Want a little help managing actionable tasks and finding time in your schedule to get work done? Microsoft 365 is offering a new and secure service called the Cortana daily “Briefing” email to help you improve your business day.
What is the Cortana daily “Briefing” email?
Cortana is Microsoft’s productivity assistant and is available as part of Microsoft 365 services. Cortana is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to provide you with personal productivity tips that aim to help you:
- Prepare for meetings ahead of time by showing you related tasks or attached documents relevant to those meetings.
- Manage tasks by reminding you of pending tasks from a feature that scans your email.
- Identify available time on your calendar to schedule “focus time” which silences notifications for uninterrupted, independent work in order to make the most of your time.
How does Cortana daily “Briefing” work?
You will receive a daily “Briefing” email. This email assembles existing information (i.e. tasks, documents, emails, and meetings) to which you already have access and summarizes them in an organized manner. You will receive a personalized brief email in Outlook at the beginning of each workday.
Note: If you don’t receive any Cortana emails, Cortana just may not have enough data to provide you with a daily briefing email.
It is possible to guide Cortana to improve the quality of suggestions offered. In your daily “Briefing” email it may suggest that you have a commitment or follow-up. You can mark the task as “Done” or specify “Not a task” to indicate that it is not something to be considered. It will learn faster by giving it real-time feedback.
Is Cortana secure?
Yes. Cortana is secure. All the information gathered for these daily briefing emails are completely secure, and for your eyes only. The security of this new feature is equivalent to the security of your mailbox.
The security of Microsoft’s environment is externally certified by independent parties. This new feature falls within McGill’s signed contractual agreement with Microsoft. This agreement is vetted by McGill Legal Services and qualifies as meeting all legal requirements in regards to privacy.
How do I unsubscribe or subscribe to the “Your Daily Briefing” email?
There is a unsubscribe link included within the daily briefing message itself.
You may also choose to opt-in (or back out) at any time by visiting cortana.office.com (while logged into Office 365). Note: Any changes you make to the settings will require 24 hours to take effect.
