Polaris Pathways - a Synozur podcast

Back in the (Intra) Zone - Mark Kashman

Polaris is a production of Synozur – the transformation company. Synozur reimagines business for our clients, navigating the complexities of transformation and strategy with ease. Former Intrazone co-hosts Chris McNulty and Mark Kashman reunite on Polaris to unpack the biggest news from the Microsoft 365 Community Conference—AI skills, Copilot's evolution, SharePoint's 25th anniversary—and reflect on the enduring power of community in the modern workplace. Takeaways AI adoption vs. readiness gap. Chris cites industry research showing 91% of organizations now use at least one AI technology and an average of 5.4 hours saved per employee, drawn from a study of 443 million work hours across over 1,000 companies1. Yet at the recent AIIM Summit in Baltimore, Chris polled a room of roughly 50 professionals on daily AI use—and was the only hand up2. The ActivTrak "2026 State of the Workplace" report confirms that while 80% of employees now use AI tools (up from 53% two years ago), only 3% spend the optimal 7–10% of their work hours in AI, and 57% spend less than 1%3. Leaders should focus on practical readiness—not headline adoption numbers. Content structure is critical for AI. Modern enterprise content management platforms now use AI for auto-classification, document summarization, and contextual Q&A4. But Mark stresses that the underlying metadata, lifecycle management, and information structure must be sound first: "If the form that nobody ever filled out gets filled out and is valid and truthful…you will have a system that works better"5. Organizations should prioritize content readiness before scaling AI. SharePoint Skills — no-code AI instructions. Microsoft unveiled SharePoint Skills in public preview, allowing teams to encode best practices and process rules as Markdown (.md) files stored within SharePoint sites6. These skills give Copilot and AI in SharePoint persistent context—tone guidelines, product terminology, workflow steps—so results are on-brand and site-specific without any coding7. According to the buckleyPLANET conference recap, Skills are included in existing Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Copilot licensing with no additional procurement step8. Copilot CoWork and Skills convergence. Chris explains that Copilot CoWork, based on Anthropic technology, lets individual users build personal AI skills stored as Markdown files in OneDrive9. Meanwhile, SharePoint Skills operate at the site/group level10. The expectation is that these two streams will converge, allowing a skill perfected by one person to be shared organization-wide11. Agent 365 & governance at scale. Microsoft's Agent 365 gives organizations a single pane of glass to manage AI agents—whether built in Copilot Studio, SharePoint, Visual Studio Code, or Foundry—across the entire tenant12. Mark describes agents as "kind of being a little bit more like people…an entity that you can assign things to"13. The buckleyPLANET recap notes Agent 365 went GA on May 1 at $15 per user per month, and that Microsoft internally manages over 500,000 agents across roughly 228,000 employees14. Purview's evolving AI oversight. Purview is consolidating classic DSPM and DSPM for AI into a unified engine that monitors how people interact with content and AI15. Chris gives a practical example: Purview can now block queries like "tell me the top 10 salaries" from reaching Copilot, even if the underlying content is unprotected16. For leaders, this signals that security, compliance, and AI governance are converging into a single policy surface. Community as a leadership accelerator. As SharePoint marks its 25th anniversary, both hosts reflect on the enduring importance of the Microsoft 365 community. Mark notes the product "really is stronger and more connected than ever"17, while Chris sees the community as "an opportunity to meet and reconnect with people from all over the world"18. Getting your team engaged in industry communities—whether global conferences or local CollabDays—keeps them educated, connected, and ahead of the curve Sound Bites Mark Kashman "Has SharePoint died? Twenty-five years later, it's stronger and more connected than ever. "Technology at scale, especially in the enterprise, still takes a while. You've got to clean house and organize before AI can really deliver." "Does it always need another brand name to tell you what it is? A lot of people would argue no." "SharePoint Skills are a 'very particular set of skills' - the next level of how you make AI more usable for what you're trying to do." References Spotlight Mark Kashman — Sympraxis Consulting (Principal Microsoft 365 Consultant, ex-Microsoft). https://www.sympraxisconsulting.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/markkashman/ | https://kashbox.substack.com/ Microsoft 365 Community Conference (Apr 21–23, 2026, Orlando, FL) — The premier community-driven Microsoft 365 event, with keynotes from Jeff Teper and Ryan Cunningham and over 200 sessions on Copilot, SharePoint, Teams, security, and agentic AI. Approximately 3,000 attendees gathered at the Loews Sapphire Falls and Royal Pacific Resorts. https://m365conf.com/ | https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoft_365blog/your-guide-to-the-microsoft-365-community-conference/4505384 AIIM AI+IM Global Summit 2026 (Apr 28–30, 2026, Baltimore, MD) — Information management conference hosted by AIIM (the Association for Intelligent Information Management), focusing on AI readiness, content governance, and digital transformation. Chris attended as a cohort team lead and shared observations about the gap between AI hype and real-world adoption. https://www.aiim.org/aiim-global-summit-2026 People Jeff Teper — President, Microsoft 365 Collaborative Apps & Platforms, who delivered the opening conference keynote on AI skills, Copilot, and the intelligent intranet. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffteper/ Zach Rosenfield — Microsoft engineer known for SharePoint and OneDrive back-end systems, now building a growing YouTube channel with demos of SharePoint AI features including Skills. Mark notes, "His demos are not only really good, but they're in numbers and growing." https://www.youtube.com/@zrosenfield Vlad Catrinescu — "How to Build SharePoint Skills" (Vlad Talks Tech) — Microsoft MVP Vlad Catrinescu published a comprehensive 60-minute walkthrough on SharePoint Skills, covering skill file structure, best practices, Anthropic's guidance, and live demos. Both Chris and Mark recommend it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_86-7kkpzwWatch on YouTube | https://vladtalkstech.com Paul Thurrott — Technology journalist known for Windows commentary. Mark references Thurrott's stance on Notepad: "He always says, I just want Notepad to be dumb." Mentioned in the context of Markdown support expanding in Notepad. https://www.thurrott.com/ Joanne Klein — Microsoft governance and Purview expert. Mark credits Klein as a key source for Purview insights: "I only kind of get what I know about Purview from our friend Joanne Klein." Media The Intrazone Podcast — A Microsoft 365 intelligent intranet podcast (2017–2025) co-hosted by Mark Kashman and Chris McNulty during their Microsoft careers, featuring expert interviews and product news across over 220 episodes. All episodes remain available. https://intrazone.libsyn.com "More Than Code" — SharePoint 25th Anniversary Short Film — Released April 2026, this short film celebrates 25 years of SharePoint through community voices including Mark Kashman. Availa...

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Andrew Connell - Good (AI Coding) Vibrations

Apr 1700:47:18Tap to summarize

Polaris is a production of Synozur – the transformation company. Synozur reimagines business for our clients, navigating the complexities of transformation and strategy with ease. Chris McNulty and Microsoft MVP Andrew Connell explore the explosive rise of "vibe coding" — AI-assisted development from natural-language prompts — and debate the real-world risks, rewards, and strategic implications for today's business and technology leaders. Takeaways Vibe Coding Has Gone Mainstream. AI-assisted coding is no longer experimental. A GitHub survey found 92% of U.S. developers use AI coding tools at work, and Gartner projected that 60% of new code would be AI-generated by 2026. The global market for AI code-generation platforms has reached $4.7 billion, with projections of $12.3 billion by 2027. Collins English Dictionary cemented the trend by naming "vibe coding" its 2025 Word of the Year. [secondtalent.com] [strayspark.studio] [ndtv.com] Speed Gains Come with a Comprehension Tax. A January 2026 Anthropic randomized controlled trial of 52 junior engineers found that developers using AI code assistants scored 17% lower on comprehension tests than those coding manually — averaging 50% versus 67% on quizzes — with the largest gap appearing in debugging questions. Productivity gains did not reach statistical significance. This confirms what Andrew warns: rapid output without understanding creates fragile systems. [infoq.com] Microsoft's Copilot Strategy Is Fragmented. Andrew contends that Microsoft is "flailing" and "shipping the org chart," with multiple disconnected Copilot products that confuse customers. A Recon Analytics study of more than 150,000 respondents (July 2025–January 2026) found Microsoft Copilot's share as paid users' primary AI tool fell from 18.8% to 11.5% — a 39% contraction — while Google Gemini climbed from 12.8% to 15.7% and ChatGPT held roughly 55.2%. When all three platforms were available, only 8% of workers chose Copilot versus 70% for ChatGPT and 18% for Gemini.[reconanalytics.com] "Agentic Engineering" Is the Mature Alternative to Naive Vibe Coding. Andrew initially "hated" the term vibe coding but came to distinguish between undisciplined prompt-and-ship and a professional practice he calls agentic engineering, a term he credits to technologist Simon Willison. In agentic engineering, the developer still reviews AI output, plans architectures, and catches errors — using AI as a force-multiplier for experienced judgment, not a replacement for it. Developers Are Becoming AI Orchestrators. Chris and Andrew agree that the most effective AI-era developers act like development managers: delegating tasks to specialized AI agents (ideation, UX, debugging, documentation) and then integrating and verifying results. Andrew recommends organizations build an internal Center of Excellence — a handful of people who deeply understand AI tooling and can guide the broader team. Entry-Level Talent Still Matters — IBM Proved It. Despite predictions that AI would replace junior roles, IBM announced in February 2026 that it is tripling its entry-level hiring, including for software developers. IBM CHRO Nickle LaMoreaux stated: "We are tripling our entry-level hiring, and yes, that is for software developers and all these jobs we're being told AI can do". IBM's rationale: cutting junior talent creates future shortages of mid-level managers and senior experts, and outside hires cost more and adapt more slowly. [finance.yahoo.com] Quality and Security Demand "Vibe Checks." A December 2025 CodeRabbit analysis found AI co-authored code contained approximately 1.7× more bugs and issues and 1.4× more critical issues than human-written code. Meanwhile, a Fastly survey of 791 professional developers found that nearly 30% of senior developers report that editing and auditing AI output offsets most of their initial time savings. Code review must become a continuous, front-of-cycle discipline, not a final checkbox. [coderabbit.ai] Quick Quotes Andrew Connell — Founder, Voitanos "I think Microsoft is flailing a good bit… They seem to be reacting to what other people are doing, and there's no real cohesive story across all of their M365 Copilot story." "The one fear that I have with this is what is it going to do to the entry-level jobs? I have a very significant concern." "I don't disagree too much with the statements coming out of the senior people at Anthropic that the title 'software engineer' could be gone by the end of 2026, probably by 2027. As much as I'm using it, I can see that." "Right now the [Microsoft] plan just feels very reactionary. And that's frustrating to me." Chris McNulty — Polaris Host "Client after client we run into — they have a negative impression of Copilot because their belief is that the entirety of Copilot is the free little thing in the corner of the Edge browser." "What you get is still proportional to the attention you put into it." — Chris McNulty, on AI-generated prototypes versus production-ready software "Being successful with vibe coding or agentic AI software engineering… helps even more if you've come from a development manager background — I personally use different AI agents for different things." References · Andrej Karpathy's "Vibe Coding" Coinage (February 2025) — OpenAI co-founder and former head of AI at Tesla, Andrej Karpathy, tweeted about "a new way of programming where you fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists." This sparked a global conversation about AI-driven development. Covered in depth by https://www.coderabbit.ai/blog/a-semantic-history-how-the-term-vibe-coding-went-from-a-tweet-to-prodCodeRabbit: "A Semantic History of Vibe Coding". · Reid Hoffman's LinkedIn Clone Experiment (April 2025) — LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman asked Replit's AI agent to "clone LinkedIn" using a single prompt. The result was a surprisingly functional prototype. Hoffman wrote: "It's a powerful reminder: with the right framing, today's AI tools can turn a single idea into working software." Reported by https://www.ndtv.com/feature/linkedin-co-founder-asked-ai-to-clone-his-company-the-result-surprised-him-8105339NDTV. · Collins English Dictionary — "Vibe Coding" Named 2025 Word of the Year — In November 2025, Collins crowned "vibe coding" as its Word of the Year, beating "clanker," "biohacking," and "aura farming." Managing Director Alex Beecroft said the term "perfectly captures how language is evolving alongside technology." Reported by https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/collins-dictionary-picks-vibe-coding-as-word-of-the-year-2025-9585221 and https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/vibe-coding-clanker-word-of-the-year-collins-5HjdGQy_2/. · GitHub Developer Survey — 92% of U.S. Developers Using AI Tools — A GitHub survey of 500 U.S.-based developers at companies with 1,000+ employees found 92% were using AI-powered coding tools at work. Reported by https://venturebeat.com/programming-development/92-of-us-based-developers-already-using-ai-powered-coding-tools-at-work-github/VentureBeat and aggregated in https://www.secondtalent.com/resources/vibe-coding-statistics/Second Talent's Vibe Coding Statistics 2026. · Gartner Forecast — 60% of New Code AI-Generated by 2026 — Gartner predicted that 60% of newly created code would be AI-generated by 2026, a figure now largely confirmed through adoption data. Referenced in https://www.stra...

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Inside Microsoft 365 E7, Or, How Four Equals Seven

Mar 2400:15:54Tap to summarize

Polaris is a production of Synozur – the transformation company. Synozur reimagines business for our clients, navigating the complexities of transformation and strategy with ease. In this episode of Polaris, we explore Microsoft's game-changing March 2026 announcements – including the Microsoft 365 E7 "Frontier Suite," Agent 365 for AI governance, and the new Copilot Cowork capability – and unpack what these innovations mean for business and technology leaders navigating the AI-powered future. Key Takeaways Microsoft 365 E7 ("Frontier Suite"): Microsoft introduced Microsoft 365 E7, the first new top-tier enterprise plan since 2015. Branded the Frontier Suite, E7 bundles all of E5 with Microsoft 365 Copilot, the new Agent 365 platform, the full Entra ID identity suite, and advanced security (Defender, Intune, Purview). This $99/user/month plan (GA May 1, 2026) signals that AI capabilities and enterprise trust are now inseparable – AI and security/governance come as one package. Agent 365 – Tackling "Agent Sprawl": Agent 365 is Microsoft's response to uncontrolled AI "agent sprawl," the proliferation of chatbots and Copilots across organizations. It provides a single control plane for all AI agents (including third-party bots), giving each agent a unique Entra ID and allowing IT to observe, govern, permission, audit, and if needed, shut down agents. CIOs and CISOs get the ability to say "yes" to AI innovation without losing control, as Agent 365 ensures compliance with security and data policies for every bot. Agent 365 goes generally available May 1, priced at $15/user (and is included in E7). Copilot "Cowork" – The Next Evolution of AI at Work: Microsoft announced Copilot Cowork, a new capability transforming Copilot from a one-off Q&A assistant into a persistent digital coworker that can engage in long-running, multi-step collaboration across documents, apps, and time. Instead of just answering a single prompt, Copilot with Cowork can carry context over multiple interactions and proactively check in as tasks progress. Copilot Cowork is in private preview (via Microsoft's Frontier program) – not broadly available yet – but it offers a glimpse into how AI will work alongside people continuously, not just reactively. Microsoft also disclosed that Copilot is now model-diverse, dynamically choosing between OpenAI's GPT and Anthropic's Claude models depending on the task, giving organizations greater resilience and flexibility. "Intelligence + Trust" – Microsoft's Strategy Shift: A core theme is that AI at scale demands equal investment in security, identity, and compliance. Microsoft is bundling AI innovations with governance tools by design. For example, E7's introduction pairs M365 Copilot and Agent 365 together, and new governance features are rolling out: Purview Data Loss Prevention now covers Copilot prompts and outputs, sensitivity labels apply to content generated in tools like Viva Engage, and upcoming AI security posture enhancements are in preview. Microsoft's clear message: "Security is not a luxury when it comes to AI" – future enterprise AI solutions must bake in compliance and trust from the ground up. Practical Updates and "Frontier" Readiness: Alongside the big announcements, Microsoft delivered smaller but significant updates to improve day-to-day productivity and readiness for this AI-driven era. Microsoft Teams Copilot's Intelligent Recap can now summarize themes across multiple meetings – threading decisions over time, not just per meeting. Copilot can also condense long Teams chat threads into tables or key insights, a boon for catching up on busy channels. Viva Engage (Yammer) received a revamped, more engaging article publishing experience, ensuring employee communications remain accessible and visually rich. On the content management side, SharePoint's 25th anniversary came with the introduction of "SharePoint skills" – essentially custom instructions or templates (written in Markdown) that organizations can use to guide Copilot on preferred styles or procedures for common tasks. This lets companies tailor AI outputs to their standards without coding. All these updates underscore the trend that AI is becoming a first-class enterprise workload, integrated deeply into how work gets done – and organizations should prepare both their tech stacks and their people for that reality. Promotional Quotes (Chris McNulty): "AI capability and enterprise trust are no longer separable." – Chris emphasizes that advanced AI features must go hand-in-hand with security and governance. "Agent 365 gives CIOs and CISOs the ability to say yes to AI innovation without losing control." – Highlighting Microsoft's solution for managing the new "Wild West" of proliferating AI agents in the enterprise. "Security is not a luxury when it comes to AI." – A pointed reminder that robust security and compliance are prerequisites (not optional add-ons) to any AI deployment at scale. "AI is now a first-class enterprise workload." – Signaling that AI isn't experimental anymore – it's becoming as mission-critical as email or databases in modern business. References OpenAI's GPT – OpenAI's groundbreaking series of large language models that sparked the generative AI revolution (e.g., https://openai.comopenai.com). ChatGPT – OpenAI's widely-used conversational AI assistant, which popularized AI chat for everyday tasks (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChatGPT). Google "Gems" (AI Workspace assistants) – Google's Gemini Gems, customizable AI experts introduced into Google Workspace in 2025 (https://mashable.com/article/google-workspace-gems-ai) Salesforce "Agentforce" & Super Bowl Ad – Salesforce's digital agent platform Agentforce was promoted in a whimsical Super Bowl 2025 campaign featuring actors Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson (https://dailycommercials.com/salesforces-super-bowl-lix-2025-ad-mcconaughey-and-harrelson/DailyCommercials, Feb 10 2025). "Shadow IT" – Term for unauthorized or un-managed IT systems and apps used inside organizations. Agent sprawl is described as the AI equivalent of shadow IT ( IDC AI Agent Forecast – Industry analyst IDC predicts 1.3 billion AI agents will be in circulation by 2028, reflecting the explosive growth of autonomous agents (https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2026/03/09/introducing-the-first-frontier-suite-built-on-intelligence-trust/ Official Blog, Mar 9 2026). Microsoft 365 E7 Announcement – "Frontier Suite" top-tier M365 plan announced Mar 9 2026, bundling E5 + Copilot + Agent 365 + Entra + advanced security (https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2026/03/09/introducing-the-first-frontier-suite-built-on-intelligence-trust/ Blog by Judson Althoff). Microsoft Agent 365 – New AI agent management and governance platform (announced Mar 2026, GA May 1 2026) that addresses AI oversight Microsoft "Copilot Cowork" Preview – The next evolution of Microsoft 365 Copilot, enabling long-running collaborative AI assistance (revealed Mar 2026 as part of "Wave 3" Copilot updates) SharePoint's 25th Anniversary & AI Skills – In March 2026, Microsoft celebrated 25 years of SharePoint and introduced custom "SharePoint AI skills" (markdown-based prompts to guide Copilot's behavior for org-specific tasks) (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2026/03/02/sharepoint-at-25-how-microsoft-is-putting-knowledge-to-work-...

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AI in 2026: A Trillion Dollars Is Coming. Who's Going to Win It?

Mar 1800:14:54Tap to summarize

Polaris is a production of Synozur – the transformation company. Synozur reimagines business for our clients, navigating the complexities of transformation and strategy with ease. The Synozur 2026 AI Report lands with a clear verdict: the global AI market is on a path to $944 billion by 2030 — but most organizations are stuck in the middle, scoring just 260 out of 500 on AI maturity, while a small group of leaders pull decisively ahead. Takeaways The AI market is enormous — and the range of estimates tells you everything. Global AI spend in 2026 is projected anywhere from $244 billion to $2 trillion, depending on what you count. Synozur's weighted average: $453 billion this year, growing to $944 billion by 2030. Most organizations are stuck in the middle. Across 125+ companies assessed using Synozur's AI Maturity Model, the average score is 260 out of 500 — beyond experimentation, but far from scaled. The gap between leaders and laggards spans more than 250 points. Small firms and professional services are winning. Agile, knowledge-centric organizations score in the 300–330 range. Mid-market companies (50–999 employees) trail at 171–225 — a "squeezed middle" that represents the biggest opportunity for intervention. Culture and use-case integration are the weakest links. These are the two dimensions most critical to scaling AI beyond a pilot — and they consistently score the lowest across every region and sector assessed. The pilot-to-production gap is real and costly. Per Deloitte's 2026 State of AI in the Enterprise (released at Davos), only 25% of companies have moved 40% or more of their AI pilots into production. AI maturity isn't a technology problem — it's a culture and execution problem. Three predictions for 2026: Microsoft launches its own first-party LLM by June; a new "Agent Boss" platform category emerges to help business users manage multiple AI agents in one place; and professional associations — not governments — set the first meaningful AI standards in the U.S. AI maturity is now a financial differentiator. Research from the Quantum Institute analyzed 847 publicly traded companies and found AI-mature organizations now achieve operating margins 47% higher than early-stage peers — up from 21% just 18 months ago. Sound Bites: "The AI market is tremendous. The gap between leaders and everyone else? Even bigger." "A trillion dollars is coming. The question is: who's going to capture it?" "On average, organizations score 260 out of 500. They've moved beyond experimentation — but they're nowhere near scaled. The spread is the real story." "If 2025 was about experimentation, 2026 will be about consolidation and governance. Knowledge is power." "Most agent management today is cut and paste. If you're jumping between Copilot, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Replit, and NotebookLM — that's a messy process. Something has to change." "Professional associations need to fill the regulatory gap. We expect legal, accounting, and healthcare associations to lead well before Washington does." References Research & Reports Deloitte AI Institute, State of AI in the Enterprise 2026: The Untapped Edge — released at Davos, January 21, 2026. Key finding: only 25% of companies have moved 40% or more of AI pilots into production; 34% report using AI to "deeply transform" their business. Read the report McKinsey & Company, The State of AI in 2025: Agents, Innovation, and Transformation — finds nearly 88% of organizations use AI, but most remain in early scaling stages. Read the report The Quantum Institute, The AI Maturity Gap: Why Enterprise Transformation Is Accelerating in 2026 — analysis of 847 publicly traded companies shows AI-mature organizations achieve operating margins 47% higher than peers; revenue growth 2.3x faster. Published March 17, 2026. Read the research Synozur, 2026 AI Report: The Market Is Big, the Gap Is Bigger — the full report referenced in this episode. Synozur Insights blog Download your copy at https://aka.synozur.com/AI26 Companies & Platforms Referenced ClearPeople — Synozur submitted AI market predictions to ClearPeople CEO Katya Linossi, a recurring Polaris collaborator, for the 2025 Knowledge & AI Market predictions project. Orion by Synozur — AI-powered digital maturity assessment platform; hosts the free AI Maturity Model. Take the free assessment at https://aka.synozur.com/aimm Frameworks & Protocols MCP (Model Control Protocol) — A unified protocol for connecting content and data sources to AI agents, cited as a 2025 Synozur prediction that came true. A2A (Agent-to-Agent Protocol) — A protocol enabling AI agents to communicate with each other; foundation for the predicted "OmniAgent" platform category. CMMI Framework — Capability Maturity Model Integration; the structural basis for Synozur's 100–500 point AI Maturity Model. Events M365 Community Conference | April 21-23 at the Loews Sapphire Falls in Orlando Florida AI+IM Summit | April 28-30 Hyatt Regency Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD TechCon 365 Chicago | June 15-19 McCormack Place I Chicago IL Production Polaris is produced with help from Riverside.fm. Our theme song, "Alternative Dream" is provided courtesy of Adobe. Additional music and sound provided by IndieGuy Records. Graphic design by Josh Brantley. Polaris is available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Thanks. Chapters 00:00 The State of AI in 2026 02:19 News and Data Points 04:18 2026 AI Market 05:24 AI Maturity Research 07:03 2026 AI Predictions 12:06 Events 13:15 Next On Polaris 13:52 Closing

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Never Sit in the Lobby: Glenn Poulos on Sales, Startups, and Survival

Mar 1100:39:57Tap to summarize

Polaris is a production of Synozur – the transformation company. Synozur reimagines business for our clients, navigating the complexities of transformation and strategy with ease. Glenn Poulos, co-founder of Gap Wireless and author of Never Sit in the Lobby, shares how he built and sold multiple businesses across three decades, reveals why face-to-face relationships still matter in the AI age, and explains how mid-market companies can leverage technology without losing their human touch. Takeaways Fear of poverty drives action more than fear of failure – Glenn's entrepreneurial journey started when his government boss told him he'd be better in sales, and he took the leap despite uncertainty. Every good business starts with business you didn't deserve to get – The foundation of a startup often comes from an unexpected opportunity that becomes the kernel for growth. Timing matters, but so does preparation – Gap Wireless sold in early 2022 just before the telecom market crashed in 2023, demonstrating that "luck is the residue of design." Small daily improvements compound over time – Showing up consistently and making incremental progress is more valuable than searching for a magic bullet. Process comes before people in organizational structure – Define what your business needs first, then find the right people to fill those roles rather than creating roles around existing team members. AI is a force multiplier, not a replacement for human connection – While AI can speed up proposal generation, contract evaluation, and competitive analysis, major deals still require face-to-face sales calls. Strategy must be linked to metrics and visible accountability – Weekly check-ins with clear dashboards help teams stay aligned and make strategy actionable rather than an annual exercise. Sound Bites On Entrepreneurship and Risk: "I'm more motivated by a fear of being poor than I am by a fear of failure." On Starting a Business: "Every good business starts with a piece of business that you didn't deserve to get. It would be the kernel of something to build upon." On Daily Discipline: "What really moves the needle is when you show up every day...making incremental, minute little improvements in the business, they add up over time." On AI and Authenticity: "When SAP wins a project, their integrators were on site. They did not do it virtually...anything beyond that, trust me, they're making a sales call." References Glenn Poulos Personal Website: https://glennpoulos.com/ LinkedIn: Connect with Glenn Poulos on https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennpoulos Book: Never Sit in the Lobby: 57 Winning Sales Factors to Grow a Business and Build a Career Selling available on Amazon Companies Mentioned NWS Canada (formerly Gap Wireless) – VP and General Manager Gap Wireless Inc. – Co-founded in 2007, acquired by Network Wireless Solutions in February 2022 SAP – Referenced as example of in-person sales strategy Netsuite – Referenced for remote sales approach Frameworks and Systems EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) – Older business management framework implemented at Gap Wireless in 2019 Company Operating System (COS) – Improved management framework introduced 2023 by Synozur Data Points 65% of organizations now use Gen AI in at least one critical business function, more than double from a year prior 98% of people have a cell phone globally Four out of five people in the world own a mobile phone Music and Cultural References Supertramp – 1970s British progressive rock band The Police – Late 1970s rock band Balu Brigada– New Zealand alt-pop duo, song "Backseat" from debut album Portal (2025) Journey – Referenced as example of generational music preferences Events The New AI Frontier: Market Shifts, Maturity Gaps, and How to Lead with Copilot | March 17 (Teams Webinar) AI‑Driven GTM: How to Assess, Rebuild, and Accelerate Your 2026 Plans | March 23 (Teams Webinar) M365 Community Conference | April 21-23 at the Loews Saphire Falls in Orlando Florida AI+IM Summit | April 28-30 Hyatt Regency Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD Production Polaris is produced with help from Riverside.fm. Our theme song, "Alternative Dream" is provided courtesy of Adobe. Additional music and sound provided by IndieGuy Records. Graphic design by Josh Brantley. Polaris is available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Thanks. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Glenn Poulos 01:24 News and Data Points 02:24 Glenn Poulos Interview 03:04 From Government to Entrepreneurship 07:55 Navigating Business Growth and Exits 12:34 The Launch of 'Never Sit in the Lobby' 16:55 AI as a Force Multiplier in Business 21:21 Lessons from Recent Ventures 25:28 Leadership Attributes and the EOS System 30:56 Navigating Board Dynamics 31:59 The Impact of AI on Employment 34:10 Personal Passions: DJing and Dogs 37:23 Upcoming Events in 2026 38:20 AI Insights and Predictions 38:32 Next on Polaris 38:47 Closing Thoughts and Acknowledgments

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Copilot, Culture & the Cloud: 2025 at Synozur

Dec 2300:37:26Tap to summarize

Polaris is a production of Synozur – the transformation company. Synozur reimagines business for our clients, navigating the complexities of transformation and strategy with ease. Four Synozur leaders - Michelle Boyd, Michelle Caldwell, Joshua Christensen & Shari Oswald – join Chris McNulty on a special holiday edition of Polaris to reflect on 2025's seismic shifts in AI, the gap between technology and organizational maturity, and why 2026 will separate those who merely adopted tools from those who fundamentally transformed how work gets done. KEY TAKEAWAYS Agentic AI arrived in force in 2025 – Microsoft Copilot evolved from a helpful assistant into an embedded constellation of specialized agents across M365 applications, fundamentally changing how teams operate daily. The maturity gap is widening – Technology advancement is dramatically outpacing organizational readiness, with leadership capability now becoming the real constraint rather than the technology itself. End-user training is no longer optional – Organizations are finally realizing that responsible AI adoption requires structured learning programs, not just tool deployment—people need guidance on how to have conversations with AI, not just search for keywords. AI shifted from tech talk to leadership discussion – The conversation evolved from "what can AI do?" to "how do we govern it responsibly?" with leaders focused on accountability, trust, and cultural impact rather than just features. Authenticity beats perfection – From pop culture to business strategy, 2025 rewarded genuine human connection, long-form conversation, and immersive shared experiences over polished soundbites and surface-level engagement. Strategy without execution discipline won't cut it in 2026 – Organizations that invest in people, governance, and AI fluency alongside their technology will significantly outperform competitors who only focus on tools. Decision support is the new frontier – The most sophisticated organizations are operationalizing AI as a decision-making backbone, using it to surface insights, test scenarios, and challenge assumptions in ways that augment human judgment. Sound Bites Michelle Boyd (Head of Delivery Excellence, Synozur) "We're not just talking about AI anymore—we're living it. We leverage that agentic embedded experience across the M365 environment every single day, and it's become a game changer for how we operate and how we help our customers." "AI can surface insights I probably wouldn't have connected on my own. There's the gut check—sometimes we see results and think 'that's not exactly right for me'—but other times AI connects dots I would have missed." "Organizations on the tip of the spear in AI adoption are going to start using it as an operational backbone—leveraging it for decision-making possibilities, setting up scenarios, and getting recommendations that inform strategy." Michelle Caldwell (CEO, Synozur) "AI stopped being just a technology conversation and became a leadership discussion. The real questions shifted to accountability, trust, and how leaders make decisions in an AI-augmented world." "Technology maturity is outpacing organizational maturity. We're not looking at a technology problem—we're looking at an organizational and leadership maturity challenge." "In 2026, we'll see two types of organizations: those that adopted AI tools and those that fundamentally redesigned how work gets done. The gap between them will be significant. AI fluency becomes table stakes for leadership." Joshua Christensen (Head of Future of Work and Product Strategy, Synozur) "We're going to find more clients who invested in AI over the last year but haven't seen returns. You can't just cast a wide net and pray something good comes out. You've got to narrow your focus and dive deep." "This is not a button you just turn on and everything's automatically great. It takes thought, initiative, planning, and some hard truths about your organization—not just how it's run, but how your technology stacks were built." "People that aren't in technology are finally clinging to what generative AI actually is—understanding it's a completely different breed from what they thought AI was, and realizing the true implications." Shari Oswald (Learning Experience Officer, Microsoft MVP, Synozur) "I'm so happy to see a refocus back on the end users this year. With the rise of AI, people are realizing their teams need to be trained. Companies are refocusing on learning, and this is probably one of my best years ever." "When you search, you get content. When you use AI, you get context—but you also have to provide context. It's like coaching a teenage child to do chores. You can't just say 'take out the trash'—you need to give them all the parameters." "I had 310 people in my Ignite session on prompting 101. People are not comfortable. They don't know where to start. You can't just expect them to pick it up—it's intimidating." References Center for Humane Technology - "The AI Dilemma" Presentation by Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin discussing ethical and societal impacts of AI https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/the-ai-dilemma Netflix Acquires Warner Bros. Discovery Major entertainment industry consolidation announced December 2025 https://about.netflix.com Figma Slides Professional presentation design tool launched in 2024/2025 The Wizard of Oz at Sphere Las Vegas Immersive AI-enhanced theatrical experience opened August 2025 Vibe Coding Tools Referenced: Replit: Claude Code (Anthropic): Lovable: TV Shows Mentioned: Severance (Apple TV+) The Paper (NBC Peacock) Fallout (Amazon Prime Video) Stranger Things (Netflix) South Park (Comedy Central) Synozur Platforms Mentioned: Orion - AI maturity model platform Vega - OKR and strategic planning platform for the Company Operating System™ Constellation/SCDP - Time tracking and project management Nebula - Digital envisioning platform GUEST INFORMATION & PROFILES Michelle Caldwell CEO, Synozur Alliance LinkedIn: Michelle Caldwell | LinkedIn Michelle Boyd Head of Delivery Excellence, Synozur Alliance LinkedIn: Michelle Boyd, MBA PMP SIDL | LinkedIn Joshua Christensen Future of Work and Product Strategy Leader, Synozur Alliance LinkedIn: Joshua Christensen | LinkedIn Shari L. Oswald Chief Learning Officer, Synozur Alliance | Microsoft MVP & Certified Trainer LinkedIn: Shari L. Oswald, MVP, MCT, MSOM | LinkedIn Events Strategy - Now With AI | January 6, 2026 (Online) M365 Community Days DC 2026 January 29-30 at Microsoft Innovation Hub in Arlington VA Partner Vibe | January 28-30 at the Marriot Courtyard in South Padre Island Texas M365 Community Conference | April 21-23 at the Loews Saphire Falls in Orlando Florida <a href= "...

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Larry Namer: The Kid from Coney Island Who Invented Modern TV

Dec 2200:46:11Tap to summarize

Polaris is a production of Synozur – the transformation company. Synozur reimagines business for our clients, navigating the complexities of transformation and strategy with ease. Summary Larry Namer, co-founder of E! Entertainment Television, shares his remarkable journey with Chris McNulty on Polaris - from working underground installing cables in Manhattan to building a multi-billion-dollar global media empire that transformed celebrity culture, pioneered red carpet coverage, and expanded entertainment across 140 countries—plus his insights on AI, thinking globally, and why passion alone isn't always the answer. Takeaways Technology Creates Opportunities for the Bold: Larry started E! with just $2.5 million and 31 interns when competitors needed $60-100 million, proving that constraints can drive innovation and focus when you understand the technology landscape. Think Globally from Day One: E! expanded to 14 countries in its first year by recognizing that the world loves Hollywood content—a lesson that applies to any business in today's interconnected marketplace. Embrace AI as a Creative Amplifier, Not a Replacement: Larry uses AI tools like Perplexity to reduce business plan creation from five days to one hour of editing, freeing time for higher-value creative work and strategic thinking. The Medium Shapes the Message: From broadcast to cable to streaming, each technological shift doesn't just change distribution—it fundamentally transforms what content can be and how audiences engage with it. Follow Competence, Not Just Passion: Larry's advice challenges conventional wisdom: most people confuse passion with hobbies. Instead, find something you're good at, work until you're great, and that mastery will become your passion while funding your hobbies. Know When to Pivot: Assess your projects regularly. Time is your most valuable asset, and successful entrepreneurs recognize when market conditions, technology, or regulations have changed enough to warrant a new direction. Low-Cost Innovation Beats High-Budget Imitation: E! succeeded by getting premium content (movie trailers, celebrity footage) for free and surrounding it with low-cost production, following MTV's model but applied to entertainment instead of music. Sound bites - Larry Namer On Entrepreneurship and Rejection: "We were rejected over 100 times. In one meeting with a VC, the guy literally took the business plan and threw it at my head and said, 'How dare you insult me with such a piece of garbage?'" On AI and the Future: "Anybody who's not learning AI and how to bring AI into their equation is going to get left behind. It's an unbelievable creative tool. It used to take me five days to research and create a business plan. Now it takes me 30 seconds with AI, then an hour to edit it." On Global Thinking: "Stop thinking of just the US as being the only market. You got to think globally. If you think of what the foreign markets are, you could create things that may resonate for the whole world." On Passion vs. Mastery: "Most people confuse their passion with their hobby. Find something that you're good at, work your butt off until you become great at it, and then that'll become your passion, which will then give you enough financial resources to enjoy your hobbies." References Larry Namer's Company & Social Media LJN Media (Larry Namer's company): https://www.ljnmedia.com Larry Namer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-namer Larry Namer on IMDb: Larry Namer - IMDb Larry Namer on Wikipedia: Larry Namer - Wikipedia Larry Namer's Book "Offscript: Recipes for Success" by Larry J. Namer: https://www.amazon.com/Offscript-Recipes-Success-Larry-Namer/dp/B0DVNY8KH6 [Amazon] Larry Namer's Upcoming Projects The Immigrant Podcast (launching on YouTube and Spotify) Pamela Anchang, Will Launch A Lifestyle Show with Heart, "The Immigrant Podcast" in January with Larry Namer, Founder of E! Entertainment - Formidable Woman US Stall Talk (women's empowerment podcast) Stall Talk Podcast (@stalltalkbabes) • Instagram photos and videos Cultural References & Locations Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York: Visitor Information | Coney Island Fun Guide | New York Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs: Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs & Restaurants | Nathan's Famous Star Trek: The Next Generation Syndication | Memory Alpha | Fandom The Kardashians: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kardashians Companies & Networks Mentioned E! Entertainment Television: HBO (Home Box Office): CNN: TBS (Turner Broadcasting System): MTV (Music Television): Netflix: YouTube: TikTok: Spotify: Fox Broadcasting: Personalities & Shows Mentioned Jon Stewart (The Daily Show, Talk Soup alumnus) <a href= "https:...

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Humanity as a Strategy - Ed DeAngelis

Nov 2600:38:14Tap to summarize

Polaris is a production of Synozur – the transformation company. Synozur reimagines business for our clients, navigating the complexities of transformation and strategy with ease. In this episode of Polaris, Chris McNulty interviews Ed DeAngelis, CEO of EDA Contractors, who shares his journey of transforming a roofing company into a leader in the construction industry through a focus on servant leadership and a people-first approach. Ed discusses the challenges faced in the construction sector, the importance of creating a win-win culture, and how humanity plays a crucial role in business success. He emphasizes the need for vulnerability in leadership and the impact of AI on the future of the industry. Takeaways Humanity as a Strategy Treating employees as human beings first—before focusing on transactions—unlocks greater loyalty, performance, and organizational success. Win-Win Beats Zero-Sum Moving away from "I win, you lose" thinking to collaborative partnerships creates sustainable success with employees, vendors, and customers alike. Leadership Evolution Takes Time Shifting from command-and-control to servant leadership requires patience—not everyone will come along, and that's okay. Vulnerability Is a Superpower The best leaders know what they don't know. Humility and vulnerability build trust far more effectively than projecting invincibility. Accountability and Care Coexist Being people-first doesn't mean avoiding accountability—you can hold people to high standards while still treating them humanely. The Human Brain Outpaces AI While AI will automate mundane tasks, human emotion, creativity, and the ability to dream remain irreplaceable competitive advantages. Culture Attracts Talent In an industry facing a shortage of 439,000 workers, creating a best-in-class environment makes your organization the top choice for skilled talent. Sound bites Ed DeAngelis Quotes "Humanity as a strategy. Be strategic on how you want to treat your people as humans first. Secondarily, you will then treat them where there's a transaction in there—but first treat them as a human." "Vulnerability is one of the greatest assets of a great leader. The best leaders I've ever dealt with are so humble to the point that they know what they don't know." "I'm not afraid of artificial intelligence, but I'm also not afraid of the value of humanity of humans. The human brain is a thousand times more powerful than an artificial intelligent brain." "A robot can only do what the robot can do. A human being with the right focus on their emotion, their drive—they are way more powerful." References Guest Information: Ed DeAngelis [ LinkedIn] – CEO, Servant Leader, Believer in "Humanity as a Strategy" EDA Contractors – Specializing in exterior envelope solutions for commercial, institutional, and industrial buildings Titan 100 – Ed DeAngelis was named one of Philadelphia's top 100 CEOs in 2025 Business Companies and Organizations Mentioned: Zappos – Known for customer-centric and people-first culture Starbucks – Pioneer in employee-focused corporate culture Google – Recognized for innovative workplace culture Southwest Airlines – Famous for servant leadership approach Vanguard – Founded by John Bogle, known for client-first philosophy Statistics and Data Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – Source: approximately 49.9% of businesses fail within five years Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) – Source: The construction industry needs 439,000 new workers in 2025 Pop Culture Sports Reference: Philadelphia Eagles – Super Bowl LIX Champions (February 2025), defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22. Jalen Hurts named Super Bowl MVP. Events ESPC 25 (European SharePoint Conference) – December 1-4, 2025, Dublin, Ireland Strategy, Now With AI – January 6. 2026 (Teams Webinar) M365 Community Days DC – January 29-30, 2026 (Arlington, Virginia) Production Polaris is produced with help from Riverside.fm. Our theme song, "Alternative Dream" is provided courtesy of Adobe. Additional music and sound provided by IndieGuy Records. Graphic design by Josh Brantley. Polaris is available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Thanks. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 00:45 Introducing Ed DeAngelis 01:34 News and Data Points 03:10 Welcoming Ed to Polaris 05:27 Career Journey and Entrepreneurial Spirit 07:55 Current Business Climate and Challenges 10:18 Leadership Evolution and Style 12:33 Creating a People-First Culture 14:48 Implementing Change and Overcoming Resistance 19:08 Navigating Different Paths in Business Relationships 19:41 The Power of Humanity in the Workplace 22:45 Leadership Beyond Transactions 25:41 The Strength of Vulnerability in Leadership 27:00 The Future of the Construction Industry 30:17 The Impact of Pop Culture on Leadership Philosophy 34:28 Upcoming Events and Community Engagement 35:44 Gratitude and Reflection During Thanksgiving 36:37 Future Conversations and Insights on Technology 37:09 Closing Credits

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Microsoft Ignite 2025 - Day One News on Copilot and M365

Nov 1800:16:58Tap to summarize

Polaris is a production of Synozur – the transformation company. Synozur reimagines business for our clients, navigating the complexities of transformation and strategy with ease. In this episode of Polaris, Chris McNulty discusses the latest innovations announced at Microsoft's Ignite conference, focusing on AI advancements in Microsoft 365. Key topics include the introduction of Work IQ, the centralized management platform Agent 365, new features in Office apps, enhancements in Outlook for AI powered scheduling, and the role of SharePoint in AI-driven collaboration. The episode also highlights the Knowledge Agent for automating metadata management. Takeaways Work IQ is Microsoft's new data layer that lets Copilot and agents understand roles, responsibilities, and collaboration patterns—turning generic prompts into context‑aware guidance. Agent 365 centralizes agent governance (registry, Entra agent IDs, conditional access, Purview/Defender signals) inside the Microsoft 365 admin center—so IT can inventory, permission, and quarantine agents. Office Agents & Agent Mode arrive for commercial Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, enabling document, analysis, and deck creation directly from chat—with transparent steps and model choice where enabled. Outlook updates: voice triage, context‑aware one‑tap prompts, and a "Schedule with Copilot" flow that auto‑builds invites and agendas from email context. Video: Sora 2 integration enters Microsoft 365 via a Frontier early adopter path for Copilot licensees—enterprise controls, watermarking, and audio. SharePoint is the "CMS for AI": Copilot now reasons over metadata, pages, images, sensitivity‑labeled content—raising answer precision; Knowledge Agent helps auto‑suggest and tag columns and is included with M365 Copilot licenses starting in January (site‑level opt‑in). What to do next: name and explain Work IQ internally, stand up Agent 365 guardrails, pilot Office Agents with clear KPIs, prep for Sora 2, and amplify SharePoint news via Viva Amplify. Key Quotes - Chris McNulty "If LLMs are the CPUs of the AI cloud, Copilot just became the operating system for work." "Work IQ is the difference between canned answers and advice that fits how your team actually gets work done." "Agent 365 finally moves us from shadow bots to managed, measurable automation." "Metadata is the secret sauce—it's why Copilot can do things you still can't do in generic chat tools." References Microsoft Official Copilot News: https://aka.synozur.com/msftcp25 Microsoft Official SharePoint News https://aka.synozur.com/msftsp25 Synozur Blog on Copilot News https://aka.synozur.com/copilot-ignite25 Synozur Blog on SharePoint News https://aka.synozur.com/sharepoint-ignite25 Synozur Blog https://www.synozur.com/insights Events Microsoft Ignite 2025 overview and registration — https://ignite.microsoft.com/en-US/homeignite.microsoft.com ESPC25 (Dec 1–4, 2025, Dublin) — https://www.sharepointeurope.com/sharepointeurope.com Microsoft 365 Community Conference 2026 (Orlando) — https://m365conf.com/m365conf.com TechCon 365 Conference Series — https://www.techcon365.com/portal/techcon365.com AI+IM Global Summit 2026 (AIIM) — https://www.aiim.org/aiim-global-summit-2026aiim.org Fintech Meetup 2026 (Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas) — https://www.fintechmeetup.com/homefintechmeetup.com Production Polaris is produced with help from Riverside.fm. Our theme song, "Alternative Dream" is provided courtesy of Adobe. Additional music and sound provided by IndieGuy Records. Graphic design by Josh Brantley. Polaris is available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Thanks. Chapters 00:00 Intro to Microsoft Ignite 2025 01:14 Copilot News 08:02 SharePoint News 11:42 What does it all mean? 14:15 Upcoming Events 15:33 Next on Polaris 15:55 Thanks and Credits

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On Point with SharePoint - Adam Harmetz

Nov 1300:43:55Tap to summarize

Polaris is a production of Synozur – the transformation company. Synozur reimagines business for our clients, navigating the complexities of transformation and strategy with ease. In this episode of Polaris, Chris McNulty speaks with Adam Harmetz, Corporate Vice President for SharePoint at Microsoft. They discuss Adam's career journey, and the significant role of AI in knowledge management. The conversation delves into how SharePoint is evolving as a knowledge engine for AI, the importance of community feedback in product development, and the future of information management. Adam shares insights on balancing customer needs with product focus and reflects on the pride he feels in the SharePoint community as it approaches its 25th anniversary. Takeaways Data volume is exploding: Our world generates around 2.5 million terabytes of data every day and 90 percent of existing data was created in the last two years. Harnessing this data tsunami requires AI-powered tools that curate and surface the right information at the right time. AI adoption is mainstream: Studies show over 77 percent of companies are either using or exploring AI to drive productivity, and about 65 percent of organizations are already using generative AI to improve operations. Searching wastes time: Research suggests that knowledge workers spend nearly 19 percent of their workweek searching for and gathering information. AI-driven knowledge agents present a huge opportunity to reduce that overhead and focus teams on higher-value tasks. SharePoint's massive scale: SharePoint now serves over a billion users worldwide and processes more than two billion pieces of content every day. It has evolved from a portal into the collaboration and knowledge backbone of Microsoft 365. Intelligent content curation: Microsoft's new Knowledge Agent enriches documents with metadata, analyzes pages to fix broken links, retires outdated pages and creates new pages from simple prompts. Enriched metadata enables Copilot and agents to deliver deterministic, context-aware answers. Preparing for multiple futures: Adam Harmetz argues that work will likely involve a blend of chat-centric AI experiences and rich, branded intranets. Organizations should ensure their content is AI-ready and prioritize clear governance and metadata so they can pivot as technology evolves. The human element: SharePoint's passionate community underscores the importance of trust and empathy. Adam stresses nurturing, informing and listening to people who place their careers on a platform. Synozur's people-first philosophy aligns with that ethos, emphasizing partnerships and tailored, business-focused outcomes. Sound bites Adam Harmetz, CVP for SharePoint, Microsoft "When AI is looking for answers, SharePoint often becomes the primary citation source—almost double the next source". "Semi-structured data in SharePoint is the sweet spot for enterprise AI: structured enough to apply more structure, yet collaborative enough to capture everyone's voice". "The future won't be a clean break; it will be a split world where humans and agents co-evolve and reason over shared data stores". "In these paradigm shifts, it's better to ask why and how than to dwell on why not — great product making happens when we respect our customers' trust and solve real pain points." References Industry Data growth statistics: Our discussion referenced IFLScience's report noting that the world produces roughly 2.5 quintillion bytes (≈2.5 million terabytes) of new data each day, and 90 percent of existing data has been created in the last two years. ChatGPT adoption: We noted that ChatGPT amassed 100 million monthly active users within two months of launch, making it the fastest-growing consumer app in history. AI adoption statistics: According to AI Statistics, 77 percent of companies are using or exploring artificial intelligence in their operations. The CloudFactory blog cites McKinsey research indicating that about 65 percent of organizations were actively using generative AI by late 2025. Knowledge worker productivity: A Forbes column summarizes an IDC/McKinsey study showing that knowledge workers spend roughly 19 percent of their time searching for and gathering information. SharePoint usage: Microsoft reveals in its SharePoint blog that customers add over two billion pieces of content every day. At the 2025 M365 Community Conference, Jeff Teper announced that SharePoint has surpassed one billion users and runs two billion Power Automate flows each week. Knowledge Agent: Microsoft's official blog post "Introducing Knowledge Agent in SharePoint" outlines how the agent enriches and organizes content, suggests metadata columns, fixes broken links and helps build AI-friendly pages. Metadata & deterministic AI: Another SharePoint showcase explains how metadata understanding yields more precise, context-aware answers from Copilot and agents. AI models: Google's generative image model Nano Banana can combine and edit images based on natural language prompts, while OpenAI's Sora 2.0 video generator offers realistic, multi-shot video creation from text and images. Historical context: We mentioned the Library of Alexandria, the ancient repository that sought to collect every book in the world. Guest Links Book reference: Adam recommended the Dungeon Crawler Carl LitRPG series by Matt Dinniman. Guest links: Connect with Adam Harmetz on LinkedIn Personal Blog (with Helen Harmetz): Mind the Beet Events Microsoft Ignite 2025 – Nov 17-21, 2025 (San Francisco, CA). ESPC25 (European SharePoint Conference 2025) | Dec 1-4, 2025 (Convention Centre Dublin (CCD) Dublin, Ireland). ...

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