Microsoft has unveiled additional administrative features for Bing Chat Enterprise, responding to feedback from business admin employees. These new controls allow for a more granular deployment of the chatbot, catering to specific user groups within an organization.
Ring-Based Deployment Introduced
Bing Chat Enterprise, a version of the Bing Chat generative AI chatbot tailored for businesses, was first introduced in July. The chatbot boasts enhanced privacy and security features, making it suitable for business use.
Previously, Microsoft 365 administrators had the ability to activate or deactivate Bing Chat Enterprise for all eligible users within their organization. However, based on feedback, Microsoft has now introduced a “ring-based” deployment method.
This approach allows businesses to introduce the chatbot to a select group of users initially, gather feedback, and then expand its availability. As Microsoft mentioned, “To address this customer request, a Bing Chat Enterprise Service Plan can now choose to roll out Bing Chat Enterprise to a subset of users before deploying across the organization.” This means users, once assigned and logged in with their work or school account, can access Bing Chat Enterprise through various entry points, including A ‘Tribute in Light' and the Microsoft Edge sidebar.
Data Privacy and Protections
Microsoft has also clarified data handling procedures for Bing Chat Enterprise. The chatbot sources its information from the public web and does not access internal organizational content within Microsoft 365, such as documents, emails, or Microsoft Teams messages.
The only exception is when a user explicitly inputs or copies data directly into the chat or grants Bing Chat Enterprise permission to access a document or intranet page via the Microsoft Edge sidebar. Importantly, this data is not retained post-chat. Microsoft emphasized that all chat data is processed by them, ensuring that third parties, including OpenAI (the creator of the ChatGPT large language model), do not have access to this data.
Bing Chat Enterprise is currently in public preview for specific Microsoft 365 subscribers, with an official rollout expected later in September. Microsoft also plans to offer individual access to Bing Chat Enterprise at a rate of $5 per user per month.
Microsoft has already started expanding Bing Chat Enterprise. recently brought Bing Chat Enterprise to its Education platform in August. The tool aims to enhance search experiences in the education sector. This tool is designed to assist educators in planning lessons and creating content for their students.
Once Bing Chat Enterprise is enabled, faculty members can access it via http://Bing.com/chat or the Microsoft Edge sidebar when signed in with their Microsoft Entra ID. Also last month, Microsoft announced that Bing Chat Enterprise is now integrating with Windows Copilot.
