u/RyanTechInc

We recently published a deeper explanation here if anyone wants more detail:

One misconception we keep seeing is that because Microsoft Copilot runs inside Microsoft 365, it's automatically secure.

In reality, Copilot only respects the permissions that already exist in your environment.

That means if users have access to files, SharePoint sites, Teams, or sensitive documents they probably shouldn't, AI can surface that information too.

Before enabling AI, we recommend reviewing things like:

• SharePoint and Teams permissions
• Conditional Access
• MFA
• Microsoft Purview
• Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
• Human approval workflows for sensitive actions

Governance isn't something you add after deployment. It's what allows AI to be useful without creating unnecessary security or compliance risks.

For those of you who have deployed Copilot or another enterprise AI tool, did you review your permissions and governance first, or did those conversations happen after rollout?

One thing we've noticed is that many organizations are excited to roll out Microsoft Copilot but skip reviewing their Microsoft 365 permissions first. Since Copilot works within the permissions users already have, we've found it's a good opportunity to clean up access before enabling AI.

Things like:

• SharePoint permissions
• Teams access
• Sensitive HR or finance files
• DLP and Purview policies
• Conditional Access and MFA

We've seen that governance often has a bigger impact on a successful rollout than the AI itself.

Curious how everyone else approached it. Did you review permissions before enabling Copilot, or did governance come afterward? Any lessons learned?