How I Use Copilot and AI to Boost Productivity

 

A personal account of how artificial intelligence has helped me write better content and code.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way we work, learn, and create. As a novice developer and a writer, I have been using Copilot and AI to enhance my skills and streamline my workflow. In this post, I will share some of the ways I personally use Copilot and AI to boost my productivity and creativity.

AI: A Game-Changer for Decision Making

AI has revolutionized the way I make decisions and approach problems. Previously, I would use Bing and Google search to find documents, educate myself, and then go through a lot of trial and error. Now, I use AI and Copilot prompts instead of web searches, helping me start with draft code or content right away. This has significantly reduced the time and effort required to find solutions and make informed decisions.

CoPilot: A Smart Assistant for Coding

I am a novice coder at best, in my role I don't develop applications, but I do need to script and automate. GitHub CoPilot in VS Code is a powerful tool that helps me write better code faster. My process is accelerated by getting draft code started or autocompleting entire lines or functions, generating comments, fixing syntax, organizing code blocks, and even providing comments. It works with a variety of languages and frameworks, and it learns from my own code and the millions of public repositories on GitHub.

Getting started information HERE and HERE

·      Recently I needed to leverage Terraform for Azure resource creation and management. I used CoPilot to generate basic configuration files and blocks, within seconds I had a template and then modified them to suit my needs. Starting from scratch here, I used the CoPilot command palette to build an initial framework for Terraform Azure VM creation. 

·      Another way I use CoPilot is to speed up my development process to assist clients. CoPilot can save me a lot of time and effort by writing boilerplate code, handling edge cases, and suggesting improvements. For example, when I was working on a PowerShell automation task, I used CoPilot to create a script that can perform various operations on Azure and M365 resources, such as creating, deleting, updating, and listing them. I love the AI assistance which also documents comments and provides explanations in the chat window.

·       A third way I use CoPilot is to enhance my code quality and readability - as I mentioned, I am a novice. CoPilot can help me write cleaner, more concise, and more consistent code. It can also help me avoid common errors and bugs, and catch them before they cause any trouble. For example, when I was writing a KQL query for an Azure dashboard, I used CoPilot to format my code according to the best practices, and help with syntax to ensure accuracy. I started with a basic KQL on the right, and leveraged GitHub CoPilot chat to enhance the query and then used in Azure Log Analytics to create a dashboard in Azure.

AI: A Creative Partner for Writing

 Sometimes us technical writers tend to forget there is reader at the other end of the content. AI is also a great tool that helps me write better content faster. It is a creative partner that can generate ideas, sentences, paragraphs, and even entire articles based on my input. AI can also help me edit, proofread, and optimize my writing for different purposes and audiences. There are many AI-powered writing tools available online, but I mainly use M365 CoPilot, Microsoft Designer and LinkedIn AI for blog posts and updates, Teams to find chat topics within lengthy chat history, and Word and PowerPoint CoPilot to draft internal and client content.

·       In addition, I use AI is to brainstorm topics and titles for my blog posts and updates - such as this one here. AI can help me summarize my topics and create engaging headlines. For example, in this post here, I wanted to write about my experience with CoPilot and AI, I used Microsoft Designer, CoPilot in Word and LinkedIn AI to generate some possible titles and images, such as "How I Use CoPilot and AI to Boost My Productivity".

·       Search has forever changed with AI. I now easily find relevant and elusive chat topics within lengthy chat history. AI can help me search and summarize the key points and questions from previous conversations and suggest new topics to continue the discussion. For example, when I wanted to chat with a colleague about a project we were working on, I used Teams Copilot to find the most recent and relevant messages and topics we exchanged, and then I used AI to generate some follow-up questions and comments.

·       When drafting internal and customer content with Word and PowerPoint Copilot, AI helps me write clear and professional documents and presentations that communicate my ideas and goals. For example, when I wanted to write a proposal for a new project, I used Word Copilot to generate an outline, a summary, and some key points, and then I edited them to make them more specific and persuasive. When I wanted to create a presentation for a client, I used PowerPoint Copilot to generate a template, a title, and some slides, and then I edited them to make them more attractive and audience specific.

These are some of the ways I personally use Copilot and AI to boost my productivity and creativity. Refining how I ask for assistance, and reviewing the created content helps me ensure a personal context. I hope this blog post has inspired you to try them out and see how they can help you with your coding and writing projects. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below or contact me on LinkedIn. Thank you for reading!

 

Connecting Voice Operations with Infrastructure Operations through Azure.

Forge a seamless alliance between Voice Operations and Infrastructure Operations with the transformative power of Azure.

In the rapidly evolving landscape of Unified Communication and Telecommunications services, Microsoft stands as a seasoned player with extensive expertise. Azure for Operators, Microsoft's specialized suite, is meticulously crafted to cater to the unique needs of telecommunications operators and service providers. This comprehensive offering spans network function virtualization (NFV), software-defined networking (SDN), 5G support, IoT, edge computing, data analytics, and security. Aimed at facilitating operators in deploying, managing, and scaling their network infrastructure, these solutions also empower innovation and ensure adherence to industry compliance standards.

On the flip side, numerous enterprises are navigating their way towards cloud-based Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), leveraging familiar tools such as M365, Teams Admin Center, and Power BI with Call Quality Dashboard (CQD) and Quality Event and Diagnostic Logs (QER). Teams Voice and the Teams Admin Center components provide administrators with a centralized hub for optimizing voice communications within Microsoft Teams. Complemented by Power BI for CQD, these tools deliver robust analytics, allowing organizations to enhance voice communication infrastructure and proactively address call quality issues through data-driven decision-making.

However, for many enterprises, their organizational needs may fall within the spectrum between these two comprehensive scopes.

Organizations can enhance operational efficiency by focusing on IT services that align directly with customer offerings. Streamlining communication infrastructure management is achievable through the strategic use of hosted solutions, resulting in reduced capital investment and operational burdens, especially within Unified Communication.

A prime example of such a solution is Microsoft Operator Connect, a targeted approach that effectively minimizes infrastructure needs, simplifies management overhead, and reduces expenses associated with operating communication infrastructure. By entrusting capacity, licensing, and service health to solution providers experienced in daily operations of UCaaS networks at scale, organizations can ensure operational efficiency.

While the transition to a fully hosted and managed cloud UCaaS environment may be gradual, organizations might find the need to manage independent communication infrastructure along the way, with Teams Direct Routing as an example. This is where hosted or enterprise-managed Session Border Controllers (SBCs) often play a crucial role, providing practical solutions within this evolving landscape.

If your organization is currently navigating the transitional phase outlined above, various challenges may manifest in the following scenarios:

1. Disjointed or Missing Alerts:

   • Inadequate or disjointed alerts and notifications for critical communication impacts may hinder your ability to promptly address and resolve issues, potentially leading to service disruptions.

2. Incomplete Performance Metrics:

   • The absence or unavailability of essential performance metrics could result in a lack of visibility into the health and efficiency of your communication infrastructure, making it challenging to optimize and maintain peak performance.

3. Multiple Management Platforms:

   • Managing communication infrastructure through multiple platforms from your Session Border Controller (SBC) vendor or carrier may introduce complexities. Juggling different interfaces and workflows could lead to inefficiencies and potential oversight of critical configurations.

4. Diverse SBC Vendors:

   • If your organization employs multiple SBC vendors, monitoring multiple panes of glass may become a daunting task. This situation may require your team to diversify their skill set to support and troubleshoot across different platforms, potentially impacting operational efficiency.

5. Lack of Unified Reporting:

   • The absence of a unified reporting mechanism may result in challenges when trying to compile and analyze data across various communication systems. This could impede comprehensive insights into the overall performance and health of your unified communication environment.

6. Limited Scalability and Flexibility:

   • Inflexible solutions may hinder your organization's ability to scale operations efficiently, especially during periods of growth or changes in communication requirements.

7. Insufficient Security Measures:

   • Inadequate security measures could expose your communication infrastructure to potential vulnerabilities, jeopardizing the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive information.

Addressing these challenges requires a thoughtful approach to streamline management processes, enhance monitoring capabilities, and ensure the seamless integration of diverse communication components within your organization's infrastructure.

The concept:

A prevalent challenge arises when voice and unified communication teams operate in silos, separate from traditional IT development and support teams involved in web services, application development, optimization, and support. The concept of collaboration encompasses applications that integrate voice, video, and content-sharing solutions.

Azure offers a unified suite of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) capabilities, providing a cohesive platform where both traditional IT and Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) support teams can mutually benefit.

• Moving Traditional On-Premise SBCs to Hosted Infrastructure in Azure:

  • Migration of Session Border Controllers (SBCs) from on-premise to Azure-hosted infrastructure.
  • Leveraging the scalability and flexibility of Azure for SBC operations.
  • Enhancing accessibility and management of SBCs through cloud deployment.

• Hosting Element Management Solutions in Virtual Machines:

  • Deploying Element Management Solutions in virtual machines for efficient resource utilization.
  • Utilizing the virtualized environment to enhance scalability and adaptability.
  • Streamlining management processes by consolidating element management solutions in Azure VMs.

• Centralize Logging and Analytics:

  • Establishing a centralized logging system to aggregate data from various sources.
  • Implementing analytics tools to derive insights from centralized logs.
  • Enhancing visibility into system performance and activities through centralized logging and analytics.

• Create Alerts for Critical Environment Impacts:

  • Implementing alert systems to promptly notify stakeholders of critical environment impacts.
  • Defining thresholds for key performance indicators to trigger alerts.
  • Proactive monitoring to address potential issues and minimize downtime.

In the initial chapter, delving into the intricacies of the above concepts, our emphasis will be on the latter two scenarios. For further details, explore HERE in Chapter One (coming week of 1/1/2024).

Authors Note: As a novice blogger working to improve the content I share, AI-powered tools are my new best friend. Microsoft and GitHub CoPilot, Designer and even GPT are now regular tools in my toolbox.