Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 is genuinely powerful. But there's a conversation that should happen before buying the licenses — and it happens in very few companies. AI doesn't create order. It works with the order you already have. If your Microsoft 365 environment has misconfigured permissions and sensitive data scattered without classification, Copilot will amplify that chaos, not resolve it.
Question 1: Do you know who has access to what in SharePoint and OneDrive?
Copilot answers questions based on the data the user has access to. If permissions aren't correctly configured, Copilot can reveal information to users who shouldn't see it — not through a bug, but by design. Before activating Copilot: Conduct a permissions review in SharePoint. Identify sites with "everyone can view" and remove unnecessary permission inheritance.
Question 2: Is your sensitive information classified?
Without data classification with Microsoft Purview, any user who asks Copilot about confidential contracts may receive information they shouldn't see. Before activating Copilot: Implement at least three sensitivity labels: Public, Internal, and Confidential.
Question 3: Do you have the unified audit log activated?
If Copilot generates, shares, or modifies information, you need a record of those actions for GDPR compliance and internal audits. Verify the unified audit log is active and includes Copilot activities.
Question 4: Do your employees know what not to ask Copilot?
The risk isn't the tool — it's use without training. Before activating Copilot: Define an acceptable AI use policy answering what it can do, what it can't, and what information should never be included in prompts.
Question 5: Do you have a concrete use case that justifies the investment?
Microsoft Copilot licenses cost approximately €30 per user per month. For a 50-person company, that's €18,000 per year. "We want to explore AI" is not a use case. "We want to reduce by 40% the time the sales team spends preparing proposals" is.
If you want to know what state your environment is in and what you need to be ready for Copilot, book a pre-Copilot diagnostic session.