Businesses should be aware that while purchasing a license is a simple process, it may have unintended consequences. Copilot for Microsoft 365 has the same permissions the assigned user has to the entire tenant. Is the tenants OneDrive and SharePoint data actually secure, with appropriate access given to appropriate staff, or is it the more common approach of “well they can’t see it, so it’s secure”? That’s just one of the many factors that are still being missed in all the excitement.
With that in mind, how should an organisation prepare for Copilot for Microsoft 365, before buying licences?
There are licencing prerequisites that need to be met before Copilot for Microsoft 365 can be purchased. We cover this further below.
Review existing security controls.
While Microsoft 365 has data security and privacy policies in place, it is good to review current permissions and controls since Copilot will be using those same permissions. Guides such as these provide some items that should be considered before deploying Copilot for Microsoft 365.
Ensure there is good data hygiene.
Copilot should have the smarts to work around your current data structure in Microsoft 365, it may mean that it won’t be as efficient as possible. To enhance Copilot for Microsoft 365's performance, preparing the data within the environment could be beneficial.
The Copilot for Microsoft 365 sales cycle
Microsoft have provided a setup guide to get you started: Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 setup guide
Prerequisites:
Stay tuned for the next installment of the blog series, where we will explain in deeper detail the security recommendations and their impact for deploying Copilot for Microsoft 365.