AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot are developing rapidly, and organizations are eager to leverage this to work faster, leverage knowledge better and support employees in daily tasks. From summarizing documents to analyzing information and writing emails. It can take daily tasks off their hands, saving employees considerable time.
At the same time, this development also raises an important question: is your organization ready to work with Copilot? After all, Copilot draws its information directly from your Microsoft 365 environment. Documents, Teams chats, SharePoint sites, emails and other data together form the basis for the answers Copilot provides. If the structure of information or access rights are not set up properly, Copilot can also show information that is not actually intended for everyone.
In this blog, you’ll learn why a well-established Microsoft 365 environment is indispensable before you deploy Copilot, what risks arise when governance and compliance are not in order, and what it pays off when that foundation is in place.
Copilot’s strength is that it is fully integrated into your Microsoft 365 environment. This allows Copilot to combine information from different places within your digital workplace. Think of documents in SharePoint, files in OneDrive, conversations in Teams and information from emails. This makes it possible to get insights faster, summarize documents or find information without having to search through different systems yourself.
At the same time, this also means that Copilot uses the data already available in your Microsoft 365 environment. The answers Copilot provides are based on the information an employee has access to. Therefore, it is important that the structure of information and access rights within Microsoft 365 are set up properly.
When organizations start with Copilot without first looking at governance and compliance, existing problems in the Microsoft 365 environment often become apparent more quickly. If that information is not properly organized or access rights are incorrect, it can create unexpected situations. Consider:
Documents or SharePoint sites are often shared with larger groups. If these permissions are not changed later, employees continue to have access to information that is actually no longer intended for them. Copilot can then also use this information in responses, giving employees insight into documents they wouldn’t normally look for.
Contracts, financial data or HR documents are sometimes stored where multiple employees have access to them, such as general Teams channels or shared document libraries. When Copilot uses this information, sensitive data can surface more quickly in responses or summaries.
In Microsoft 365, documents, Teams or SharePoint sites often persist even when they are no longer actively used. As a result, information remains accessible when it is actually no longer relevant. Copilot can still include this information in responses, making obsolete or outdated information becomes visible again.
To avoid these risks, it is important that governance and compliance within Microsoft 365 are well established before Copilot is used. This mainly involves clear agreements and structure around information management: where documents are stored, who has access to what data and how collaboration environments are managed.
This means, for example, that SharePoint and Teams environments are set up logically, that access rights are checked regularly and that it is clear who is responsible for certain information. Compliance also plays a role. Organizations must take into account laws and regulations such as the AVG, NIS2 or the Archive Act, which set requirements for how data is stored, protected and managed.
When governance and compliance are properly set up, it creates more control over the Microsoft 365 environment. Information is in the right place, access rights are clear and sensitive data is better protected.
When governance and compliance are in place, can Copilot actually add a lot of value to the digital workenvironment. Employees can find the right information faster, understand documents better and combine knowledge from different sources. Because the structure of the environment is correct, the results of Copilot also more relevant and reliable.
In addition, a well-organized Microsoft 365 environment helps keep a grip on data and access rights. This reduces the risk of unwanted data access and helps organizations better comply with laws and regulations. Instead of increasing risk, it can Copilot right then a powerful become a powerful tool that supports employees in their daily work.
Copilot can help organizations find information faster, leverage knowledge better and collaborate more efficiently. To do this, Copilot uses the information that is already available within Microsoft 365. When the structure of information and access rights are not properly set up, existing risks around data access and information management can become visible more quickly.
This is precisely why it is important to have governance and compliance within Microsoft 365 in order before you deploy Copilot on a wide scale. With our Governance & Compliance scan, we map out how your environment is set up, where possible risks are located and what steps are needed to make your Microsoft 365 environment safe and manageable for the use of Copilot. Would you like to know if your organization is ready for Copilot? Request the scan via the link below and get insight.
