The 5 steps to adopt Microsoft 365 Copilot

Since Microsoft 365 Copilot’s release it has been one of the hottest software tools of 2024, with many businesses viewing it as a tool than can not only improve productivity and boost creativity but revolutionise the way they work. Indeed, Microsoft 365 Copilot has many capabilities that can provide a real boost to the way you work in all Microsoft apps, by taking your organisational content to provide a personal AI assistant that can support you in Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, or any of your other Microsoft 365 apps. 

In terms of how to use Microsoft 365 Copilot, it’s important that you take steps before you adopt to prepare your Microsoft 365 environment for Copilot’s introduction. In this blog, we’ll go over the 5 steps to adopt Microsoft 365 Copilot, and what you should be aware of. 

Is Microsoft 365 Copilot right for you? 

Microsoft 365 Copilot can be the perfect tool for your business, helping to improve communication, collaboration and productivity. However, it’s important to consider where, or how it can fit into your business before you make the move. 

Every business, and job role is different, and while Microsoft 365 Copilot can be used for a variety of applications, by users with vastly different levels of IT expertise, its effectiveness may vary depending on what your business does, and who in your business is using it.  

Consider who in your organisation would benefit the most from a tool that enables them to be more productive in Microsoft 365 apps. This may not necessarily be the high-ranking managers, but the administrators, sales professionals, and developers in your business who might benefit the most from the introduction of Copilot. 

In a later blog, we’ll take a look at how Copilot can be used in specific job roles.  

Microsoft 365 Copilot Licences 

Once you’ve determined who will receive a licence, the next step is learning how to get Microsoft 365 Copilot. You’ll need to ensure you have all the correct licences in place to adopt Copilot. This is an important step to enable Microsoft 365 Copilot and ensure it works with your Microsoft 365 applications. 

To make the most of Microsoft 365 Copilot, you will need either a Microsoft 365 E3, E5, A3, A5, Business Premium, Business Standard, Office 365 E3, or E5 licence, as these licences will grant permission to use the Microsoft 365 apps through which Copilot will function. 

A Microsoft Entra ID account will also be required, as this gives users access to Microsoft 365 apps and services that work with Copilot, and to access Copilot in desktop clients, users will need to be on the Current Channel or Monthly Enterprise Channel for Microsoft 365 apps. The apps you’ll need to ensure you have installed with active accounts are as follows: 

• Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise 
• Microsoft Entra ID 
• OneDrive 
• Outlook 
• Teams 
• Microsoft Loop 
• Semantic Index for Copilot 

To discuss your Microsoft 365 licensing needs further or learn more about Copilot pricing, you can reach out to one of our team, who would be happy to walk you through what you need to do to get Microsoft 365 Copilot set up. 

Secure your business before you adopt Microsoft 365 Copilot

Copilot for Microsoft 365 adheres to existing privacy, security and compliance commitments for Microsoft 365 and is GDPR and EUDB compliant, so you can rest assured that your data is in safe hands. Microsoft is also committed to using AI responsibly, as is highlighted in their responsible AI principles. 

Given that Copilot can access sensitive data that its users have permission to access, however, it might be a good time to review and tighten access controls to prevent oversharing of sensitive company content. Copilot can also rapidly generate new sensitive company data based on what it has permission to access, so it’s important that your business protects this data to avoid inadvertently exposing this sensitive data. 

As with any new technology, it’s important to continually monitor and adapt your security measures as Copilot evolves. A part of this process is staying up to date with the latest news coming out of Microsoft and adopting Microsoft’s security tools across your infrastructure. To learn more about how to secure your Microsoft 365 environment, watch our webinar. 

Prepare your environment for Copilot

In addition to licences, there are further steps you’ll need to take before you adopt Microsoft 365 Copilot to ensure that your work environment and infrastructure is set up to make the most out of the personal AI assistant. We recently hosted a Microsoft 365 Copilot webinar, going over the essential steps you need to take before you adopt it. 

It is recommended that users of Microsoft 365 Copilot align their network with the Microsoft 365 network connectivity principles in order to securely manage Microsoft 365 traffic and optimise performance. These principles include guidance on architecture, optimisation, connectivity, and security. This is an essential step, that will provide the best experience of Copilot. 

Another part of preparing your organisation to adopt Microsoft 365 Copilot, is getting your organisation’s information ready for search. The way to do this without giving Copilot or your employees access to sensitive information is to achieve Just Enough Access to all users in your organisation ensuring they can get their work done. This goes back to the idea of oversharing and is an essential step to prepare your environment before you adopt Copilot. 

Train your employees for Copilot

Microsoft 365 Copilot works through natural language chat, the most universal interface. This makes Copilot accessible to users of all levels of IT knowledge, however, some training is required to understand how to make your prompts the most effective they can be. 

Microsoft has shared a four-part guide on how to do this. The first thing you should consider is your goal i.e. what is it you want Copilot to do. Next, consider the context, including why you need it and who is involved. Then, set expectations around how Copilot can fulfil your request, including notes on tone, length etc. and finally, state which sources Copilot can consider in its response. 

There are, of course, other bits of training that should be considered, specifically around the situations in which Copilot can be used, where it can be helpful and where it will not, as well as what they should actually do with the information Copilot produces. An important thing to note is that while Copilot is great for actions such as drafting emails or writing reports, the work it produces should always be fact checked. 

What’s next?

Once you’ve completed these steps, you will have everything you need in order to successfully adopt Microsoft 365 Copilot in your organisation. It’s important that you keep on top of the latest news around Copilot to understand how the requirements and recommendations change over time. For any additional guidance on how to set up Microsoft 365 Copilot for your organisation, get in touch. One of our Microsoft specialists would be happy to help and answer any questions you may have.