What every executive needs to decide in the next 90 days
It is May 15, 2026. In the space of two weeks, Microsoft has made official what many had suspected: the era of AI experimentation is over. We are entering the industrialization phase.
Three major announcements immediately reshape the priorities of CEOs, CIOs, CTOs and CFOs.
The announcements that change the landscape
Microsoft 365 E7 is available (Frontier Suite)
Microsoft is launching its first new Enterprise license since E5 in 2015.
Microsoft 365 E7 brings together in a single offer: Microsoft 365 E5, Copilot, Agent 365, Microsoft Entra Suite and Work IQ as a unified intelligence layer.
For organizations already on E5 with Copilot, the bundle can represent savings of up to 15%. But the main change lies elsewhere: AI agent governance is built in from day one.
Microsoft is no longer just selling tools. It now offers a complete AI platform.
Copilot Cowork: from assistance to execution
Copilot can now carry out complex, multi-step tasks autonomously: planning, coordinating files, producing deliverables and working in the background for hours.
We are clearly moving from copilot to autonomous collaborator.
Agent 365: agent governance takes center stage
In two months of preview, tens of millions of agents were registered. This confirms what many are already seeing: AI agents are multiplying very quickly, often without governance.
Agent 365 provides full visibility into active agents, their data access and their risks, including third-party agents (Salesforce, SAP, ServiceNow).
For any organization already using Copilot or Power Platform, this becomes a priority.
Microsoft 365 price increase on July 1, 2026
Microsoft has announced an average 16% increase on Microsoft 365 licenses.
There are roughly six weeks left to renegotiate contracts or reassess your licensing trajectory before renewal.
What the numbers say
Copilot's ROI is now documented: $3.70 generated for every $1 invested, according to IDC.
At the same time, 79% of IT decision-makers still cite data privacy as the main obstacle.
The barrier is no longer the value of AI. The barrier is now governance.
Four decisions to make before September
1. Review your licensing trajectory (E3, E5 or E7)
With the price increase and the arrival of E7, a full licensing review has become essential. The decision is no longer purely financial; it is about the consistency of your AI platform.
2. Actually measure Copilot ROI
Two types of organizations are emerging: those that measure their ROI and those that estimate it. The maturity gap is becoming significant.
3. Inventory your existing AI agents
IDC forecasts 1.3 billion enterprise AI agents by 2028. Today, 80% of the Fortune 500 already use Microsoft agents.
In many environments, we are already seeing undocumented active agents with access to sensitive data.
The first actions are simple: open the Agent 365 Registry, inventory active agents, audit their access and define a creation and approval policy.
Agent governance is becoming a prerequisite for scaling.
4. Rethink the role of Power Platform
A recent example: a business application estimated at €80,000 with traditional development was delivered in 6 weeks for €12,000 with Power Platform.
With the new administration tools and the integration of Copilot Studio agents, Power Platform is becoming a major lever for business automation.
A simple exercise to do this week
List five repetitive manual processes in your organization and estimate the monthly time spent on each.
This exercise is often enough to set the first priorities.
The organizations moving fastest are not the ones piling up tools, but the ones building a coherent platform.
The launch of Microsoft 365 E7 clearly points in that direction. The coming weeks are an important decision window for many companies.
At Consultim-IT, we are currently supporting several organizations with:
- reviewing their Microsoft 365 licensing ahead of the price increase,
- assessing the real ROI of Copilot,
- inventorying and governing AI agents,
- building a 90-day Microsoft 365 AI roadmap.
If these topics are on your agenda, we would be glad to talk with you and share the field insights we are seeing with our clients. Contact us.