How to Prepare Microsoft 365 Permissions for a Safe Copilot Rollout

Microsoft Copilot is powerful — but it can only see what your users can see. If your Microsoft 365 permissions are loose, Copilot might surface sensitive documents to the wrong people.

Here's how to prepare your environment for a safe Copilot rollout.

1. Audit Existing Permissions
Start with a comprehensive audit of who has access to what. Use the Microsoft Purview compliance portal to identify oversharing and inappropriate access.

2. Clean Up SharePoint Sites
SharePoint sites accumulate permission drift over years. Review site-level permissions, document library access, and folder-level sharing. Use SharePoint Advanced Management to identify and fix oversharing.

3. Implement Sensitivity Labels
Deploy Microsoft Purview sensitivity labels to classify and protect sensitive data. Copilot respects these labels — content marked as Confidential stays Confidential.

4. Set Up DLP Policies
Data Loss Prevention policies prevent sensitive information from being shared inappropriately. Configure DLP rules for financial data, PII, and industry-specific data like HIPAA-protected health information.

5. Train Your Team
Technology controls aren't enough. Train your team on how to use Copilot responsibly and what data is appropriate to share in prompts.

Ready to deploy Copilot safely? Our AI Solutions team can help you audit your environment and roll out Copilot with confidence.