024. ​Power Apps is making significant investments in multiple areas as part of the Microsoft Power Platform 2023 release wave 2. Here are some highlights: ​ Copilot for makers and users This innovative feature harnesses the power of AI and natural language to expedite app development. By leveraging Copilot, makers can build and modify apps more efficiently, work with data seamlessly, and enhance overall functionality. Users, on the other hand, can explore data and navigate apps using natural language, greatly enhancing the user experience. Building modern apps Power Apps is introducing updates that will modernize apps by default. These updates will lead to higher developer productivity and user satisfaction. Developers will have access to modern controls, responsive templates, and offline app capabilities. Users can look forward to a refreshed and modernized interface, simpler sharing options, and improved collaboration tools. Enable enterprise scale Power Apps is dedicated to empowering makers and administrators to implement low-code solutions at an enterprise level. Upgrades to Power Apps Studio will enhance monitoring and code management tools, providing makers with better visibility and control over their solutions. These improvements will streamline app development for larger and more complex projects. These investments in Copilot, building modern apps, and enabling enterprise scale demonstrate Power Apps' commitment to delivering cutting-edge features and empowering users to create powerful and scalable solutions. Some of our favorite upcoming features Below are some of our favorite features to look out for. The full list of upcoming features is at the bottom! Power Apps Canvas App Makers can easily unlock a wealth of useful and captivating layouts designed for common scenarios and enhanced with data-connected components. These layouts effortlessly adapt to different window sizes, ensuring a stunning experience for app users on any device. Accessing these immersive designs is just a few clicks away for makers. With the latest update, screen layout templates come pre-configured with layouts for multiple form factors, empowering makers to swiftly create stunning apps for any device. Public Preview: October 2023 Experience the enhanced look and feel of model-driven Power Apps. Power Apps has been updated the user interface to align with Microsoft Fluent Design System, offering makers a stunning range of controls and experiences to captivate users. Revitalize your model-driven app with fresh layouts, themes, and colors. Users can opt-in by selecting "Try the new look". Once enabled, your app will incorporate the latest Microsoft Fluent Design-based elements. And remember, users can switch back to the previous version anytime. ​ Microsoft Fluent is a powerful, open-source design system that enables engaging product experiences, encompassing accessibility, internationalization, and top-notch performance. Public Preview: August 2023 / General Availability: October 2023 Monitor is a widely used debugging tool that helps makers diagnose and resolve app issues. Gain insights into your canvas apps through its user-friendly interface. Microsoft is enhancing Monitor to streamline usability and empower makers to quickly identify and address problems. Key areas Microsoft is focusing on to enhance the Monitor experience: Improved discoverability: We'll make it easier to find and launch Monitor within Power Apps Studio. Data quality enhancements: We'll consolidate duplicate log entries for easier troubleshooting. Enhanced data relevance: We'll establish guidelines to ensure relevant and actionable data in Monitor. UI improvements: Streamlining navigation in Monitor's tabular grid with sorting, highlighting, filtering, and search capabilities. This will be an amazing elevated debugging experience for optimizing canvas apps with ease. Full List of New & Upcoming Features Building Modern Apps Feature Enabled For Public Preview Early Access General Availability Quickly create dataconnected apps with rich, responsive layout templates Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically Mar 2024 - - Enjoy the new look and feel for model-driven Power Apps Users by admins, makers, or analysts Aug 2023 - Oct 2023 Copilot for Power Apps makers and users Feature Enabled For Public Preview Early Access General Availability Write formulas from natural language or examples using Copilot Users by admins, makers, or analysts Oct 2023 - - Use Copilot to build and edit apps in Power Apps Studio Users by admins, makers, or analysts Oct 2023 - - Enable enterprise scale Feature Enabled For Public Preview Early Access General Availability Set the solution context for customizations Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically Oct 2023 - - Debug canvas apps more quickly and efficiently with Monitor tool improvements Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically March 2024 - - Debug canvas apps more quickly and efficiently with Monitor tool improvements Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically March 2024 - - Experience improved named formula browsing in Power Apps Studio Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically March 2024 - - Resize and reposition the Power Fx editor within Power Apps Studio Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically March 2024 - - Resize and reposition the Power Fx editor within Power Apps Studio Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically March 2024 - - Direct new makers to their own developer environments Users by admins, makers, or analysts Aug 2023 - Oct 2023 Power Apps can make direct calls to SQL Server stored procedures Users, automatically - Jun 11, 2023 Oct 2023 ​To learn more about the entire set of capabilities being delivered during the release wave, check out the release plan for Power Apps HERE .

As we excitedly announced last month , Lou Hazim has re-joined RedCloud as an Account Director for our Privacy & Security Practice! Lou adds a valuable set of skills, insights, and an engaging personality based on his more than 20 years of consulting experience. In fact, Lou helped start our Privacy & Security Practice five years ago and is looking forward to expanding on its success so far. He has a passion for helping clients defend and improve their Cyber Security Posture.  Read on to learn more about Lou and his role at RedCloud, as well as a tool he’s added to his belt since we last spoke with him - his work as a volunteer firefighter! What was it like to return to RedCloud? Coming back to RedCloud felt like I never left. Seeing familiar faces and talented teammates is a highlight for sure. Given your background and other experiences, what stands out to you with RedCloud?  I would say the transparency of the management team and the level of talent of this firm is unparalleled. What originally drew you to RedCloud? The feeling of trust and integrity through the initial discussions made it clear that RedCloud was a top-tier firm. Tell us more about the Privacy & Security practice. How are you helping clients?  The importance of improving cyber security posture cannot be overstated for any sized business, no matter their sector or industry. It is crucial for businesses to prioritize and invest in robust cyber security measures to protect their digital assets, mitigate financial losses, preserve reputation and customer trust, comply with regulations, reduce downtime, stay ahead of evolving threats, and safeguard business continuity. Where do you see the future of consulting or the future of RedCloud? The stellar reputation RedCloud has and its dedicated, talented people will lead to tremendous growth. Tell us something unique you do in your time away from RedCloud. I decided to become a volunteer firefighter in my new hometown of Manson, WA.  It is so important for a small town to have a dedicated team of firefighters, especially during the hot summers. Name one piece of technology you couldn’t live without and why? Aside from my iPhone, I would have to say our Sonos system,  We love music! What are you looking forward to the most this year with RedCloud? Landing new key clients and growing the team!

We are thrilled we found time to sit down with our 2023 summer intern, Siqi. With her Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, we can already tell that she’s a self-driven and ambitious individual with a bright future ahead. Read on to learn more about her experience thus far and what app she can’t live without (it may surprise you)! What were your main tasks and projects during the internship? I have primarily focused on conducting background research on the consulting industry and our client base. My research involved utilizing platforms like LinkedIn, Google, and Glassdoor to collect data that will help RedCloud continue to provide our clients with top-notch service and unique and rewarding opportunities for our consultants.  What did you use the most from school in your internship? During my internship at RedCloud, I primarily utilized the soft skills I acquired during my education. These skills included interpersonal skills, data organization skills, and a basic understanding of business concepts. A significant aspect of my internship involved actively and regularly communicating with Account Manager Scott Morton to better understand RedCloud’s current position in the market. Additionally, my expertise in data organization, stemming from my background as an industrial engineering major, allowed me to effectively consolidate seemingly unrelated data and present it coherently and structured. What is it like working with the RedCloud team? I decided to join RedCloud primarily because of its inclusive and supportive atmosphere. Despite being a short-term intern, I have experienced a strong sense of respect and integration within the team. I greatly appreciate Scott for providing me with this opportunity and emphasizing the importance of my learning experience during the internship rather than merely focusing on completing mandatory tasks. What were the biggest takeaways you had from your internship? The most significant lesson I learned is to go beyond the minimum requirements when approaching tasks. I view my internship as a stepping stone from academic life to the professional world, encompassing both skill development and a shift in mindset. In school, I often focused solely on completing assigned tasks without fully grasping the broader significance or ultimate objective of the assignment. However, RedCloud has taught me the value of working backward. This approach involves identifying the desired end goal and then meticulously planning and implementing all the necessary steps to accomplish that goal. By adopting this proactive mindset, I have learned to take ownership of my work and actively contribute to the overarching objectives of the organization. What do you think will translate most to your next job that you learned? The internship provided me with valuable experience, particularly in terms of the web tools I became proficient in and the work mindset I cultivated. One key aspect of this experience is that having prior knowledge or exposure to similar tasks enhances my ability to complete assignments successfully.   Where do you see the future of RedCloud? Based on my current understanding, I think RedCloud has the capacity to become the top technology consulting firm in Washington. This is due to its comprehensive consulting services, which combine various aspects. Moreover, RedCloud has received an impressive rating of 4.9 (out of 5.0) on Glassdoor, indicating that it is highly regarded and has a welcoming environment for both clients and employees.  Name a piece of tech you can’t live without or your favorite app? An important piece of tech that I can’t live without is LinkedIn since it’s an efficient tool for me to not only connect with and learn the experiences of people around me but also search for companies’ information, background, and recent activities.

Meet Tugcem Kurbanzade, a Senior Consultant on our team who joined RedCloud last year. She’s quickly become a valuable member of our team, leveraging her expertise in Microsoft Power Platform technologies to help our clients. Read on to learn more about Tugcem, how she envisions the future of consulting, and what piece of technology she can’t live without!​ Briefly describe your role and how long you've been at RedCloud. As a Senior Consultant at RedCloud, where my main area of expertise is Microsoft Power Platform technologies, my job involves designing and implementing creative business solutions for our clients, which help to enhance productivity and streamline processes. This is achieved through the development of customized business applications, automation tools, and analytics dashboards. I have been a part of the RedCloud team since October 2022. What was it like to join RedCloud (onboarding process)? My experience of becoming a part of RedCloud was seamless, thanks to their well-organized onboarding process. I was offered a thorough orientation program, which included meeting fellow colleagues, getting acquainted with the work culture, and learning about different projects and resources. Our BS&I Practice lead, Benny Swedberg, was always approachable, and he ensured that I never felt lost or uncertain about what to do. This was a refreshing change from other companies where confusion is common during the onboarding process. Given your background and other experiences, what stands out to you with RedCloud? What stands out to me about RedCloud is its dedication to innovation and the collaborative work environment. The company constantly invests in the latest technologies and encourages employees to develop new skills. At RedCloud, we work on a diverse range of projects for a wide variety of clients. The team at RedCloud is also very diverse, which means that everyone brings something unique to the table. This diversity creates an environment that fosters growth and development, allowing team members to learn new skills and expand their knowledge base. Moreover, RedCloud offers an abundance of support and resources to its team members, treating them with utmost respect and trust. This approach ensures that team members can lead their work without feeling unable to make decisions or suggestions. What originally drew you to RedCloud? Initially, I was interested in RedCloud due to its established reputation as a top-notch technology consulting company that specializes in Microsoft Power Platform technologies. Moreover, the firm's dedication to assisting clients in enhancing their business procedures and productivity was in line with my career objectives. Where do you see the future of consulting or the future of RedCloud? I see the future of consulting being driven by the increasing importance of digital transformation and data-driven decision-making. RedCloud is well-positioned for this future, as it is at the forefront of leveraging new technologies and methodologies to deliver cutting-edge solutions to its clients. Name one piece of technology you couldn’t live without and why? One piece of technology I couldn't live without is my smartphone. It enables me to stay connected with colleagues and clients, manage my calendar and emails, access important documents, and utilize various productivity apps that help me stay organized and efficient. What are you looking forward to the most this year with RedCloud? This year, I'm most looking forward to working on some exciting new projects at RedCloud, where we will be utilizing the latest Power Platform features and innovations to assist our clients in staying ahead of the competition and driving their businesses forward.

Meet Marco, a valued senior associate on our team who recently returned to RedCloud to join our Business Solutions and Intelligence team. With deep consulting experience and previous RedCloud experience, he has a bright future ahead. Read on to learn more about Marco and his role at RedCloud, what attracted him to our team, and hear about his goals for 2023. ​ Briefly describe your role and how long you've been at RedCloud My current role at RedCloud is Senior Associate. At the moment, I am on the business solutions and intelligence team over at our clients Savers. This is my second stint with RedCloud.  What was it like to join RedCloud (onboarding process)? Given that this is my second time around, onboarding was very simple. Previously knowing all the people that helped me onboard made a considerable difference. Scott, Benny, Sean, and Emily made it a very enjoyable experience for me. Given your background and other experiences, what stands out to you with RedCloud? The people at RedCloud are amazing, they truly view you as a friend, and they make your success their success. Having worked at several companies in tech, I can honestly say that RedCloud attracts the very best people. It is a pleasure working with such talented and invested individuals. What originally drew you to RedCloud? What originally drew me to RedCloud was the work and the learning opportunity that I could see with this group. When I first started here in 2020, I was fairly new to the Power Apps platform, and I certainly wanted to get more experience. After interviewing with Benny (Practice Lead), I knew I wanted to learn as much as I could from him. Where do you see the future of consulting or the future of RedCloud? I see an extremely bright future for RedCloud, I think the company benefits from great leadership at multiple levels, is well-positioned in the market, and employs some of the best talent in the area. You can see the fruits of that in just how much the company has grown in the last few years. It is a very exciting time to be a part of RedCloud Consulting, I am very excited to be part of this team. Name one piece of technology you couldn’t live without and why? I hate to admit this, but I would have to say my iPhone, one of my goals for 2023 is to cut back on my screen time, so perhaps by this time next year, I will have a different answer. Unlikely, but that is my hope! What are you looking forward to the most this year with RedCloud? Getting settled in and establishing myself within both RedCloud and Savers, I look forward to adding immediate value to our teams and helping meet the goals of the company.

Junior Achievement of Washington (known as “JA”) has been a partner of RedCloud for many years, with our consultants volunteering in classrooms around the Seattle area to teach JA’s business and finance curriculum to elementary students, and to help support JA’s “BizTown”, a unique marketplace where students operate a micro-economy for a day. Those experiences provide important hands-on opportunities for our team to volunteer in the community at the nexus of RedCloud’s community program: children and education. But this year we’re taking things up a notch in RedCloud’s support of JA. While our consultants can roll up their sleeves and teach during a “JA Day'', we also saw the opportunity to keep our “consulting” hats on and dive into the operations and broader strategy of the JA organization. Kicking-off in the spring of 2023, we’re beginning a set of pro bono consulting services to help JA achieve one of its largest strategic goals: attract, retain and generally increase volunteer participation - the lifeblood of their programs. To that end, our RedCloud team of experts led by Senior Account Manager Scott Morton and Business Services & Intelligence Practice Lead Benny Swedberg have begun engagement with JA’s team to help in two specific areas: ​ Bolstering JA’s volunteer marketing strategy to drive awareness and engagement with potential volunteers. Auditing and evolving JA’s volunteer marketing technology and toolset to improve efficiencies and support marketing efforts. Ultimately these efforts are leading the development of a go-to-market (GTM) plan that will help JA: Increase number of contactable volunteers in the organization’s database. Increases the number of volunteers per each JA event (i.e. “JA Day”, “BizTown”). Expand social media reach to a broader audience through like, shares, and follows. On the tech side, the RedCloud team identified the need to improve the tools and platforms associated with JA’s Volunteer Lifecycle, and specifically the JA event check-in experience for their volunteers. Our team is currently developing a set of recommendations for an online platform or application for volunteers to: Manage their profile. Sign up for events. Check-in at events. Access live chat for support. Receive push notifications. Additional features that will help streamline the entire volunteer process. Lastly, our tech experts are assessing the reporting needs of JA, and how a revamped set of business intelligence reports can help leadership make decisions about volunteering needs. ​ Giving back through our Community program is a core value at RedCloud and believe it’s up to each one of us to extend a helping hand when we can, whether the gesture be big or small. We’re honored to partner with JA and look forward to reporting back on the outcomes of this project!

Today in our ongoing Learning Series, Senior Associate Matt Little dives into the technology and strategy behind the use of chatbots driven by artificial intelligence. Matt is a member of our skilled Data & AI and Digital Solutions Team teams, who has previously shared his thoughts on RedCloud and the industry in our 10 Minutes With profiles. AI Chatbots have quickly become an integral part of our digital lives, and more and more businesses are adopting them as an enhancement to their user’s experience every day. We already see Chatbots serving many purposes. They can be a virtual assistant/co-pilot, sales/lead generator, customer support agent, self-service portal for IT troubleshooting or HR questions, and much more. However, not all Chatbots are created equal. As a new adopter of Chatbots, you may be asking yourself “How do I ensure that my Chatbot is becoming more efficient and effective over time?”. ​ In this blog post, we will explore important concepts you need to know to analyze the performance of a Microsoft Power Virtual Agents Chatbot, so that you can feel confident you’re getting a great return on your investment in this new and exciting space. Why Microsoft Power Virtual Agents (PVA)? ​​ We chose to focus specifically on PVA for this post because it’s a quick, easy, and cost-effective application through which AI Chatbots can be built. The pace and sophistication of these Chatbots are improving all the time, as Microsoft continues to integrate functionality from Chat GPT’s large language model, many of which are already available in the preview version of PVA today. If your organization already uses Microsoft 365, you can sign up right now for a Free 30 Day Trial of Power Virtual Agents and get started on your Chatbot journey. ​ Intro to Chatbot Terms & Metrics We’ll begin by defining the most critical words you’ll see when evaluating your Chatbot’s performance: Session - when a user interacts with your Bot or the Bot sends a proactive message to the user. Topic – a designation that determines how a Bot will respond to a user’s question, assigned based on the Bot’s understanding of the user’s intent or their use of specific trigger phrases. Engaged Sessions – a Session where an in-scope Topic for the Bot has been triggered (i.e. the Topic is something the Bot can answer), or an escalation to a live agent has occurred. Once begun, this can result in 1 of 3 potential outcomes: Resolved – User confirms the interaction was a success and/or that the conversation can end. Escalated – The conversation is transferred to a live agent or support ticket. Abandoned – The conversation times out after 30 minutes of inactivity, without being Resolved or Escalated. ​ Total Sessions – a count of the number of Sessions within a period of time. Engagement Rate – Engaged Sessions divided by Total Sessions, expressed a percentage. Resolution Rate – Resolved Sessions divided by Engaged Sessions, expressed a percentage. Escalation Rate - Escalated Sessions divided by Engaged Sessions, expressed a percentage. Abandoned Rate – Abandoned Sessions divided by Engaged Sessions, expressed a percentage. Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) – Score(s) provided by the user via a survey at the conclusion of a Session. Impact Score – how much a particular Topic contributes to a Rate, based on volume. Optimizing Bot Performance Over Time Now that we’ve got a baseline understanding of how a Chatbot’s performance is evaluated, let’s move on to how you’ll recognize trends in these metrics and start to drive them in the right direction. Accuracy of the Bot’s Responses ​Indicated by increasing Resolution Rate and/or decreasing Escalation Rate, while controlling for Abandonment Rate over time. Taking a more granular look at the Topics with the highest Impact Scores for these measures will give you a starting point for where the biggest improvements can be found. Accuracy will be improve over time if you are: regularly training your Bot on new/updated information that’s relevant to its purpose iterating on the paths & nodes the bot will follow once a Topic has been identified ​​​optimizing the trigger phrases used by the Bot to determine the Topic of the conversation use Microsoft 365’s Copilot to allow the AI to write new Topics, nodes, and responses for itself based on your inputs of what is missing Speed of the Bot’s Understanding and Response ​User expectations for Speed will be most clearly indicated in CSAT responses, and can be compared against the number of prompts needed to understand the user’s question, and the time spent by the Bot once it does generate a response. In cases where the Bot has do things like make calls out to trigger Power Automate Flows, you can also compare the duration of these Flow Runs against User expectations for Speed. Speed will improve over time if you are: optimizing the trigger phrases used by the Bot to determine the Topic of the conversation simplify the Conversation Path and/or the variables & calculations the Bot needs to perform to generate its response ​pre-filtering/loading less data in Power Automate flows, returning Flow Outputs to the Bot in earlier steps, or running Flow actions in parallel branches rather than sequentially User Satisfaction & User Engagement ​CSAT responses typically serve as a proxy for overall User Satisfaction. This data can be gathered in the form of an end of conversation survey, a prompt for the user to leave a rating, and/or by performing a sentiment analysis of the user’s tone and word choice while conversing with the Bot. User Engagement can be evaluated by sampling the behaviors of a representative group of users of the Bot. How are their Session counts changing over time? How much time are they spending with the Bot per Session before Escalation or Resolution? Are they returning to use the Bot as it gets trained on new information? Are the questions they ask evolving to take better advantage of the Bot’s full range of capabilities? ​Improving User Satisfaction and User Engagement over time will be highly contextual for each Bot. Most importantly though, the data gathered for these measures should be paired up with anecdotal evidence in order to gain a deeper understanding of specifically how the Bot can offer a better user experience in the future. ​Regularly monitoring and analyzing these metrics will give you a solid understanding of your Chatbot’s current level of performance, how to identify areas for optimization, and how to continuously refine the conversational abilities of your Bot. Now, go enjoy unlocking the potential that AI Chatbot’s have to offer!

Office Scripts in Excel and more The final breakout session of the weekend for us was on Office Scripts in Excel. This is a relatively new feature that helps automate tasks, both inside Excel, but also outside of the context of an Excel file. In our opinion, these Scripts are an underutilized capability.  ​ These Scripts are like VBA scripts in many ways but do have differences. As noted by the speaker, they are not yet on parr with the capabilities of VBA but are tracking to reach parity in the near future. Where they really shine is in integration with Power Automate. A common example would be formatting an Excel based report that is generated every week. The Automation detects when the report was received via email, saved to the proper SharePoint folder, and then runs the Office Script to properly format, filter data, and even generate pivot tables and charts.  ​ There were a couple of other exciting improvements. First was the general release of Power Automate buttons within Excel. This will run very similarly to the instant flow triggers that can be found on a SharePoint list. We think this will be useful, but once again, it will temp everyone to create Excel files that really should be replaced with a Power App.  Another exciting one is a new Power Automate Excel automated trigger. This trigger would be activated when a particular range in an Excel file is modified! It will use a named range, and there are some things to still be figured out by the engineering team. Powerful? Yes! Tempting to turn Excel into an app again? Yes! ​ Closing Keynote The Conference closed out with a fitting keynote that provided tangible advice on change management, adoption, and engagement. Dan Holme, the Microsoft product leader for Viva Engage, led the keynote with grounded advice that unified best practices that any business could benefit from, with the Viva platform. ​ Before the conference we were not as excited or informed about Viva as we are now. Yes, it is a newer service that is still maturing, but it is clear that internal company communications, community, and culture can be cultivated with its help. We’d encourage you start exploring Viva one module at a time so you don’t get overwhelmed. For example, start with Viva Connections  or Viva Engage . Get to know it and share with others what you think is actually helpful.   Other links we think you’d find helpful  Microsoft Adoption Learning   M365 Champions   Community Days

Day 2 at the Microsoft 365 Conference focused on two main themes: Copilot and Viva announcements. Below is a recap of some of our top announcements and notes.  All new sharing dialog All new sharing dialog in Microsoft 365 with a better UX design and updated UI that is simplified and makes external sharing prompts more obvious. VIVA Las Vegas! Viva announcement highlights! ​ Custom Topic Types for Viva Topics ​Knowledge Managers can define and edit custom topic types that can offer important context on the nature of the topic entity. Viva Pulse Viva Pulse is a feedback tool that empowers managers to get day to day feedback on projects and team dynamics, resulting in quicker action. Using smart templates, research-backed questions, and analytics, Viva Pulse enables teams to use their voice so they can help managers pinpoint what's working well and which areas to focus on over time Answers in Viva Find answers and experts from across your organization. Ask questions and gather knowledge and expertise for all employees. Upvote crowdsourced responses or questions to get your voice heard and get your questions answered.  Search for answers, assign experts to route questions to the right place, and crowdsource solutions in Viva.   Viva Amplify Microsoft Viva Amplify empowers leaders and communicators to elevate their message and energize their people by meeting employees where they are. Communicate easier - Centralize communication processes in a single space, so you can save time and focus on what matters. Communicate better - Write messages that stick with writing guidance and reporting from your organization. Be heard - Drive engagement with your message by meeting employees where they are. Viva Goals + Copilot Copilot in Viva goals recommends goals, summarizes progress for check-ins and dashboards, and conversational assistance. Goals everywhere - Live people cards, share goals via Outlook and Teams, and even export to PowerPoint. Goal Outcomes - Connect outcomes to the flow of work. Connectors from MS Project, Dynamics 365, and ServiceNow.

Meet Bidemi Ologunde! He joined RedCloud in May 2022 as a threat intelligence consultant. When he’s not gathering and analyzing potential security threats for clients, he’s sharing the latest developments in cybersecurity and intelligence on his podcast, “The Bid Picture Podcast.” Read on to learn more about Bidemi, his role at RedCloud, and how he’s helping our clients address some of the largest cyber challenges of the day!​ Briefly describe your role at RedCloud. As a threat intelligence consultant at RedCloud, my primary responsibility is to identify, evaluate and respond to security threats. To fulfill this role, I stay updated on the most recent cyber threats and attack methods. I gather and analyze information on potential security threats, which includes identifying their origin, their potential impact on the organization, and the probability of an attack. In addition, I collaborate in developing strategies to reduce these threats. This may involve implementing security measures and protocols, educating staff on cybersecurity best practices, and creating contingency plans for responding to security incidents. Tell us a bit more about your podcast, its origin, topics covered, guests you have on and audience?  Sharing knowledge and information with others has always been a passion of mine. During the early days of the pandemic, I found myself listening to more podcasts and realized that I could also create my own. So, in January 2021, "The Bid Picture Podcast'' was born, where I discuss the daily implications of cybersecurity and intelligence analysis. In today's digital age, cybersecurity threats are on the rise and the stakes have never been higher. My goal was to make the podcast relatable to various audiences, including small business owners, government officials, corporate executives, parents, teenagers, grandparents, and anyone concerned about their online security. On my podcast, I cover the latest developments in cybersecurity and intelligence analysis and how they impact our daily lives. I also invite guests from diverse backgrounds to share their insights on pressing issues such as data breaches, cyber attacks, online surveillance, and more. Whether you're looking for practical tips on securing your online accounts or in-depth discussions on national security and geopolitics, "The Bid Picture Podcast" has everything you need to stay informed on the latest developments in cybersecurity and intelligence analysis.  Check out Bid’s podcast on your favorite streaming platforms:  Apple Podcasts  | Google Podcasts  | Amazon Music  | Spotify   If you had to give a business 3 points of key Cybersecurity advice, what would they be, what should they be most concerned about or focused on?  The top priority for organizational leaders should be to prioritize cybersecurity as a business issue, rather than just an IT issue. A cyber attack or data breach can have a significant impact on an organization's reputation and financial standing. It is crucial that top-level executives consider cybersecurity a strategic priority and allocate adequate resources to protect their organization's assets and reputation. Additionally, cybersecurity should be integrated into the overall business strategy and risk management should be an ongoing process. Educating employees on cybersecurity best practices is crucial. Employees are the first line of defense against cyber threats. Organizations must provide regular training and education to their workforce on how to identify phishing emails, recognize social engineering attacks, and understand the importance of strong passwords and multi-factor authentication. The organization should promote a culture of cybersecurity awareness and encourage employees to report any suspicious activity immediately. It is essential to regularly test and update cybersecurity defenses. Cyber threats are continually evolving, and it is critical to keep security defenses up to date. Organizations should conduct regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to identify and address vulnerabilities in their systems and applications. They should also keep their software and security patches up to date and implement proactive security measures such as firewalls, intrusion detection, and prevention systems. Organizations must recognize that cybersecurity is an ongoing process that requires continual evaluation and updating of defenses to stay ahead of the threat landscape. We understand you are tracking the developments in AI, as they relate to Cybersecurity. What industries will be most impacted by the AI revolution, and are there any particular security concerns emerging around this new technology? The AI revolution is expected to impact a wide range of industries, but some industries are likely to experience more significant changes than others. Here are a few examples: Healthcare: Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize the healthcare industry in various ways, ultimately improving patient outcomes. While AI has the potential to improve the healthcare industry, there are important ethical and privacy considerations to be addressed when implementing AI in healthcare. Nonetheless, with the potential benefits it brings, AI is poised to revolutionize healthcare by making it more efficient, personalized, and effective in improving patient outcomes. Finance: The finance industry can benefit greatly from AI, which has the potential to revolutionize the sector by improving efficiency, personalization, and risk management, revolutionizing the way it operates and serves its customers. Manufacturing: AI has enormous potential to transform the manufacturing industry, enhancing its efficiency, productivity, and cost-effectiveness. However, it's critical to consider ethical and social considerations such as the potential impact on jobs and the need for sustainable and responsible manufacturing practices. Transportation: The transportation industry stands to gain significant benefits from AI in various areas including self-driving vehicles, predictive maintenance, real-time traffic data analysis, and more.  Retail: AI is expected to help retailers to personalize marketing, optimize inventory management, and enhance customer service. However, retailers must also consider important ethical and privacy considerations when implementing AI, such as protecting customer data and ensuring fairness in pricing and promotion. With that being said, there are several security concerns around the emerging AI technology, including data privacy, adversarial attacks, lack of transparency, cybersecurity threats, and autonomous weapons to name a few. These concerns highlight the importance of developing AI technology in a responsible and transparent way that prioritizes security and ethical considerations. Where do you see the future of Cybersecurity consulting headed? What will consultants be called on to focus in the future?  The cybersecurity consulting industry shows great promise for the future, fueled by the rising demand for services driven by increasing cyber threats, new technologies, and regulatory compliance requirements. However, the industry needs to remain adaptable and innovative to meet the changing needs of businesses and organizations in the years ahead. Here are five potential factors that could impact the industry in the coming years: As cyber threats continue to evolve and become more complex, businesses of all sizes will need to invest in cybersecurity services to safeguard their networks, data, and assets. This will likely lead to a surge in demand for cybersecurity consulting services. The emergence of new technologies, such as the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, may create new cybersecurity risks and challenges, requiring specialized expertise and consulting services. Heightened regulations and compliance requirements, such as the GDPR and CCPA, may generate a greater demand for cybersecurity consulting services to assist businesses in navigating intricate data privacy and security regulations. The scarcity of cybersecurity professionals is projected to continue, creating an increasing demand for consulting services to help businesses address their cybersecurity needs and fill the gap. As more businesses adopt remote work and cloud computing, cybersecurity consulting services will be essential to ensure the safety and security of these new technologies from cyber threats. We understand you've also written a book, can you tell us more about that?  In August 2020, I had the privilege of publishing a book titled “Feet of Clay: Democracy, Democratic Values & Destructive Influences."  It is a compilation of essays that explores how and why democratic values are now being threatened by social issues that have been neglected for years, such as gender and income inequality, poverty and unemployment, civil rights violations, racial discrimination, and crime, among others. As an immigrant who came to the U.S. in 2012, I became interested in the similarities and differences in the social issues in Nigeria, my home country, and the U.S. Those personal observations, in addition to the knowledge I gained from academic and non-academic sources, as well as my extensive travels to all 50 U.S. states over time, culminating in these reflections on democracy, democratic values, and their potentially destructive impacts. Name one piece of technology you couldn’t live without and why? My most valuable gadget is undoubtedly my smartphone. Its versatility allows me to easily communicate with others, access information, perform a variety of tasks, and stay connected with the world. Moreover, it helps me stay organized, productive, and entertained with a plethora of applications and features available at my disposal. Consequently, my smartphone has become an essential tool that I cannot imagine living without.

This week, the annual Microsoft 365 Conference in Las Vegas is taking place. It is one of the largest, in-person gatherings of Microsoft engineers and the community in the world. Benny and Yusuf from the BS&I team are at the conference representing the RedCloud team and sharing highlights and announcements with you all. Below is the recap from Day 1 of the conference.  Keynote with Jeff Teper & Rajesh Jha Today we found ourselves at the Microsoft M365 Conference to learn more about new developments in business tech and also connect with others in the industry. The 3-day event kicked off strong with a not so unsurprising trend, AI.  Jeff Teper and Rajesh Jha led the Keynote speech with a clear message in mind, and that was displaying to the world that they are taking AI seriously, and exploring every possible way to integrate it into business applications, the cloud, and security.   According to Jeff, of the users on GitHub who have had early access to Microsoft Copilot, 88% said that they benefited from using the Copilot AI features in code development. More impressively, of those 88% of users, 50% of their code came from Copilot! This is true productivity value! Instead of searching and digging through code repositories or documentation, Copilot automatically finds and adds it. That is huge!  ​On Microsoft Teams, Copilot is going to help those individuals who were running late to a meeting by being able to summarize the discussion that they had missed. This can even include the general sentiment and tone of the meeting. It doesn't take a genius to see the value, but we will admit that it brings up questions. How will those sentiment analyses be stored and used at manager or tenant level analytics? Who is to blame when there is a misunderstanding because the summary provided is inaccurate and leads to misunderstandings or wrong decisions? Going forward with AI, there is going to be a new tension between efficiency, human agency, and trust. If it will be important to strike a balance, because if not, there could be a drastic drop in conscious and unconscious confidence in content that you consume.  ​  Following the keynote, we had some opportunities to choose a few break out sessions on different topics and services. ​ SharePoint Innovations + Copilot Today's SharePoint announcements follow four main themes: Simpler authoring Compelling content. Deeper engagement Flexible platform  Below are some of our favorite announcements. To see the full detailed announcements check out Microsoft's post here . Introducing Copilot for SharePoint AI and Copilot has been making waves in Microsoft apps, so it's no surprise it will be integrated with many products like SharePoint. With the Copilot feature for SharePoint, you can turn your words into SharePoint sites and pages. If you can describe the site or page, Copilot in SharePoint will begin to create it for you, and then work with you to edit and refine it. And all within our existing commitments to data security and privacy in the enterprise. These new capabilities will enable you to spend less time setting up SharePoint sites and give you confidence that your site is using the best that SharePoint has to offer.  New start page for creating sites From newsletters, event announcements, project tracking sites, and more, the updated SharePoint start page features templates that connect the intranet directly to your most common team and organizational communication needs. We're loving this announcement, because now getting started creating sites and pages will be easier than ever!​ Coauthoring with team members SharePoint’s new page coauthoring capabilities make it easy for editors to come together into the same page canvas and craft their content in real time. These coauthoring capabilities are powered by the Fluid framework, the same technology that enables real-time collaboration in Microsoft Loop.    New brand center The new brand center in SharePoint is the hub for your brand guidelines for colors, fonts, logos, etc. You can reuse these branding elements across sites, and SharePoint will provide the right guardrails so you can be confident that site owners are aligning with your branding guidelines. OneDrive - All new user experience The new OneDrive Home experience reduces the time to find your files so you can spend more time being productive. The new “For you” area uses AI-powered file recommendations to surface files personalized to you, bringing the most relevant, time-sensitive content to top of your OneDrive. We’ve also added rich, context-based organization, such as views that show you recent, shared, and favorite and files from meetings. These views help you get back to content quickly. And lastly, inline activity updates let you catch up on files at a glance or jump right to comments in files that you want to address.

We sat down with Tony Dulay after he had settled into his role at RedCloud. With an impressive career focused on identifying the best candidates for the job, Tony brought years of experience in recruitment - and specifically in consulting - to our team. Read on to learn more about Tony and his previous role at RedCloud, what attracted him to our team, and hear about what social media platform he couldn’t live without. ​ Briefly describe your role at RedCloud. I work with the recruiting team on sourcing and hiring great people and working on various projects, from employment branding to process improvement. What was it like to join RedCloud (onboarding process)?  The process was PHENOMENAL! I don’t think I ever had someone walk me through each step and ensure I had professional and personal access to all my systems (benefits). Emily and Shana both did a great job. Given your background and other experiences, what stands out with RedCloud?  My answer is cliché, but the people. The comrade was felt between the group from day one. What initially drew you to RedCloud?  I like the idea of working at a smaller company. You can see the impact that your work has on the firm. You also can bring new ideas to the table and be heard by senior leadership. Where do you see the future of consulting or RedCloud? Consulting allows working professionals to work on various projects and time management. RedCloud can provide these professionals options on projects and teams they want to work on. It also allows them to have a flexible work schedule, a consultant can choose to take a break between projects/assignments. Name one piece of technology you couldn’t live without and why?  It’s not a technology but a social media platform. Facebook has allowed me to stay connected and stay close to my family. It’s great to see what each family member is doing and accomplishing. This was more useful to me when I was living out of state.