M365: Understanding Copilot Options and Licensing at JMU

Copilot has taken shape in a variety of formats since its release from Microsoft, and this article is intended to help JMU users understand their Copilot options within our environment. 

Microsoft Copilot Chat is the base level of Copilot available to all JMU faculty / staff / students in our licensing, while more advanced Copilot options can be pursued with assistance from IT and a chargeback to the department for the license cost. 

For any questions or assistance needed with Microsoft Copilot - please submit a ticket via the IT Service Portal under the menu option for Communication & Collaboration -> Microsoft 365 -> Ask a Question.

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat

This version of Copilot (Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat) is the base level of Copilot that is available to all faculty / staff / students within our A5 educational licenses.  Copilot Chat is powered by the GPT chat model and the DALL-E image model to provide JMU users with an AI tool that can be used for creativity and work.  Data protections are in place when logged into the service, meaning that Microsoft does not monitor access and no data is ingested to train the model.  It is very important that all JMU users remain logged into the service when interacting with Copilot Chat.

Microsoft 365 Copilot

This version of Copilot (Microsoft 365 Copilot) is the enterprise level of Copilot that is available as an extra-cost subscription for employees of JMU.  Microsoft 365 Copilot can provide higher powered generative AI outputs compared to Copilot Chat, intelligent suggestions based on your M365 data, and task automation in the Microsoft suite of applications.

Employees who wish to obtain a Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription may contact Becky Helmick in Computing Support at helmicrp@jmu.edu.

Microsoft Copilot Studio

This version of Copilot (Microsoft Copilot Studio) is the Copilot agent builder tool that is available as an extra-cost subscription for employees of JMU.  Copilot Studio allows users to build and maintain custom agents within their department. Licensing is available upon approval of a Technology Solution Request (TSR).  The TSR should state the use-case and obtain the appropriate departmental approval for purchase of a Copilot Studio license to build and deploy custom agents within the department. 

Users with either the Microsoft 365 Copilot license, or the Microsoft Copilot Studio license, will have access to the agentic AI capabilities within M365.  These sections below describe the different types of agents that become available with those licenses.

• Personal Use Agents -  These agents are available to Microsoft 365 Copilot users and are intended for personal usage vs deployed agents.  These agents can be used as delivered templates, or they can be edited from the template version via what is referred to as the license holder's Copilot Studio Lite capabilities.

• Agents Shared By Creator -  These are agents that have been edited by a Microsoft 365 Copilot license holder via Copilot Studio Lite and shared with other individuals.

• Deployed Agents -  These are fully custom agents that are created and maintained by a Microsoft Copilot Studio user in a department, and deployed to other groups of users, SharePoint sites, or other deployment options with assistance from JMU IT and an approved Technology Solution Request (TSR).

• What Copilot options are available at JMU?
• Can I use Copilot agents?
• What is M365 Copilot?
• How do I get a Copilot license?