{"id":121266,"date":"2025-04-16T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-04-14T09:43:38","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T16:43:38","slug":"the-face-of-government-service-delivery-is-changing-as-ai-and-cloud-capabilities-continue-to-expand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/industry\/blog\/government\/2025\/04\/16\/the-face-of-government-service-delivery-is-changing-as-ai-and-cloud-capabilities-continue-to-expand\/","title":{"rendered":"The face of government service delivery is changing as AI and cloud capabilities continue to expand"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In Burlington, Ontario, life has gotten just a little easier for building contractors\u2014and measurably more efficient for the city government.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a growing demand for housing in this municipality of 200,000 people, the City wanted to ease the burden of obtaining a building permit. As with many government agencies, applications and inquiries used to be handled primarily in person. In 2024, however, the City decided to improve the cumbersome process with technology.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using Microsoft Copilot Studio<\/a> and related cloud technologies, the City created a custom Copilot that reduced the permit approval process from 15 weeks to 5 to 7 weeks\u2014\u201cA giant leap forward,\u201d according to Community Planning Director Jamie Tellier. Critically, with the help of low-code development, the copilot was conceptualized and deployed in only eight weeks.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Build your own agents with Microsoft Copilot Studio<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s just one improvement in a single government agency, but the City of Burlington story<\/a> reflects a significant global trend. In the year or so since Microsoft\u2019s core generative AI and Copilot offerings arrived broadly in the marketplace, first with Microsoft 365 Copilot<\/a> and subsequently with developer tools<\/a>, industry-specific solutions<\/a>, and autonomous AI agents<\/a>, the broad impact on governments is becoming clearer.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Microsoft for Government<\/a>, making the most of cloud and AI is central to our focus on helping government agencies and organizations to solve some of society\u2019s biggest challenges. As we work with government customers on a broad array of challenges and solutions, we continue to be amazed at the expanding impact of AI and modern cloud technologies, which are delivering far more than just efficiency gains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How cloud and AI are broadly transforming governments <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to operations and IT, governments worldwide face a set of uniquely difficult challenges. The community expects them to deliver a quality of service and user experience that matches what they get from the private sector. At the same time, governments face specific demands around compliance and security that most other sectors do not. Factor in shrinking budgets, aging workforces, and legacy on-premises systems that add cost and risk, and governments struggle to hold the line, much less to innovate.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the advent of AI and complementary cloud solutions can offer help and advance both cost savings and innovation. For example, Microsoft 365 Copilot played a key role in the successful modernization of communications systems in the UK Home Office<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A critical government department responsible for national security and public safety, UK Home Office urgently needed to modernize outdated systems to continue meeting national security and public safety demands. Working with Microsoft and technology partners Colt and Netcompany, they were able to drive a smooth migration of 63,000 users in just eight working days and minimized disruption to essential services.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI-powered support from Copilot played a crucial role in optimizing workflows, summarizing meetings, generating follow-up tasks, and offering real-time insights. The cost-savings it delivered also allowed the department to allocate resources to more strategic areas, reinforcing its commitment to delivering exceptional value for the public. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we look across government customers worldwide, we see three key areas in which cloud and AI are delivering new benefits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Increase productivity and save time with personal assistants<\/strong>
    Productivity benefits are central to the value delivered by agents and AI. The core capabilities of Microsoft 365 Copilot are uniquely attuned to help address the frustrations surrounding repetitive tasks, serving effectively as tireless personal assistants.

    Interestingly, while 49% of professionals surveyed by Microsoft said they worry about AI replacing their jobs, 70% said they\u2019d like to lessen their workloads by delegating as much of their work as possible to AI.1<\/sup>

    A good case in point is the     Torfaen County Borough Council<\/a> in Wales, which is using Copilot to help respond to growing service demands even as budgets were reduced. Copilot\u2019s seamless integration with everyday applications like Microsoft Word, Excel, and Teams meant that workflows were not interrupted. Employees then saw significant time savings in things like minute-taking tasks and summary reports. As Chief Executive Stephen Vickers put it, \u201cIt\u2019s saving time and it\u2019s delivering a better end product.\u201d

    Elsewhere in the United Kingdom, the     Buckinghamshire Council<\/a> in England implemented Copilot to improve productivity and staff wellbeing across selected operations. Employees reported 10 to 20% time savings on tasks such as transcribing meetings, creating reports, drafting emails, and handling customer inquiries. Project managers were able to take on more projects due to an average time savings of 30 hours per month. And customer service workers focused more on providing better assistance. As one put it, \u201cWith Copilot transcribing, I can focus completely on what the customer is saying, rather than worrying \u2018Did I take that down right?\u2019\u201d

    Likewise, in early 2024, the     Dubai Electricity and Water Authority<\/a> (DEWA) introduced Copilot as part of a modernization effort to revolutionize utility services. Internal operations were streamlined dramatically, as processes that had previously taken days, such as research and document drafting, were completed in mere hours. Critically, customer happiness remained consistent at a 98% rating, as internal efficiency soared.  <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Automate government operations and reduce costs<\/strong>
    An additional category of Copilot benefits is the ability to reduce costs by automating operations and delivering insights and data visualizations that help people make informed decisions quickly.\u00a0

    Copilot can be integrated into many business systems, including customer relationship management (CRM) and contact center solutions, to provide contextual, AI-powered responses. This means that whether an agency is using Dynamics 365 or another CRM solution, Copilot can seamlessly connect to those systems and enhance existing workflows.

    In the United Kingdom, the     Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)<\/a> is evaluating Copilot as an expansion of a highly successful effort to bring its nationwide driving test system in house after decades of outsourcing it. The new solution, integrated with Microsoft Dynamics 365, has improved customer satisfaction rates from 80% to 96%, while saving a projected \u00a315 million within five years.

    The agency\u2019s deep investment in the Microsoft platform positions them to readily innovate with generative AI in ways that promise to, for example, power a data-driven approach to understanding drivers and the use of roads. \u201cIt\u2019s still early days,\u201d said Digital Operations head Alex Fiddes, \u201cBut I think this will help the DVSA respond at a far more rapid pace than it\u2019s done in the previous three decades.\u201d

    Copilots can also orchestrate complex, long-running processes with more autonomy and less human intervention. Microsoft Copilot Studio offers a subset of capabilities that allow for deep customization, which lets organizations tailor Copilot to their specific business needs without the need for costly development time or extensive modifications. \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Protect your data with secure and compliant enterprise-ready AI<\/strong>
    Security is obviously paramount for government organizations, which are not only among the most attacked sectors in the world but are often the most stressed due to staffing shortages and budget constraints. The good news is that     Microsoft Security Copilot <\/a>offers a powerful way for governments to make dramatic improvements in cybersecurity.

    Security Copilot is the first generative AI security product to combine the most advanced AI models with a Microsoft-developed security model. It is powered by Microsoft Security\u2019s unique expertise, global threat intelligence, and comprehensive security products. This helps governments maintain a secure and compliant approach to security and privacy, it applies data classification labels to make sure the right people have access to the right data, and it helps protect unauthorized access with data loss prevention (DLP) strategies.

    At     Oregon State University<\/a>, Security Copilot is playing a central role in protecting vital research and sensitive data, including the personal information of students and faculty. After experiencing a major cybersecurity incident in 2021, the university created a new Security Operations Center (SOC) that integrates Microsoft Security solutions, including Microsoft Sentinel<\/a> and Microsoft Defender<\/a>. Security Copilot is used for essential tasks to help the security team assess and respond quickly to cyberthreats.

    In particular, Security Copilot holds promise in automating processes and addressing vulnerabilities, according to SOC Manager Emily Longman.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    “Copilot for Security will boost our automation capabilities and help our analysts\u2014who are college students\u2014learn how to quickly write more Kusto Query Language (KQL), such as threat hunting with more advanced hunting queries, and more workbooks.”<\/p>\nEmily Longman, Security Operations Center Manager, Oregon State University<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    Our commitment to security above all <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    As promising as AI innovation is, we recognize that progress will always depend on world-class security to help ensure safety, privacy, and regulatory compliance. Since Satya Nadella made security Microsoft\u2019s top priority in May 2024, Microsoft has dedicated the equivalent of 34,000 engineers to advance the objectives laid out in the Secure Future Initiative (SFI)<\/a>, a framework that provides a structured, comprehensive approach for enhanced cybersecurity across all Microsoft products and services.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For governments, this commitment means that agencies and organizations can innovate with confidence in Microsoft advanced cybersecurity measures, compliance support, and risk management tools.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Learn more <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    To help your government organization take the next step in your cloud and AI journey, contact your local Microsoft representative or certified technology partner. They can help explore options, identify use cases, and transform your ideas into meaningful solutions.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n