Microsoft AI at CCBC

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat

The secure chat experience available when you sign in with your CCBC work or school account. It is best for writing help, brainstorming, summarizing files you provide, web based research, and using approved agents. Without the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on, it has limited access to work data. Think of it as a protected AI chat space, not a full personal work assistant.

Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on

The paid add-on license that turns Copilot into a work assistant across Microsoft 365. It can use work data that you already have permission to access, including files, meetings, chats, and email, and it brings Copilot into apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Outlook, and OneNote.

Agents

Agents are AI assistants designed for a more specific job. A simple agent may answer questions using instructions and public web content. A more advanced agent may use SharePoint, Microsoft Graph, connectors, actions, or workflows. As soon as an agent uses institutional data or takes action, licensing and cost need to be reviewed.

Copilot Studio

The advanced agent-building environment. It is used when an agent needs richer logic, data connections, workflows, actions, custom channels, or more governance. Copilot Studio usage is generally measured with Copilot Credits unless the use is included for Microsoft 365 Copilot licensed users.

Copilot Credits and tokens

End users do not need to calculate tokens for normal Copilot Chat. For advanced agents, Microsoft uses Copilot Credits as the billing unit. Some advanced AI tools are also measured by token usage behind the scenes, especially when reasoning models or generative AI tools are used. For practical approval purposes, departments should think in terms of Copilot Credits and expected usage rather than raw tokens.

Part-time/Adjunct

Part-time/Adjuncts users have A1 license and can access Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat when signed in with their CCBC account. This provides a secure AI chat experience, web usage, file upload capabilities where enabled, and access to approved agents. A1 does not automatically include the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on or full use of organization data to complete tasks.

Full-time

Full-time users have A5 License which is a stronger Microsoft 365 education license than A1 and includes broader Microsoft 365 capabilities, but A5 by itself still does not automatically mean the user has the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on. A5 users can use Copilot Chat, and A5 can serve as an eligible base license for adding Microsoft 365 Copilot.

Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on

This is the license users need when they want Copilot to work across their Microsoft 365 content, summarize or reason over meetings, email, chats, and files, use Copilot deeply inside Office apps, or use advanced Microsoft agents such as Researcher and Analyst where available.

AI can be wrong

Copilot may generate inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated answers. Users should verify important facts, numbers, policies, citations, and decisions before relying on the output.

Permissions still apply

Copilot and agents can only use content the signed-in user is allowed to access, but that also means poor permissions hygiene can expose too much information to AI. Sensitive SharePoint sites and files should have appropriate access controls before they are used as knowledge sources.

Chat is not the same as full access to your Microsoft 365 work data

Copilot Chat can help with public information and files the user provides. Full access to your Microsoft 365 content requires Microsoft 365 Copilot.

Agent costs depend on what the agent does

A simple public-web or instruction-only agent may have no additional consumption charge. An agent with access to SharePoint, Microsoft Graph, connectors, actions, agent flows, voice, or autonomous triggers may consume Copilot Credits unless the interaction is included for Microsoft 365 Copilot licensed users.

Limits change

Microsoft changes service limits as products evolve. Avoid promising a fixed number of prompts, tokens, images, or files unless that number comes from current Microsoft documentation or an ITS-approved standard.

Large knowledge sources are not magic

Agents have documented limits for knowledge sources, files, SharePoint URLs, topics, skills, and message throughput. Very large, poorly structured, confidential, or password-protected content may not produce reliable answers.

I just want to experiment with AI safely

Start with Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat using your CCBC account. Do not use unsanctioned public AI tools for CCBC confidential, student, personnel, financial, security, or internal operational data.

I want Copilot to work with my email, meetings, Teams chats, and files

Request the Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on. This is the appropriate license for full access to your Microsoft 365 work data and in-app Copilot capabilities.

I want to build a quick FAQ assistant from public information

Use Agent Builder first. Keep the agent limited to instructions and public web content if you want the simplest licensing and support model.

I want an agent to answer questions from SharePoint or department files

Review the knowledge source, permissions, data owner approval, and expected audience. This can require Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses for users or a Copilot Studio consumption model.

I want an agent to perform tasks for me

Treat this as an advanced request. Actions such as moving email, creating files, updating records, or running flows require a review of cost, security, permissions, auditability, and business ownership.

I want to share an agent broadly with students, employees, or external users

Do not assume the creator’s license covers everyone. Broad use may require pay-as-you-go/prepaid Copilot Credits, channel configuration, authentication design, and governance approval.

For normal Copilot Chat, most users do not need to think about tokens or credits. For agents, the cost depends on the agent design, the data it uses, the actions it performs, the channel where it runs, and whether the user interacting with it has a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.

• Describe the business problem in one or two sentences.

• Identify the audience: only you, a small team, all employees, students, or external users.

• Identify the data sources: public web, uploaded files, SharePoint, Microsoft 365 content, Banner/ERP, ticketing, or another system.

• Confirm the data owner approves the use of those sources for AI

• Confirm the expected action level: answer questions only, draft content, create files, update systems, send messages, or run work flows.

• Estimate approximate usage: number of users, number of interactions, and whether use is occasional or operationally critical.

• Decide whether the better fit is Copilot Chat, Microsoft 365 Copilot, a simple agent, or a Copilot Studio agent with a consumption budget.

Start with Copilot Chat for general AI help. Request Microsoft 365 Copilot when you need Copilot to work across your Microsoft 365 content and apps. Request an agent review when you want AI to use institutional data, be shared broadly, or perform work on your behalf.