Securing Microsoft Copilot: How to Maintain Governance and Protect Your Data

Since its release in 2024, Microsoft Copilot has significantly impacted business IT. While it offers substantial productivity gains, it requires careful planning, proactive management, and effective user training to mitigate risks related to data protection and governance.

The Governance Challenge

Research shows that 75% of users incorporate AI in their workflows, with 78% using personal tools instead of company-approved solutions. This creates a “shadow IT” environment, where IT teams struggle to monitor tools and prevent data breaches. This is especially concerning when confidential data, like company names, is shared unknowingly.

While corporate AI tools, like Microsoft Copilot, help reduce some of these issues, they bring their own concerns. Copilot operates within an organisation’s environment and surfaces data based on individual permissions, streamlining workflows. However, without proper governance, it can expose sensitive information, especially in large enterprises that rely on obscurity for security.

AI, like Copilot, lacks human discretion. For example, Copilot might surface potentially harmful links or attachments in emails, which a human could avoid but could unknowingly compromise a device. Therefore, securing Copilot deployments with proper controls is crucial to preventing data leaks and cyber risks.

Immediate Protection Measures

Microsoft 365 Business Premium provides several tools to secure Copilot. These include:

• Microsoft Entra ID P1: Enables multi-factor authentication (MFA) to prevent unauthorised access and safeguards data from accidental breaches by preventing user input from training the model.
• Microsoft Intune P1: Offers mobile device management (MDM) to protect business data and prevents leaks via unauthorised apps or screenshots.
• Microsoft Defender for Business: Provides next-gen antivirus protection and real-time cyber threat detection.
• Microsoft Defender for Office 365 P1: Secures emails and collaboration tools with technologies like Safe Links and Safe Attachments to mitigate cyber threats.
• Microsoft Purview: Allows for manual classification of sensitive data, helping to control what Copilot can access, ensuring governance at the data level.

Outside Business Premium, organisations can enable Restricted SharePoint Search to limit Copilot’s access to specific folders, though this feature will soon be removed.

Advanced Security Architecture

Microsoft Purview’s P2 license enhances security with automatic detection and labeling of sensitive information, reducing manual oversight. Copilot integrates with Purview, ensuring that sensitive files are properly flagged, preventing accidental data exposure.

Additionally, SharePoint Advanced Management helps manage permissions and enforce conditional access policies, protecting data from both accidental exposure and insider threats.

Conclusion

Deploying Microsoft 365 Copilot requires robust security measures. Whether you're just starting or retroactively securing data, we can help you with Copilot Optimisation Assessments to ensure proper governance and data protection. For more information, you can reach us through https://www.fluidone.com/contact, call us at 01273 384100 or email us at brighton@fluidone.com.