This week Microsoft announced M365 Copilot. Currently being tested by select commercial customers, Copilot is an AI-powered coding assistant developed by OpenAI in collaboration with Microsoft. Copilot is embedded in the Microsoft 365 apps you use every day—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and combines the power of large language models (LLMs) with your data in the Microsoft Graph—your calendar, emails, chats, documents, meetings, and more.  

Below are just a few examples of how Copilot can turn your words into a powerful productivity tool. 

Copilot in Word writes, edits, summarizes, and creates right alongside you. With a brief prompt, Copilot in Word will create a first draft for you, bringing in information from across your organization as needed. 

Copilot in Excel works alongside you to help analyse and explore your data. Ask Copilot questions about your data set in natural language, not just formulas. It will reveal correlations, propose what-if scenarios, and suggest new formulas based on your questions 

Copilot in PowerPoint helps you turn your ideas into presentations. Copilot can transform existing written documents into decks complete with speaker notes and sources or start a new presentation from a simple prompt or outline.  

Copilot in Outlook works through your inbox and messages so that you can spend less time on email triage.  Copilot will summarize lengthy, convoluted email threads with multiple people to understand not only what has been said, but the different viewpoints of each person and the open questions that have yet to be answered. 

Click here to read Microsoft 365 Copilot | Microsoft 365 Blog and learn more about the key features of this powerful productivity tool.

Click here to find out more about our Managed IT

Utilize Head of Managed Services, James Obank has recently been awarded with UK Partner Technical Hero of the Year award for his efforts and stand out performance in 2022.

We are proud to share that James has been recognised by SonicWall for his continued excellence in protecting clients in a challenging cyber threat landscape by earning this 2023 SonicWall Partner Award. The awards honor SonicWall partner organisations worldwide that have gone above and beyond delivering cybersecurity solutions to their customers.

“Over the years, we have built a great relationship with SonicWall” said James, “we look forward to growing this partnership in the years to come, as we work together to protect our customers from continuously evolving worldwide security threats.”

SonicWall has been honoring partners and distributors every year for more than a decade for their special contribution to protecting their customers from cybercriminals.

“From our early days, SonicWall’s accomplishments have always been linked to the success of its esteemed partners and distributors,” said SonicWall CEO and President Bob VanKirk. “We are delighted to acknowledge our SonicWall SecureFirst partners who consistently deliver first-class security services to organisations of all sises. We are extremely grateful and humbled by our global network of over 17,000 partners and distributors, and these awards recognise their outstanding work.”  

Three SonicWall SecureFirst partners were nominated in various categories in each region for outstanding performance throughout the past year. The partners were evaluated on portfolio distribution, online activities, project success rate and certification level. 

“We are delighted that James has received this award in recognition of his hard work and commitment to the security of our clients” said Andy Portlock, Utilize Group Operations Director. “In a rapidly evolving threat landscape, it has never been more important to nurture outstanding technology partnerships such as the one we enjoy with SonicWall.” 

Congratulations James, on recognition well earned!

SonicWall

SonicWall delivers Boundless Cybersecurity for the hyper-distributed era in a work reality where everyone is remote, mobile and unsecure. SonicWall safeguards organisations mobilising for their new business normal with seamless protection that stops the most evasive cyberattacks across boundless exposure points and increasingly remote, mobile and cloud-enabled workforces. By knowing the unknown, providing real-time visibility and enabling breakthrough economics, SonicWall closes the cybersecurity business gap for enterprises, governments and SMBs worldwide. For more information, visit www.sonicwall.com or follow them on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Learn more about our Credibility

We are delighted to have recently been awarded our ISO 14001 Certification. 

This certification shows our continued commitment to sustainability and the environment as it sets out the standard for environmental management systems and is classified as the most important in the ISO 14000 series. 

ISO 14001 provides Utilize with an internationally recognised framework for setting up an environmental management system (EMS). 

By achieving this certification, we are also able to demonstrate that we have reduced waste, improved resource efficiency, and lessoned our environmental impact. 

Some key benefits of this certification include: 

• The ability to demonstrate compliance with current and future statutory and regulatory requirements. 
• Encouraging better environmental performance from suppliers by integrating them into our business systems. 
• By following the requirements of ISO 14001, we can identify and control our environmental impacts, as well as continuously improve our environmental performance. 

At Utilize we pride ourselves on high quality and sustainable services and we can now provide assurance to both employees as well as clients that our environmental impact is being measured and improved. 

To find out more about the ISO 14001 certification and its benefits, click here. 

Learn more about our Credibility

As of October 3rd, 2022, Microsoft introduced Solutions Partner designations and retired legacy competencies and associated badging.  Having previously been a Gold Partner for over 10 years, we are delighted to announce we have successfully received ‘Solutions Partner for Modern Work’ and ‘Solutions Partner – Azure’ designations.  

Utilize has been at the forefront of enabling businesses to reach their full potential with technologies and unique road mapping, and this partnership with Microsoft which has spanned over a decade equips us with a wider landscape of new and innovative products and services.  

To attain these designations, we are required to continually demonstrate specific skill sets and below gives a brief outline of each one and these requirements.  

Solutions Partner – Azure Infrastructure  

As a Solutions Partner for Infrastructure, Utilize has demonstrated our capability to help customers accelerate the migration of key infrastructure workloads to Microsoft Azure.  

Utilize has a proven record of:  

• Designing, implementing, operating, and optimising customers’ infrastructure architecture, cost, and security   

• Migrating and modernising customers’ infrastructure for virtualised workloads (including SAP) and virtual desktop environments  
• Onboarding and management of high-performance computing workloads in Azure 

Solutions Partner for Modern Work  

As a Solutions Partner for Modern Work, Utilize has demonstrated our broad capability to help customers boost their productivity and make the shift to hybrid working by using Microsoft 365.  

Utilize has a proven record of:  

• Deploying, driving adoption of, and managing Microsoft 365 apps and services to help customers work, learn, organise, connect, and create  
• Empowering personal computing with deployment of modern management services for Windows and Windows 365  
• Implementing, driving adoption of, and managing Microsoft Teams to help customers communicate and collaborate with chat, meetings, and calls  

• Delivering services and solutions to digitally enable customers’ frontline workers 
• Delivering employee experience services and solutions for Microsoft Viva to help customers harness knowledge and expertise, amplify culture and communications, accelerate skilling and growth, or balance productivity and wellbeing  
• Building custom apps and solutions on the Microsoft 365 platform to meet the specific needs of customers 

We are proud to have not only met but exceeded the thresholds set by Microsoft across all areas of performance, intermediate and advanced skilling certification as well as customer success. 

As a trusted Microsoft Partner, we look forward to our ongoing partnership and the insights and benefits it brings to our Clients.  

Credibility

I was lucky enough to be offered two weeks of work experience at Utilize. My personal goals to fulfil during this placement were:

• Achieve an understanding of the IT Industry (having only previous experience in Finance)
• Gain experience in Sales

These goals were important to me as I believe that sales suits my confident and outgoing personality. I also wanted to explore my interest in technology and the IT industry to get a better hold of my future career path.

During the two weeks, I spent time in each area of the business to gain an understanding of every team’s day-to-day work function, and how they play into the business, whilst building a picture of how sales tie into it all.

From seeing Level 4 service first-hand at the Support desk, to sitting in meetings with clients, I vastly improved my knowledge and understanding of different roles and tasks, as well as the industry. It has sparked a development in my interests and what I want to do with my future.

At the end of the two weeks, I delivered a presentation to the CEO, MD, HR, and Marketing teams. This presentation detailed my learnings and experience from my time with Utilize and also allowed me to share my insights into what they could do to improve and add value to customers and employees.

My time at Utilize was incredibly positive and beneficial. I cannot thank the members of staff that I had the pleasure of meeting enough for the insight they provided in their individual and team roles.

Careers

Good Employer Silver Award

Utilize were honoured to become part of a select group of Essex businesses by winning a Silver Award as a Good Employer from Scott Logan, Chief Executive of Basildon Council.

In order to earn any award from ‘The Good Employer Charter’, a company must show previous success and/or be working towards the following four pillars:

Fair Pay

Confirm all direct staff are paid ‘The Real Living Wage’. Not to be confused with the government’s minimum wage, The Real Living Wage Foundation is a campaigning organisation in the United Kingdom, which aims to persuade employers to pay a living wage.

Employ Basildon

Offer recruitment opportunities to Basildon’s Advice Store, offer training opportunities, and seek opportunities to work with local schools and colleges.

Buy Basildon

Commit to seeking quotes and having multiple Basildon businesses in your supply chain, encourage other Basildon businesses to ‘Buy Basildon’.

Be the Best

Implement best practices in fairness, equality, and sustainability throughout our business practices. Commit to continuous improvement across the fields of equality and diversity, staff wellbeing and development.

This accreditation was created to recognises businesses across Basildon whose commitment to their employees, customers, suppliers, business partners and the local communities are strengthening our local economy by attracting new investors and open opportunities. This ensures that both employers and employees benefit as the local economy grows.

Since relocating our headquarters to Basildon in June of 2019, Utilize has grown from strength to strength. We invested in the local area with a renovation project that transformed an old warehouse with a small office into our current state-of-the-art, high-tech building. Our Space. By sourcing local talent and supporting local businesses and charities, we continue to give back to our local community.

Utilize is now among a select group of Basildon Businesses to hold a Good Employer award, which sets us apart from other organisations in Essex. Most importantly, this accolade demonstrates to potential employees, clients and suppliers our long-standing commitment to being a #PeopleFirst business.

View our Credibility

I was fortunate enough to be accepted for a week of work experience at Utilize. This involved coming to their Basildon Office to learn first hand what work in the IT sector holds. This has been especially useful for aiding my career decisions post-A-Levels, even opening some possible career doors, that before would have remained closed.

I spent the first half of the week with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Line Engineers, as per my request when initially communicating with the HR department. This gave me first-hand insight into the Apprenticeship Program, which very much remains an option for me in the future. I was given an introduction to the software used and what each Engineering role entails, as I worked my way around the desks on ‘the balcony’.

As for the second half of the week, I spent my time on the ground floor with other departments, ranging from Business Development Co-ordination, Purchasing and Marketing, gaining a working knowledge of how they function as teams and contribute to the business as a whole.

This week has proven to be invaluable and has given me a first step into the working world of IT. It was a useful experience, allowing me to separate myself from the crowd, no matter what path I choose to go down in the future.

Join the Team

Managed Service Provider Utilize Plc has announced the acquisition of leading Sage Business and Development Partner M2M Technology (SCISEP Ltd), bringing the Utilize group turnover to over £19m.

Guy Hocking, Managing Director at Utilize, said: “We are pleased to announce we have successfully acquired M2M Technology, based in Essex.

This acquisition bolsters our team with the addition of eleven highly knowledgeable staff, who will complement our own teams perfectly, specialising in the deployment and support of Sage services. In addition, we are acquiring a highly talented development team, who focus on modifying and improving the existing Sage functionality and who carry a wide range of development skillsets.”

Guy continued: “From the moment we first met the M2M team, we knew our two businesses would work well together, both from a technical and interpersonal perspective. Both will be paramount to our mutual success. Cultural synergy is arguably the most important aspect for any acquisition and the team at M2M have been an absolute pleasure to work with so far.

The staff of both companies will play a critical role in future opportunities, and we look forward to continuing our journey with M2M, building on successful and established foundations. With M2M, we have acquired a profitable business and an increasingly desirable skillset.”

Access to new skills and services

This acquisition builds on a well-established but rapidly growing arm of Utilize’s portfolio of services and in-house skills, paving the way for the organisation to deliver powerful new business solutions to its customers.

For M2M clients, the investment offers access to Utilize’s extensive range of technology services, including managed IT services, digital transformation, infrastructure and cloud, telephony and communications services.

In the wake of the Pandemic, this news also sends a positive message of ‘business as usual’ to organisations throughout the UK. This acquisition will reap benefits for staff, clients, and shareholders alike, long into the future.

Emphasis on business solutions

Warren Davies, Founder of Utilize added: “Utilize has made a total of six acquisitions in its history – all have increased bottom line profit and cash reserves within the first year of integration.

Equally as important, all have built upon our already highly skilled and established teams and this acquisition is no different. This puts us up there as one of the largest Sage partners in the South with our vision to become the largest.”

Rob Hardy, Managing Director at M2M commented: “Utilize are leading specialists in IT, managed services and cloud infrastructure. They have been successful in building a wealth of knowledge, which spans and influences different types of organisations and vertical markets throughout the South-East.

We feel that the knowledge and exciting new skillsets that M2M bring to the table through technologies such as Sage 200 , Sicon, Draycir, Power Platform and Power BI, provide a powerful combination that can really transform a company.”

Learn more about Finance management

A TOTALLY NEW APPROACH TO TECHNOLOGY SERVICES PROVISION THAT ENABLES YOUR BUSINESS TO ACHIEVE NEW HEIGHTS.

The landscape is changing. No longer is it adequate to consider technology as a service that gives organisations the tools, platform provision and facilities to support the business. Now, technology needs to enable the business to drive change, transform working practices and to deliver productivity, efficiency and profitability.

The traditional IT support model also needs to change. Reactive break-fix services and account management are only part of the picture – modern businesses need to push their transformation journey and need help from their technology partner to achieve their goals.

At Utilize this has not gone unnoticed and as a result, we have revolutionised our entire technology services offering – to facilitate the continuous adoption of modern technology to allow our customers to realise their ambitions and drive measurable change across their organisation.

The Power of ASCEND

ASCEND is Utilize’s new, three-tiered strategic technology enablement provision, designed to identify the needs of your business; to work with you to develop your transformation strategy – wherever you are in your technology cycle.

We work with our customers to align objectives, attain a deep understanding of their organisation and its people, and then introduce the right technology at a pace that is right for them – and not just right for us.

ASCEND delivers a comprehensive Technology Support and Security Package and includes Strategy, Consultancy and Business Analysis, alongside Project Management, Planning and Project Implementation resources.

It includes all the familiar fundamentals that our customers have come to expect but adds other key resources such as ‘TechBar’ and online training to ensure everyone in your business gets the most from technology.

A complete wrap-around service, for the modern business, at a cost-effective single per user, per month pricing model.

Discover more about the power of ASCEND and how it can help your business reach peak performance.

Click here to read more

All the great technology you need from one great Company

We are excited to announce that our existing leading-edge technology portfolio of services has been boosted by additional best-of-breed Telecommunications, Connectivity and Managed Services.

From the 1st of April, Ignite Business Communication’s services will be provided by Utilize Plc.

Utilize will provide the same excellent service and support that has been delivered by Ignite alongside the innovative technology provision for which we have an outstanding reputation – covering Security, Managed IT, The Cloud, Business Productivity, and Finance Management.

Our clients will now receive all the technology their businesses need to be successful, in one place – and all backed up by our excellent customer service and support.

It’s a simple approach that allows us to help the businesses that we partner with to perform even better tomorrow than they do today.

Watch our video below to learn more or give us a call on 0333 006 9060

We can’t wait to share the latest technology and services we have available including the business efficiencies and growth this will deliver.

Contact Utilize