Preparing for Microsoft 365 Copilot

What is Microsoft 365 Copilot?

Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI-powered productivity tool integrated into Microsoft 365 applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams. It can help your employees write documents, analyse data, create presentations, manage emails and more. Think of it as a helpful sidekick that uses AI to make your work easier and more efficient.

How do I adopt Copilot for my business?

The biggest challenge in today’s world with using AI is ensuring that the data in your environment is secure, AI will have the same access to the data as the person using the AI tools available. For example, more specifically around Microsoft 365 Copilot, HR staff would have access to personal employee data, so the correct permissions need to be in-place to protect confidentiality. Key preparation points for successfully adopting AI, specifically for business owners are defined below:

• Asses how permissions and access controls are managed within the environment
• Establish a governance framework for future access control practices
• Equip teams with best practices for storing, sharing and collaborating
• Implement security measures to protect sensitive information
• Monitor and optimise Copilots performance to maximise benefits and ensure a smooth user experience
• Create an adoption program to train and support users with the adoption of AI

Preparing your Microsoft 365 Environment for Copilot – The Ultimate IT Admin Guide

As we now know, Microsoft 365 Copilot revolutionises workplace productivity by integrating Microsoft 365 apps, but its success hinges on robust governance. Here’s how IT administrators can strategically deploy and manage Copilot while maintaining security and compliance.

1. Leverage SharePoint Advanced Management – SharePoint Advanced Management (SAM) provides critical tools for visibility and control:
   1. Data Access Governance reports identify sharing patterns across your tenant and pinpoint sensitive data locations using sensitivity labels.
   2. Microsoft Graph Data Connect for SharePoint (MGDC) offers big-data analytics for permission analysis.
   3. Use AI Insights to automatically detect governance gaps (like orphaned sites) and receive actionable recommendations.
      
      
2. Implement Lifecycle Management Best Practices – Proactive content governance prevents AI from surfacing sale or unnecessary data:
   1. Clean up inactive Teams/Sites, use SAM automated policies to flag and decommission unused resources.
   2. Enforce mandatory ownership for all Teams/groups and automate ownership workflows.
   3. Create workspace templates with preconfigured permissions, labels, and retention settings to maintain consistency across the estate.
      
      
3. Secure Access with Granular Controls – Limit exposure risks while enabling collaboration:
   1. Audit external sharing, investigate who shared what, with whom, and when using SAM’s sharing reports.
   2. Schedule recurring Microsoft Entra ID access reviews for SharePoint sites to validate permissions and revoke unnecessary access.
      
      
4. Classify and Protect Sensitive Data – Sensitivity labels and Microsoft Purview form Copilot’s security backbone:
   1. Apply labels to encrypt files or restrict actions. Copilot honours these labels, ensuring users can only see data they’re authorised to access.
      
      
5. Final Recommendations
   1. Start with a pilot group to test configurations and refine policies.
   2. Use the Copilot Dashboard in Viva Insights to track adoption metrics.
   3. Combine SAM, Purview and Entra ID to create layered defences without hindering user productivity.
   4. Provide user training with Viva Learning! There are tonnes of useful short video clips for your users to successfully adopt Copilot!

Stay tuned for further blogs as we deep dive into more amazing Copilot features like Copilot Agents and the more recent release of Copilot actions and how they can boost productivity!