The Key to AI Success: Preparing for M365 Copilot with SharePoint Advanced Management

 Since the launch of ChatGPT, the concept of generative AI became mainstream overnight. Media, influencers, and even celebrities have jumped on the AI chatbot bandwagon. However, for organisations, the stakes rose to a new level with the release of M365 Copilot, branded by Microsoft as your Personal AI Assistant at work—or as Mr Satya Nadella fittingly calls it, the UI for AI.

Is this a game-changer? Absolutely.
Will it transform your business productivity? Without a doubt.
But should you rush into adopting it simply to avoid missing out (FOMO)? No, and here’s why.

AI adoption is not a plug-and-play exercise. It is not as simple as purchasing a license and expecting immediate results. It requires thoughtful planning and preparation, particularly
across two critical fronts:

1. Security, Governance, and Compliance

Copilot leverages the Microsoft Graph, meaning it can surface data and insights across your organisation. If your governance policies are not airtight and users have unrestricted access to certain files, sensitive or irrelevant information could inadvertently surface to them. This poses compliance risks and could erode trust in the system.

2. Data Relevance and Quality

Just because data was correct at one stage in its lifecycle does not mean it is relevant today. For instance, imagine your HR Intranet stores outdated policy documents spanning years, with versions like V1, V2, and V3. Without curation, this outdated information could surface to users, making Copilot’s suggestions not only unhelpful but also harmful to decision-making.

This is where AI readiness becomes crucial. Preparing your content and ensuring the quality of your data must be top priorities before deploying AI solutions for broader adoption. Fortunately, Microsoft has included a powerful tool to support this effort as part of the M365 Copilot license.

You can watch my full video on SharePoint Advanced Management Here:

What is SharePoint Advanced Management (SharePoint Premium)?

SharePoint Advanced Management, also referred to as SharePoint Premium, offers a suite of tools designed to enhance security, governance, and content management capabilities within SharePoint. These features help you prepare your organisation’s content, security, and processes for successful AI adoption.

Key features include:

• Conditional Access Policies: Enhanced access controls based on context, such as device type or location.
• Restricted Sharing for Highly Sensitive Data: Set rules to limit external sharing of critical files.
• Sensitivity Labels Enforcement: Automate policies based on document classification.
• Advanced Audit Logs: Gain deeper visibility into user and data activity to identify anomalies.
• Expiration Policies for Sharing Links: Mitigate the risk of outdated shared links lingering unchecked.

How Can SharePoint Advanced Management Help with AI Readiness?

AI is only as good as the data it works with. SharePoint Premium enables you to enforce governance and streamline content management, ensuring that Copilot surfaces accurate, relevant, and compliant data to users.

1. Content Optimisation
• Versioning and Expiry Policies: By automating the clean-up of outdated or redundant documents, you ensure that only up-to-date policies and files are accessible, reducing the risk of AI surfacing irrelevant content.
• Sensitivity Labelling: Apply metadata to documents that Copilot can use to distinguish between sensitive and non-sensitive content, avoiding inadvertent exposure of restricted information.
2. Enhanced Data Security
• Access Governance: With conditional access policies and granular sharing controls, you can prevent unauthorised users from accessing sensitive files, reducing the likelihood of data breaches.
3. Audit-Driven Insights
• Use audit logs to analyse how data is being accessed, shared, or modified. This insight can guide further refinements in your governance policies to ensure readiness for AI integration.

Future Steps: Getting AI-Ready

Deploying Copilot successfully begins with preparation. Here are three actionable steps to guide your organisation:

1. Start with Your Data
• Conduct a content audit to identify outdated or redundant files. Use SharePoint Premium’s automated tools to clean up and label your content for AI use.
2. Review Your Security Posture
• Strengthen access controls and sharing policies to minimise risks. Leverage conditional access policies and sensitivity labels for added protection.
3. Begin with Small Proofs of Concept (POCs)
• Select a specific department or team to pilot Copilot in a controlled environment. Gather feedback, refine governance policies, and build confidence in the system before scaling across the organisation.