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Copilot AI: What You Need to Know

If you’ve heard the word “Copilot” thrown around lately and aren’t quite sure what it means for your business, you’re not alone. Microsoft now uses “Copilot” to describe several different AI tools, and knowing which one does what can save you a lot of confusion — and help you find the one that actually saves you time.

In our recent webinar, “Copilot AI: What You Need to Know” VP of Sales & Marketing, Mark Torguson talked about what Copilot AI can do for you in an easy to understand format. Here’s the plain-language rundown.

What Is Copilot, Really?

Copilot is an AI assistant built right into the Microsoft tools you already use. It helps you write, summarize, analyze, and get answers using everyday language — no formulas, no menus to dig through.

Here’s how it works in three simple steps:

  • You just ask. Type a request in plain English — Copilot figures out what you need.
  • It does the work. It drafts the email, cleans up the spreadsheet, or reconciles the account for you.
  • You stay in control. Copilot suggests; you review, edit, and approve before anything is final.

what is copilot 3 columns of text explaining the features

It’s not a chatbot bolted on the side. It’s woven directly into Outlook, Excel, Teams, and Business Central.

The Copilot Ecosystem: Three Flavors

When people say “Copilot,” they usually mean one of three things:

  • Microsoft 365 Copilot — across your everyday apps. Draft and summarize in Outlook and Word, analyze data and build formulas in Excel, and recap meetings and chats in Teams.
  • Copilot in Business Central — inside your ERP. It suggests marketing text and sales lines, matches bank statements and e-invoices, and gives you cash-flow and inventory insight.
  • Copilot Studio & Agents — custom AI that acts for you. Build agents in plain language and automate repetitive back-office tasks (the new Payables Agent in Business Central, coming in 2026, is a great example).

Copilot Across Microsoft 365

The tools your team already opens every day now come with an assistant built in:

  • Outlook — draft replies, catch up on long threads, and turn email into clear action items.
  • Excel — clean messy data, build and explain formulas, and generate instant summaries.
  • Teams — get live meeting recaps, decisions, and follow-ups without taking a single note.
  • Word — create first drafts of proposals, SOWs, and letters from a short prompt.
  • SharePoint — ask questions across your sites and libraries, with answers linked back to source files.
  • PowerPoint — turn notes or a document into a first-draft deck, then refine the design.

copilot across microsoft 365 with icons

Copilot and Agents Inside Business Central

AI is built directly into the finance and operations work your team does every day:

  • Bank reconciliation assist — suggests the right G/L account and auto-matches statement lines.
  • E-invoice & PO matching — maps incoming e-documents to purchase orders and invoice lines.
  • Sales, Expense, and Payables Agents — write product descriptions and handle routine transaction work.
  • Sales & inventory forecasting — anticipates demand and flags late-payment risk before it hurts.
  • Chat with your data — ask questions in plain language and find records without digging through menus.
  • Cash-flow analysis — turns your numbers into clear, decision-ready insight.

Build Your Own with Copilot Studio

Copilot Studio is where you build, publish, and govern agents for your own business — no developer required:

  • Describe it, get an agent. Turn plain-language intent into a working agent, then refine it visually.
  • Owns whole workflows. Agents can act across your systems end to end, not just answer questions.
  • Choose your models. Evaluate and select the models behind each agent and connect them to your own data.
  • Govern and scale. Admin, security, and cost controls, with usage-based credits instead of per-user licenses.

Sorting Out the Alphabet Soup: Chat, Work IQ, Cowork, and Scout

Microsoft’s AI lineup can look like alphabet soup at first glance. Here’s how the four pieces differ in scope and automation level:

• Copilot Chat — a free, web-based AI assistant for general productivity. It’s great for brainstorming, drafting, and quick research, but it only sees public web data (no company data) and can’t run workflows.
• Work IQ — the organizational memory layer that connects AI to your Microsoft 365 data. It reasons over your email, files, meetings, Teams chats, and calendar, and powers Cowork and custom agents with real organizational context.
• Cowork — your AI teammate. It’s agentic AI that executes multi-step tasks on its own, working across Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and partner plugins, with built-in approval checkpoints so nothing happens without a person’s sign-off.
• Scout — a device-level agent for IT diagnostics, remediation, and endpoint management. It works at the machine level, not inside documents or apps, and is currently in preview.

See the graphic below for a visual breakdown:

copilot app functionality chart of features

Use It Responsibly: You Own the Output

AI is a starting point, not a finished product. A few ground rules to keep in mind:

  • Verify the facts. AI can sound confident while being completely wrong — cross-check all claims, data, and references before sharing.
  • Check for bias. Review AI output for discriminatory, inappropriate, or misleading language, and adjust the tone for your audience.
  • Get a second review. Client deliverables, legal documents, and financial reports must be reviewed by a qualified person before going out.
  • Disclose when needed. Don’t misrepresent AI-generated work as entirely your own — be transparent about how content was created.

“Is My Data Safe?”

Short answer: Yes. Copilot runs on the Microsoft trust and security foundation you already rely on.

  • Your data stays yours. Copilot doesn’t use your business data to train the public AI models.
  • Your existing controls apply. It honors the same permissions, roles, and security you have today.
  • Enterprise-grade protection. Encryption, multi-factor sign-in, and compliance are built into the Microsoft cloud.
  • You approve everything. Copilot proposes; nothing posts or sends until a person says yes.

Licensing at a Glance

Three offerings, three very different ways to pay — and all of them can be purchased through Implementation Specialists:

  • Copilot Chat (Included) — no additional cost. It comes with an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription, giving every user secure, work-grounded AI chat with nothing extra to buy.
  • Work IQ (Per User) — Priced per user, per month. It requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot Premium license on an annual term (SMB add-on options start lower) — just ask
  • Cowork (Pay As You Go) — purchased in prepaid Copilot Credits, so you pay only for the work it actually does. We’ll help you size and manage the credit pool.

copilot licensing prices at a glance - implementation specialists

The Payoff for Your Business

  • Less busywork — automate reconciliations, matching, and data cleanup that used to eat hours.
  • Faster decisions — turn raw ERP data into cash-flow and inventory insight on demand.
  • Better first drafts — emails, descriptions, and reports start 80% done, not from a blank page.
  • Everyone included — plain-language prompts mean no coding or report-writing skills required.

What This Means If You’re on Dynamics GP

GP itself has no built-in generative Copilot — it predates today’s AI. But you can still get AI value right now by pairing GP with Microsoft 365 Copilot and Power BI dashboards, which can summarize GP reports and speed up your everyday work.

Business Central is where the deep, embedded Copilot experience lives, and our Bridge to the Cloud program offers a discounted, staged move from GP to BC — so you can migrate when you’re ready while keeping GP running today.

Coming Next: Copilot Agents

With the 2026 release, Business Central gains AI that completes whole tasks for you, not just suggestions:

  • Payables Agent — processes vendor emails, does 3-way PO matching, and categorizes invoices — usable by AP staff, not just admins.
  • Copilot Studio — build, manage, and secure your own agents using plain language, right inside Microsoft 365.
  • Simple billing — usage-based credits, so there’s no extra paid user license required to get started with agents.

Gartner predicts nearly half of new AI capabilities in ERP will be powered by generative AI — and Microsoft is already there.

How to Get Started — The Easy Way

  1. Pick one painful task. Choose a repetitive job — bank rec, email triage, monthly reporting — and let Copilot tackle it first.
  2. Try it in a sandbox. Practice in a demo or test environment so your team can explore safely, with no risk.
  3. Share prompts that work. Build a small library of prompts your team can reuse — this is where adoption sticks.
  4. Expand from wins. Roll out to the next team once you see time saved. Grow adoption; don’t force it.

Let’s Talk

Curious what Copilot could do for your team?

Reach out anytime to: Mark Torguson – VP, Sales & Marketing at Implementation Specialists

Contact: markt@iscorp.biz  or sales@iscorp.biz

Author: Mark Torguson at Implementation Specialists

Business Central Purchasing Basics: Managing Vendors

Managing vendors well is the backbone of a healthy purchasing process. When your vendor data is organized, accurate, and easy to access, everything else – from paying bills on time to building strong vendor relationships – falls into place. That’s exactly what Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC) is designed to help you do.

In our webinar, “Business Central Purchasing Basics: Managing Vendors,” Sr. GP Consultant, Cheryl Waswick walked through the essentials of managing vendors in BC. Here’s a recap of what was covered and why it matters for your business.

Why Centralized Vendor Management Matters

Business Central provides a centralized Vendor Card that supports purchasing, invoicing, payments, and reporting all in one place.

The benefits go far beyond convenience:

  • Fewer navigation steps and improved visibility across vendor activity
  • More efficient cash flow management and on-time payments
  • Streamlined processes that reduce data errors
  • Stronger vendor relationships built on accuracy and reliability
  • Instant view of liabilities so you always know where you stand

Setting Up a Vendor Card

Getting a new vendor into Business Central is quick and straightforward. There are three ways to navigate to your vendor list:

  1. Search “Vendors”
  2. Use the Vendors ribbon
  3. Pin Purchasing for fast access

From there, open the Vendor List and click New.

vendor card navigation business central purchasing basics managing vendors software screen

You can apply a template (similar to vendor classes) to speed up the setup, or even merge duplicate records with the Merge With option (a built-in vendor combiner).

vendor card software screen in business central purchasing managing vendors

Vendor Card Options at a Glance

Each Vendor Card is organized into clear sections so you can manage every aspect of the relationship:

  • General – put vendors on hold, add posting groups
  • Address and Contact – keep communication details current
  • Invoicing – set up 1099 or EFT preferences
  • Payments – create invoices and payments directly from the vendor card
  • Receiving – add dimensions and ACH bank info for EFT

vendor card options general business central purchasing software screen

1099 Vendor Form Box Setup

For U.S. tax reporting, BC makes 1099 setup simple.

Just click New or Edit List, then enter the year, vendor, and select the Form No. and Box No. Your 1099 data stays organized and ready when tax season hits.

1099 vendor form box setup business central purchasing software screen

Analyzing Vendor Data with Filters and Copilot

One of the most powerful features in BC is the ability to query vendors, save filters, and use Copilot to analyze your list. Whether you want to see all vendors in a specific state, those with balances over $10K, or all 1099 vendors, the filtering tools (plus Copilot’s AI assistance) make it fast and intuitive.

analyze data filters in business central purchasing software screen

Mass Updates with “Edit in Excel”

Need to update a lot of vendor records at once?

The Edit in Excel feature lets you:

  • Export vendor data to a spreadsheet
  • Mass update vendor information (for example, change all zip codes from 31772 to 31722)
  • Use Copilot to filter or update vendors right inside Excel
  • Add or remove vendors in the list
  • Publish your changes back to BC

editing in excel vendor data for business central purchasing

It’s a huge time saver for bulk cleanups and updates.

Key Takeaways

Business Central’s vendor management tools are designed to help you:

  • Centralize vendor information in one card
  • Streamline purchasing processes
  • Strengthen vendor relationships
  • Manage vendors quickly and easily
  • Apply strong controls for better decision-making

What’s Next in the BC Purchasing Basics Series?

There are more sessions coming your way:

  • Transactions and Payments
  • EFT for Payables

Have Questions or Need Help?

Consulting: support@iscorp.biz

Sales: sales@iscorp.biz

Author: Cheryl Waswick – Implementation Specialists

Choosing the Right Microsoft Partner for Your ERP Migration

The Value of a Trusted ERP Migration Advisor

Migrating your ERP system is one of the most important technology decisions your organization will make. Whether you’re moving from Microsoft Dynamics GP or evaluating a transition to Dynamics 365 Business Central, success is not just about the software – it’s about the partner you choose to guide you.

The right Microsoft partner doesn’t just implement technology. They act as a strategic advisor throughout your migration and beyond.

Why Your Microsoft Partner Matters

ERP migration is complex. It involves more than just moving data – it requires aligning technology with your business processes, ensuring user adoption, and setting a foundation for long-term growth.

An experienced partner brings proven methodologies, deep knowledge of Microsoft ERP solutions, industry-specific insights, and ongoing support long after go-live.

Key Factors to Consider

1. Proven ERP Migration Experience

Look for a partner with a track record of successfully migrating organizations from legacy systems like Dynamics GP to modern cloud platforms. Experienced partners understand data structures, legacy customizations, and potential risks, ensuring a smooth transition with minimal disruption.

2. A Structured Implementation Approach

The best partners follow a structured lifecycle including discovery, design, configuration, testing, training, and go-live support. This approach reduces risk, improves timelines, and ensures alignment with business goals.

3. Industry Expertise

ERP systems touch every part of your business. A strong partner understands your industry and can tailor solutions to meet your unique operational needs.

4. Strong Migration Strategy

A strong partner develops a detailed migration plan, supports data cleanup, ensures validation, and communicates clearly throughout the process.

5. Focus on User Adoption

Training and user enablement are critical. The right partner provides role-based training and ongoing support to ensure long-term success.

6. Long-Term Partnership

ERP is not a one-time project. The best partners provide ongoing support, optimization, and strategic guidance as your business evolves.

Business Central Tip: According to a Forrester Total Economic Impact™ study cited by Microsoft, organizations using Dynamics 365 Business Central may achieve more than 200% ROI over three years with a payback period of about six months. (Source: Microsoft)

What Sets Implementation Specialists Apart

At Implementation Specialists, we combine deep Microsoft ERP expertise with a client-first approach. With proven experience in Dynamics GP and Business Central, a structured methodology, and strong industry knowledge, we deliver end-to-end services – from planning and migration to training and support. Most importantly, we serve as a trusted advisor focused on long-term success.

Conclusion

Choosing the right Microsoft partner is just as important as choosing the right ERP system. The right partner reduces risk, accelerates time to value, improves user adoption, and ensures long-term success.

ERP success isn’t just about technology – it’s about partnership.

To learn more about ERP migration contact us at:

Consulting: support@iscorp.biz
Sales: sales@iscorp.biz

How to Prepare Your Distribution Strategy when Moving to Business Central

Key Distribution Strategy Checks Before Moving to Business Central

If you’re planning a move from Microsoft Dynamics GP to Business Central, preparing your data ahead of time is one of the most important steps you can take. In the next episode of our GP to BC migration webinar series, “Moving to BC? Things to Think About – Episode #3: Distribution Strategy for Business Central“, we focused on the distribution side of things, covering key areas in inventory, sales order processing (SOP), and purchase order processing (POP) that need attention before making the switch.

In Episode #1, we covered accounts, segments, and dimensions. In Episode #2, we tackled cleaning up customers and vendors. Now, let’s dive into your distribution data.

Review Your Customer and Vendor Data

Before we get into the distribution strategy, it’s worth revisiting some customer and vendor data points that directly affect your transactions. These are items we touched on in our last session, but they’re worth repeating because they carry over into your distribution workflows:

  • Phone numbers and email addresses should be in the correct format
  • Address IDs cannot be greater than 10 characters in Business Central
  • Payment terms should be no more than 10 characters (GP allows up to 20)
  • Customer City fields are 5 characters shorter in BC than in GP
  • Address 2 is 10 characters shorter than GP
  • Address 3 does not exist in Business Central
  • User Defined Data should be reviewed for relevance

A helpful tip: once you’ve identified inactive customers and vendors, you can choose not to bring them over during the migration. This keeps your new system clean and clutter free from day one.

Inventory, SOP, and POP Data Analysis

This is where the bulk of the preparation comes in.

Here are the key areas to review:

  • Types of inventory items – Understand what item types you’re working with and how they’ll map to Business Central.
  • Item number length – Watch for duplication when item numbers are truncated, and check for leading spaces.
  • Unit of Measure (UofM) schedules – Make sure active items have a UofM schedule assigned.
  • Item classes – Review and clean up as needed.
  • Purchase receipts – Ensure all purchase receipts have a valuation method on the record.
  • Serial and lot settings – Confirm these are accurate before migration.
  • Site and BIN lengths – Both are limited to 10 characters in Business Central.

dynamics gp software screen showing item maintenance inventory sop and pop to prep for distribution strategy data clean up

It’s also important to note that vendor items do not automatically come over to Business Central, and pricing levels do not carry forward. Business Central offers different pricing options, so this is a great time to rethink your pricing strategy.

Clean Up Your Purchase Orders

Take a close look at your open purchase orders. Ask yourself:

  • Do you have open POs with inactive or discontinued items?
  • When was the last time you moved completed POs to history? We’ve seen customers move tens of thousands of POs to history, and the performance improvement in GP alone is significant.
  • Are there POs that have been open for years that you’ll never receive or invoice? Maybe an AP invoice was entered by mistake instead?

If PO cleanup feels overwhelming, our MassPOClose tool can help streamline the process.

Review Your Sales Orders, Quotes, and Invoices

Before migrating, take a fresh look at your sales data:

  • When was the last time quotes were reviewed? What about open orders or unposted invoices?
  • Comments (CMNT) on orders and invoices do not automatically come over to Business Central. If you need them, work with your consultant to plan for that.
  • Attachments do not automatically migrate to BC either, so plan accordingly.

This is also the perfect time to evaluate any custom functionality or custom data you’re currently using in GP. Think about what you truly need moving forward. Migration is the ideal moment to think about the future of your business processes.

How Implementation Specialists Can Help

Not sure where your data stands? We offer several tools and resources to help you get migration ready:

  • Diagnostic Data Tool – Helps you understand what data needs to be changed before moving to Business Central.
  • Smartlists – Identify data that should be reviewed so you can make informed decisions about what to inactivate, delete, or merge.
  • Feature comparison guidance – We can walk you through what’s different between GP and BC so you understand what data can be transitioned and what will need to be set up fresh in Business Central.

Our consultants can guide you through the process at any time, and we recommend starting before you kick off your Business Central project.

Ready to Get Started?

If you have questions or need help preparing for your move to Business Central, we’re here for you.

Contact Consulting: support@iscorp.biz

Contact Sales: sales@iscorp.biz

Simplify Complex Billing with National Accounts for Business Central

Managing billing for customers with multiple locations, franchises, or corporate structures can quickly become complicated especially when payments don’t always come from the same entity being billed.

That’s exactly where National Accounts for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central comes in. In our webinar, “Simplify Billing with National Accounts for Business Central,” Vice President, Cheryl Simmons, and Senior Software Developer, Bryce Andrisen, demonstrated a live walkthrough of our new Business Central app National Accounts.

Our National Accounts BC App is designed to simplify how organizations manage parent-child customer relationships, apply payments across related accounts, and gain clearer visibility into balances and activity – all while staying within Business Central’s native framework.

Do You Need National Accounts?

National Accounts is ideal for organizations that:

  • Have customers that are paid for by another customer, such as corporate offices, franchises, or parent companies
  • Allow child customers to pay invoices for other child customers
  • Need aging, balances, or statements rolled up for a group of related customers

How National Accounts Works in Business Central

National Accounts introduces a parent and child customer relationship inside Business Central. A parent account represents the corporate or national entity, while child accounts represent individual locations, branches, or subsidiaries.

This structure allows you to manage related customers as a group while maintaining detail at the individual customer level.

Key Features of the National Accounts BC Apps

Parent and Child Account Management

  • Assign child customers to a parent account
  • View all related members from the parent customer card
  • Maintain individual customer records while managing them as a group

Flexible Cross-Payment Application

  • Apply payments across parent and child accounts
  • Allow cross-payments between child customers
  • Control cross-payment rules with on/off settings

Interim Transit Account for Clean Posting

An interim transit account is used to move funds properly within Business Central’s native posting framework, ensuring accurate and transparent posting.

Rolled-Up Visibility and Reporting

  • Rolled-up balances across related customers
  • Consolidated sales history
  • Group-level statements

Credit limits remain at the individual customer level, which is important for organizations coming from Dynamics GP.

Ready to Simplify Your Billing Process?

If your organization manages complex billing across related customers, National Accounts for Business Central can help improve visibility, efficiency, and control.

Reach out to Implementation Specialists to learn more about BC National Accounts, as featured on the Microsoft Marketplace.

Contact Us: support@iscorp.biz

Contact Us: sales@iscorp.biz

Dynamics GP to Business Central Migration: How to Prepare Early

Why a GP to BC Migration Prep Matters More Than You Think

If you are using Microsoft Dynamics GP today and thinking about a future move to Dynamics 365 Business Central, one question comes up again and again: When should we start preparing for a Dynamics GP to Business Central migration?

The short answer is sooner than most organizations expect.

In our webinar, “Moving to Business Central? Preparing GP Data for a BC Migration,” Vice President, Cheryl Simmons, and Principal Consultant, Allen Phillips, walked through why early preparation plays such a critical role in a smooth, successful transition – and how Implementation Specialists’ Migration Prep Service helps remove uncertainty long before a project officially begins.

When Should You Start Preparing for a Dynamics GP to Business Central Migration?

Migration does not begin when you sign a contract. It begins when you understand your current environment.

GP to BC migration prep starts with a clear picture of where you are today. One of the biggest advantages of preparing early is flexibility.

By completing a migration analysis ahead of time, you can:

  • Identify data cleanup or system changes before they become urgent.
  • Plan changes around your business calendar rather than scrambling at project kickoff.
  • Decide how much historical data you actually want to bring into Business Central.
  • Uncover customizations and integrations that may need to be re-evaluated before the move.

What Is the Migration Prep Service?

The Migration Prep Service is designed to answer the big questions before migration planning officially starts. An IS consultant analyzes your GP environment and data, identifies items that may impact a future migration, and reviews findings with your team so you can plan next steps with confidence.

Implementation Specialists align with official Microsoft standards for cloud transitions. You can review the technical Migration framework on Microsoft Learn.

Why Early Prep Makes Your Business Central Migration Easier

Many migration challenges stem from unknowns. Preparing early provides clarity, helps avoid late surprises, and makes the eventual Dynamics GP to Business Central migration smoother and far less stressful. Organizations that invest in preparation consistently report fewer disruptions, more predictable timelines, and greater confidence going into the project.

Ready to Prepare for Business Central?

If you are considering Business Central and want to prepare on your timeline, Implementation Specialists’ Migration Prep Service gives you a clear picture of your current GP environment – before migration planning officially begins.

Contact Sales: sales@iscorp.biz

Contact Support: support@iscorp.biz