Ignite is always the moment where Microsoft shows where the next year is going. At Ignite 2025, on 18 November, three announcements stood out for me, and together they set the direction for 2026.
1️⃣ Work IQ: the intelligence behind Copilot
Work IQ is the layer that gives Copilot and agents the context of your work: your files, emails, meetings, chats and how you collaborate. It is what makes answers feel like they come from someone who knows your organisation, not from a generic chatbot.
What it means for you: the quality of your Microsoft 365 data, including how SharePoint is organised and how permissions are set, matters more than ever.
2️⃣ Word, Excel and PowerPoint agents in chat
Microsoft announced Word, Excel and PowerPoint agents that you can use directly from Copilot chat. Ask for a document, an analysis or a presentation in one conversation, and the right agent creates it, grounded in your work content.
3️⃣ Agent 365: a control plane for agents
With agents multiplying across the organisation, IT needs to know which agents exist, what they can access and who owns them. Agent 365 is Microsoft’s answer: one place to see, secure and govern agents, much like we already manage users and devices.
Looking back at 2025
This year Copilot moved from personal assistance to agent-based work, and SharePoint became central to knowledge, content organisation and agent governance. Ignite made that direction official.
What I recommend for 2026
- Clean up your content and permissions, because Work IQ and agents depend on them.
- Make an inventory of your agents today, before Agent 365 arrives.
- Pilot the new Office agents with a group of power users.
- Update your adoption plan from “how to prompt” to “how to delegate work to agents”.
My take
2025 was the year of agents. 2026 will be the year organisations learn to govern them and get real value from them at scale. The groundwork you do now will decide how fast you can move.
What was your biggest takeaway from Ignite 2025? 🚀
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