Hanmi Pharma Deploys 5G Surface Copilot+ and M365 Copilot to Accelerate AI PC Era

Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s decision to equip its field force with 5G-enabled Surface Copilot+ PCs and roll out Microsoft 365 Copilot across the business marks a clear inflection point in how a major R&D-centric pharmaceutical company is defining the “AI PC” era — a move intended to marry anywhere connectivity, on-device AI, and enterprise-grade security to accelerate sales productivity, streamline workflows, and build a foundation for Copilot-driven agents and citizen developer programs. (microsoft.com)

Background / Overview​

Hanmi Pharmaceutical, one of South Korea’s largest R&D-focused drug developers, has publicly described a phased AI transformation that began with proof-of-concept work in 2024 and moved into a broader deployment in 2025. The company is combining Microsoft 365 Copilot (M365 Copilot) with Surface Copilot+ PCs to create what it calls an “AI PC environment,” with three explicit priorities: productivity, mobility, and security. (microsoft.com)
This is not a simple device refresh. Hanmi’s program centers on:

• Equipping sales teams with 5G-enabled Surface Copilot+ PCs so they can access OneDrive and SharePoint on the road.
• Putting M365 Copilot into day-to-day workflows (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams) to surface summaries, automate repetitive tasks, and enable natural-language queries.
• Using Microsoft Intune and Microsoft Sentinel to centralize device management and SIEM for real‑time threat detection and incident response. (microsoft.com)

Taken together, Hanmi’s approach reflects the broader enterprise trend toward integrated device + cloud AI strategies, where hardware (NPUs, 5G, Pluton-grade security) and SaaS AI (Copilot, Copilot Studio, Power Platform) become co‑engineered layers of the modern workplace stack. Independent reports on Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC family and Teams feature set help place Hanmi’s choices in context: Copilot+ PCs are being positioned as business devices with dedicated NPUs, improved on-device AI responsiveness, and modern security primitives, while Teams continues to add AI meeting features and admin controls suited for enterprise deployments. (theverge.com, windowscentral.com)

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What Hanmi implemented — the concrete elements​

Surface Copilot+ PCs in the field​

Hanmi supplied its field sales force with Surface Copilot+ PCs that include cellular 5G connectivity. The stated operational benefits are immediate: sales reps can now perform cloud-based tasks (retrieve materials from SharePoint, upload field notes to OneDrive, and use the Surface Copilot Key for quick natural‑language search) without returning to the office. This reduces handoffs, shortens sales cycles, and creates more time for customer-facing activities. (microsoft.com)
Key device-level capabilities highlighted by Hanmi include:

• 5G connectivity for persistent, low-latency access outside Wi‑Fi coverage.
• On-device NPUs (Neural Processing Units) — used to accelerate Copilot features locally and reduce latency for contextual queries.
• Surface Copilot Key — a hardware shortcut for the Copilot experience that enables fast, intuitive interactions with M365 and local content.
• Enterprise security stack (plumbed into Microsoft Intune and Sentinel) for remote wipe, device location, and SIEM monitoring. (microsoft.com, theverge.com)

Note on verification: Microsoft’s customer story explicitly cites Qualcomm chipsets and NPUs as part of the Copilot+ PC architecture, and independent coverage of Microsoft’s Copilot+ announcements corroborates the presence of NPUs as a key selling point. Pricing and SKU specifics for 5G models vary by region and OEM configuration and were not fully spelled out in Hanmi’s story; those details typically come from device spec sheets and regional reseller channels. (microsoft.com, theverge.com)

Microsoft 365 Copilot across workflows​

Hanmi reports several practical wins from integrating M365 Copilot into everyday workflows:

• Faster form processing and collaborative document handling via SharePoint.
• Automated meeting summaries, scheduling, and documentation that reduce manual steps when communicating with external partners.
• Real-time collaboration in Teams (town halls and breakout rooms) that supports training and cross‑team working. (microsoft.com)

This mirrors Microsoft’s broader Copilot positioning: an AI assistant embedded across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams that can summarize, draft, translate, and analyze content in context of an organization’s files and communications. Independent activity data from early adopters shows measurable time savings on writing and data tasks, which supports Hanmi’s reported productivity gains. (microsoft.com, laptopmag.com)

Security, device management, and SIEM​

Security was a leading rationale for Hanmi’s move. The company already held ISO 27001 certification and pushed to integrate Intune (for device policies and conditional access) and Microsoft Sentinel (for centralized SIEM operations). The combination allows Hanmi to:

• Track device location and connectivity, enabling conditional responses (e.g., remote wipe).
• Roll out centralized app distribution and enforce access controls via Microsoft Entra ID.
• Aggregate telemetry and alerts for real‑time threat detection. (microsoft.com)

These are textbook controls for regulated sectors like pharma; using Intune and Sentinel together maps to a Zero Trust posture that enterprises increasingly require when deploying cloud-connected devices at scale. Independent coverage of Copilot+ PCs highlights the inclusion of Pluton and modern attestation mechanisms as part of Microsoft’s hardware security stack, which aligns with Hanmi’s emphasis on strong endpoint security. (theverge.com, microsoft.com)

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Why this matters: business impacts and user stories​

Sales mobility and time-to-opportunity​

Hanmi’s core field benefit is mobility: once field reps no longer must return to the office to update systems, sales cycles compress and opportunities increase. In Hanmi’s telling, the Surface Copilot Key and on-device search let teams find clinical data, product collaterals, and order forms quickly — all while maintaining corporate access controls. That’s a clear ROI path: fewer administrative delays translate to more customer time and faster approvals. (microsoft.com)

Meetings, partner engagement, and collaboration quality​

Teams’ Copilot-enabled features — automated summaries, action item extraction, and integrated documentation — reduce friction when working with external partners. Hanmi’s Data Strategy Group cites reduced steps for partner communication and better meeting documentation, a benefit that directly correlates to higher-quality engagements and fewer misunderstandings. These are exactly the sorts of outcomes Microsoft has reported for Copilot-enabled Teams deployments. (microsoft.com, windowscentral.com)

Upskilling and citizen developers​

Hanmi is deliberately training “citizen developers” using Power Platform workshops and an early-adopter program. The strategy is to seed bottom-up automation and Copilot agent development inside lines of business, reducing IT bottlenecks and creating tailored process automations (Power Automate flows, Copilot Studio agents) for domain teams such as sales and research. This is a pragmatic route toward scaling AI-driven productivity beyond centralized teams. (microsoft.com)

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Technical analysis: architecture, capabilities, and trade-offs​

On-device AI plus cloud models: hybrid inference​

Surface Copilot+ PCs combine local NPUs with Azure-hosted LLMs (large language models) to balance latency, privacy, and compute. The basic pattern:

• On-device SLMs (small language models) and NPUs handle fast, private inference for routine tasks and contextual UI interactions.
• Azure-hosted LLMs handle heavier synthesis, cross-document reasoning, or tasks that require broader model knowledge and up-to-date context.

This hybrid design reduces both latency and egress to the cloud for many operations while still enabling complex synthesis when required by an enterprise workflow. Hanmi’s story references this split explicitly, and product coverage confirms Microsoft’s Copilot+ messaging around local NPUs and cloud-backed models. (microsoft.com, theverge.com)

Security posture: Pluton, Intune, and Sentinel​

Modern Copilot+ PCs are marketed with hardware-rooted security elements (Pluton) and integrated device management controls. For regulated industries, this matters because:

• Pluton and TPM-like features protect keys and attestation material against physical compromise.
• Intune enables policy enforcement (e.g., requiring corporate VPN, conditional access) and centralized updates.
• Sentinel provides SIEM visibility to detect anomalous behavior across device fleets.

Hanmi’s explicit use of Intune and Sentinel aligns with best practices for deploying connected devices in data-sensitive environments, but organizations must still architect conditional access rules, data classification, and DLP policies carefully to avoid accidental data exposure. (microsoft.com, theverge.com)

Operational realities: connectivity, battery, and support​

5G enables compelling mobility, but the real-world experience depends on:

• Carrier coverage in target territories (urban vs. rural divergence).
• SIM management (eSIM vs. physical SIM) and corporate billing.
• Impact on battery life when using both NPUs and 5G concurrently.

Microsoft’s device announcements and independent reviews indicate improved battery life compared with prior generations, but running sustained AI tasks plus high-bandwidth connectivity will still create trade-offs. IT leaders must consider mobile data budgets, local coverage maps, and warranty/service logistics for a distributed field fleet. (theverge.com, laptopmag.com)

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Strengths of Hanmi’s approach​

• Clear alignment between tech and business outcomes. Hanmi’s deployment ties hardware choice and AI tooling directly to measurable field productivity gains (time saved, faster document retrieval, reduced office trips). (microsoft.com)
• Security-first deployment mindset. Existing ISO 27001 certification combined with Intune and Sentinel adoption reduces organizational risk and satisfies regulatory expectations in pharma. (microsoft.com)
• Bottom-up enablement via citizen developers. Investing in Power Platform training increases organizational agility and reduces backlog for IT teams, enabling rapid prototyping and domain-specific automation. (microsoft.com)
• Hybrid AI strategy that balances privacy and power. On-device NPUs for lightweight inference, with Azure LLMs for heavier tasks, offers a pragmatic performance/latency compromise. (theverge.com, microsoft.com)

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Risks and caveats — what IT leaders must plan for​

Data governance and hallucination risk​

While Copilot products do a lot to stay within an organization’s data boundaries, generative AI outputs can still hallucinate or conflate information if prompt context is insufficient. For a pharmaceutical company handling sensitive clinical or regulatory information, even small inaccuracies carry disproportionate risk. Implement:

• Strict data classification workflows.
• Copilot usage policies for regulated content.
• Human-in-the-loop checks for any generated document destined for regulatory submission. (microsoft.com)

Device lifecycle, warranty, and repair logistics​

Deploying a 5G Surface fleet across field forces increases complexity for device provisioning, carrier plans, warranty handling, and repairs. IT should plan for:

• A robust provisioning and imaging pipeline (zero-touch where possible).
• Clear BYOD vs. corporate-owned policies.
• Rapid swap-and-repair plans to avoid productivity loss in the field. (laptopmag.com)

Bandwidth and cost control​

5G eliminates many connectivity headaches but introduces variable costs. Data‑heavy AI features, video calls with Live Captions, or continuous telemetry can drive up carrier bills rapidly. Use Intune and network policies to:

• Throttle non-essential background sync on cellular.
• Prioritize critical app traffic.
• Apply budgeting and monitoring for mobile data usage. (microsoft.com)

Compliance and auditability​

For regulated industries, every AI-driven action that affects records or decisions should be auditable. Copilot outputs must be traceable to inputs and versions of models used. Hanmi’s adoption of Sentinel and Intune is a good first step, but organizations must also:

• Log Copilot interactions tied to Entra IDs.
• Retain audit trails for regulatory review.
• Validate agent-created artifacts before accepting them as authoritative. (microsoft.com)

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Practical rollout checklist for IT leaders (inspired by Hanmi’s playbook)​

• Establish an AX (AI Experience) task force with representatives from sales, marketing, research, manufacturing, and IT to scope PoCs. (microsoft.com)
• Run targeted PoCs for Copilot workflows that yield quick wins (meeting summaries, sharepoint search, sales collateral retrieval). (microsoft.com)
• Pilot a small 5G-enabled Copilot+ device fleet; measure connectivity, battery performance, and mobile data impact. (theverge.com)
• Harden security: Intune configuration, DLP policies, Entra conditional access, and Sentinel alerting. (microsoft.com)
• Train citizen developers on Power Platform and Copilot Studio; create a governance council to approve production agents. (microsoft.com)
• Plan device lifecycle logistics: provisioning, carrier management, repair, and swap policies. (laptopmag.com)

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The strategic takeaway for Windows and enterprise communities​

Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s adoption of Surface Copilot+ PCs and Microsoft 365 Copilot is both pragmatic and symbolic. Pragmatic because it delivers immediate field productivity gains — faster access to cloud files, fewer return trips to the office, and integrated meeting intelligence. Symbolic because it signals a broader shift: enterprise computing is moving beyond “cloud apps on laptops” to integrated AI PC ecosystems where hardware, local AI acceleration, cloud LLMs, identity, and security controls are co‑designed.
For Windows professionals and IT leaders, this underscores several priorities:

• Treat hardware selection as an IT strategic choice with implications for AI latency, security, and carrier management.
• Make Copilot governance and auditability first‑class concerns, especially for regulated industries.
• Invest in citizen developer programs to scale value creation and reduce IT bottlenecks. (microsoft.com, theverge.com)

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Final assessment and cautionary notes​

Hanmi’s program exemplifies a considered, phased approach to bringing Copilot into production: starting with PoCs in 2024, broadening device deployments in 2025, and planning for agent development and citizen developer maturity into 2026. The reported benefits — higher sales mobility, faster processing, and better partner communications — are credible and consistent with broader industry reports on M365 Copilot adoption. However, some device specifics (pricing, full SKU lists for 5G models, and long-term battery trade-offs under heavy Copilot usage) remain operational details that require vendor confirmation and local testing before large-scale rollouts. Enterprises should treat such customer stories as informative blueprints rather than one‑size‑fits‑all solutions. (microsoft.com, theverge.com, laptopmag.com)
Cautionary language: Where the customer story references future plans (for example, expanding Copilot agent development via Copilot Studio or precise timelines for device refreshes) those items may be subject to product cadence, licensing changes, or carrier timelines; organizations should verify commercial terms and service availability for their region prior to procurement. (microsoft.com)

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Closing perspective​

Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s deployment is a useful case study for enterprises that must balance regulatory risk with the promise of AI-driven productivity. The combination of Surface Copilot+ PCs, M365 Copilot, Intune, Sentinel, and a cultural program for citizen developers offers a pragmatic blueprint: prioritize security and governance, pilot for quick wins, and scale with training and operational controls. For Windows-centric organizations, the lesson is clear — the era of the AI PC is not only about having an assistant in the taskbar, it’s about aligning hardware, identity, and cloud AI to deliver measurable business outcomes while safeguarding the organization’s most sensitive assets. (microsoft.com, theverge.com)

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Hanmi’s story is illustrative more than prescriptive: it shows what is possible when enterprise IT, security, and business teams converge around an AI-first device and cloud strategy — and it highlights the careful orchestration required to make that strategy secure, audit‑worthy, and operationally sustainable. (microsoft.com)

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Source: Microsoft Hanmi Pharmaceutical Accelerates AI Transformation with Microsoft 365 Copilot and Surface Copilot+ PCs | Microsoft Customer Stories