2025 Microsoft Inclusion Changemaker Partner of the Year
Valorem Reply is proud to announce that we have been recognized as winner of 2025 Microsoft Inclusion Changemaker Partner of the Year Award
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AI adoption is accelerating across the UK education sector, and at Valorem Reply, we understand how the latest Microsoft capabilities can help colleges and universities use these technologies safely and effectively. This article highlights key developments that enable institutions to modernise systems, streamline operations and unlock practical, trusted uses of AI across their estates.
Enhancements in MCP Servers
What is it?
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that acts as a bridge between AI agents and software systems. Think of it as an adapter that allows agents to understand what a system does, what data it holds, and how to interact with it. By exposing a REST API as an MCP server - something Microsoft now makes simple through API Management - organisations can make their existing applications “agent-ready.” This means an AI agent can not only retrieve information but also perform actions in a structured, secure way, using a format it understands.
Why is it important?
AI agents are powerful, but they don’t automatically know how to work with specialised or domain-specific systems. Without MCP, these agents are limited to generic tasks and cannot access the rich functionality of tools like student record systems or housing platforms. MCP solves this by providing a standardised way for agents to connect with any software, enabling them to answer detailed questions and execute real-world operations. For organisations, this means unlocking the full potential of AI while maintaining control and compliance.
Impact on UK education
Universities rely on domain-specific systems for specialised interests such as course management, timetabling, and student housing. None of these currently appear in Anthropic’s registry of MCP servers, meaning AI agents cannot natively interact with them. By creating MCP adapters for these platforms, UK institutions could empower agents to handle tasks like checking course availability, updating student records, or managing accommodation queries - all securely and in real time. This would transform administrative efficiency and student support, making AI a practical, integrated part of higher education.
Create apps with M365 Copilot and App Builder
What is it?
Microsoft 365 App Builder is an AI-powered tool integrated into Microsoft 365 Copilot, allowing anyone to build simple business apps by chatting naturally - no coding required. You describe your needs (“create a task tracker,” “build a form with dropdowns and date fields”), and Copilot generates an interactive app stored in Microsoft Lists, complete with UI, data structure, and logic. You can iteratively refine it through conversation and share it instantly via a link, with all security, access, and data governance handled by Microsoft 365 platforms.
Why is it important?
App Builder radically lowers the barrier to app development, enabling non-technical users to quickly build tools that support everyday workflows—like approvals, reminders, or lightweight dashboards—without waiting on IT or developers. This accelerates innovation, reduces IT backlog, and diminishes “shadow IT” risks because everything is built within Microsoft 365’s secure, compliant environment. Developers and architects remain essential for overseeing governance, extending functionality, and ensuring scalability, making the tool a true catalyst rather than a replacement.
Impact on UK education
In UK universities, where lecturers and administrators juggle lesson planning, marking, timetabling, and reporting, App Builder offers a way to automate and streamline those tasks quickly. Educators can build custom tools for quiz generation, attendance trackers, or event sign-ups in minutes—without waiting for IT support—while remaining compliant with GDPR and institutional policies. This empowers staff to spend more time on teaching and less on administrative duties, supporting responsive, data-driven approaches in education. Institutions such as the UK Department for Education have already started leveraging Microsoft 365 and Copilot tools to improve efficiency and data management.
Microsoft Agent 365: The control plane for AI agents
What is it?
Microsoft Agent 365 is a new platform designed to help organisations manage the growing number of AI agents being deployed across their environments. It acts as a centralized control plane, providing a registry for all agents - whether built with Microsoft Copilot Studio, third-party tools, or open-source frameworks - and assigns each a unique identity through Microsoft Entra. This system enables administrators to monitor agent activity, enforce access controls, and integrate security and compliance policies using Microsoft Purview and Defender, ensuring that AI agents operate within organisational standards.
Why is it important?
The importance of Agent 365 lies in its ability to address the challenges of scaling AI responsibly. As businesses experiment with autonomous agents, risks such as shadow AI, data leakage, and uncontrolled permissions become significant. Agent 365 mitigates these risks by offering visibility, governance, and interoperability across platforms, transforming isolated AI experiments into enterprise-grade solutions. By embedding trust and security into the agent lifecycle, it empowers organizations to innovate confidently while maintaining compliance and reducing operational vulnerabilities.
Impact on UK education
For UK education, the implications are substantial. Schools and universities are increasingly adopting AI tools like Microsoft Copilot to support lesson planning, administrative tasks, and personalized learning. Agent 365 provides the governance layer needed to ensure these agents are deployed securely and in compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR. This means educational institutions can leverage AI to enhance teaching and streamline operations without compromising student privacy or institutional integrity, paving the way for safer, more effective digital transformation in the sector.
Migration opportunities with App Service Managed Instance and AI-Assisted Migration
What is it?
App Service Managed Instance offers cloud migration opportunities previously unavailable for applications dependent on on-premises Windows features such as the registry and COM+. When it comes to planning and executing app modernization, GitHub Copilot has proven capabilities to analyse, plan and implement migration according to customer requirements and adapt to new findings and user clarifications as they arise.
Why is it important?
Migrating and modernising legacy applications to the cloud reduces infrastructure costs, improves scalability, and enhances reliability through high availability and disaster recovery. It also unlocks access to advanced services like AI and analytics, enabling faster innovation, better integration, and stronger security and compliance - all while delivering a more agile, cost-effective environment for growth. While many organisations are embracing this change, certain apps within the estate can be intractable due to dependency on features only available on-premises. Managed Instances target this niche to enable the migration of these awkward cases.
Impact on UK education
Uncommon applications with a long service life are found maintaining important business functions across the UK education sector. Some of these can be obstacles to adopting a cloud-native posture, but are too important to retire. Easing the migration and modernisation path for these applications can help reduce expense and complexity incurred by maintaining on-premises application hosting
Microsoft Databases and Microsoft Fabric: Your unified and AI-powered data estate
What is it?
Microsoft is bringing together its database services and Microsoft Fabric into one unified, AI-powered platform that makes working with data simpler and smarter. Instead of juggling multiple systems, organisations can now manage everything in one place - whether it’s storing information, analysing it, or using AI to get insights. Fabric IQ, a new conversational experience, takes this even further by letting users ask questions in natural language and instantly get answers or create reports without needing deep technical skills. This means data becomes more accessible to everyone, not just IT teams.
Why is it important?
This matters because businesses and institutions often struggle with scattered data and slow processes. By combining databases with Fabric and adding AI tools like IQ, Microsoft helps reduce complexity and speed up decision-making. Organizations can save time, cut costs, and unlock insights faster, which is critical in today’s data-driven world. With IQ, even non-technical staff can interact with data easily, making analytics and reporting far more inclusive and efficient.
Impact on UK education
For UK education, the impact could be transformative. Schools and universities can bring together student records, timetables, and research data into one secure system, then use Fabric IQ to quickly answer questions like “Which students need extra support?” or “What resources are underused?” This makes it easier for teachers and administrators to make informed decisions, improve student outcomes, and plan ahead - all while staying compliant with data protection rules like GDPR. In short, it turns complex data into practical insights that help education run smarter and more effectively.
