Microsoft Copilot is an AI-powered assistant that helps users create, summarize, analyze, and understand information across Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. It comes in different forms: some features are available to everyone (Copilot Chat), while more advanced capabilities require additional licensing.
Security and privacy are at the core of Copilot’s design. Microsoft integrates Copilot with your organization’s existing security and compliance controls. This means Copilot follows the same rules and boundaries you’ve set up for Microsoft 365. If a user doesn’t have permission to see a document, Copilot won’t surface its contents to them or draw on that information when generating a response.
Copilot Chat for Everyone: This version is available to the public and is typically not connected to your organization’s internal documents or emails. It’s designed for general queries, brainstorming, or learning. Because it doesn't access enterprise content, there’s less risk of sensitive data exposure but also less business value.
Licensed Microsoft Copilot: With an enterprise license, Copilot can access the information your users already have permission to see in Microsoft 365. For example, it could help summarize company policies or draft emails using your organization’s templates. Critically, it respects all your existing access controls, data loss prevention policies, and audit trails.
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One of the most common concerns is whether Copilot could accidentally leak confidential information. Microsoft’s approach is designed to prevent this. Copilot only pulls information from content that a specific user is allowed to access. For example, if your CFO asks Copilot about budget reports, it will only reference files and data the CFO already has rights to see.
All interactions with Copilot are governed by your organization’s compliance settings, including encryption, auditing, and retention policies. This means you maintain visibility and control over how data is used and accessed.
When you use enterprise Copilot, your data stays within Microsoft’s trusted cloud environment. Microsoft does not use your business content to train its AI models. Responses generated for your organization are not shared with others, and Copilot adheres to Microsoft’s strong privacy commitments.
Educate your teams about what Copilot can and cannot do and encourage responsible use of AI-powered features.
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Work with your IT and security teams to configure Copilot according to your organization’s compliance requirements.
Monitor Copilot usage and leverage audit logs to maintain oversight and detect any unusual activity.
As organizations consider Copilot as part of their workflow, the focus should always be on getting the most from these AI-powered tools while keeping data secure and private. With the right approach, Copilot can become an incredible asset, supporting productivity and innovation without compromising on security.
Does Your Company Need an AI Policy
Question: Some of our users are not licensed for Copilot but using Copilot Chat and they could upload a company file. Is this secure or of concern?
Answer: Copilot Chat is intended for general use and is not fully connected to your organization’s Microsoft 365 security and compliance controls. While Microsoft applies baseline protection to Copilot Chat, it does not enforce tenant-specific policies such as data loss prevention, auditing, or permission checks in the same way licensed Microsoft Copilot does. As a result, when users upload company files into Copilot Chat, those files are not governed by the same enterprise controls that apply inside Microsoft 365. For non-sensitive content this may be acceptable, but for documents containing confidential or regulated information, it introduces additional risk compared to licensed Copilot, which respects existing access permissions and keeps business data within Microsoft’s trusted cloud boundary. To manage this risk, organizations should guide users to work with sensitive documents only in licensed Microsoft Copilot, supported by clear usage guidance and user education.
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