Data Security: A Key Component of Your Copilot Journey

As companies look to enhance their strategy and improve business outcomes, generative AI solutions like Microsoft Copilot, are a natural place to start. Microsoft Copilot for M365 fully integrates with existing Microsoft technology and is extremely powerful, some people will say it is too powerful. As BDO works with companies to understand their Copilot initiatives, a key component of the strategy is understanding a company’s existing data/document security and governance.  

Information governance has long been a challenge for organizations and has often been de-prioritized based on other more pressing needs. Wayne Anderson, BDOs Data Governance lead for the United States explains: “Data security is often overlooked due to the unclear value and business benefit it brings. While it is strategically critical to data quality and control, it is tactically challenging to find the correct business owner and, until recently, has been very expensive and time-consuming to implement.” 

Understanding the Current Challenges of M365 Copilot Deployments

Microsoft M365 Copilot has been in the marketplace for just over 7 months and while many companies have found huge benefit and value, several have also had to suspend the initial roll-out and clean their data estate. The reality is that over the last 10 years SharePoint and OneDrive migration initiatives have left companies in a precarious environment with documents that are not properly governed and secured. These environments often have either inadequate security in place or in many instances contain information that should have been discarded years ago. Simply put by one executive, “Not only did Copilot find skeletons in closets, but it also found closets and entire floors in the house we did not know were there.”

Launching Your Copilot Journey with Confidence

Since February, when BDO completed its initial Copilot project, they began to put together a comprehensive approach to successfully deploy and help companies adopt copilots reducing risk and driving improved business outcomes. This approach has turned into the Care+ Framework outlined below. This approach has helped dozens of customers successfully monetize their Copilot investment and has made BDO a global market leader driving Copilot best practices.

A Framework for Secure and Effective Copilot Deployments

A critical part for every copilot deployment is a data governance review and assessment.  This review is a critical step in validating that an organization has proper governance and controls in place to help reduce the risks associated with either a Copilot or generative AI deployment. Anderson goes on to explain, “Often, when we engage with a company, there is a lack of overall knowledge of the structured and unstructured data landscape. This issue has been created by IT turnover, leadership changes, and previous incomplete cloud migration.” The BDO assessment reviews in depth all aspects of the data estate and provides a health check readout with remediation steps. 

Microsoft Purview: The Backbone of Your Data Security Strategy

A core pillar of the BDO data assessment is Microsoft Purview. Purview empowers data security with a comprehensive set of unified solutions controlling governance, AI and machine learning driven discovery, data classification, controls, telemetry, security information and events across the digital estate.  

Purview overcomes: 

• The fragmentation of data across solutions 
• Lack of visibility and gaps associated with security silos 
• Alignment of functions, solving the blur typically associated with multiple IT/security management roles 

Purview unifies Azure and M365 compliance solutions: Data Classification, DLP & Rights Management, Data Lifecycle, Internal Risk Case Management, Cloud App Security, and Audit into one unified XDR platform. 

Data Security 

• Evaluate and Strengthen Microsoft 365 Data Security Controls 
• Integrate M365 Data Security/Purview into Microsoft Purview Data Map 
• Extend Purview to Azure data storage for sensitive data protection and inspection 

Security Review 

• Examine in-progress or deployed applications with an assessment. 
• Evaluate missing controls, logging, and security operations consistency. 
• Respond to Purview, Copilot, and OpenAI risk patterns. 

Design with Intent 

• Use Microsoft’s AI security guidance to train developers. 
• Evaluate AI applications before initial release and periodically thereafter. 
• Conduct a well-built review at least annually of major/material applications. 

Data security and governance are foundational to a successful Copilot deployment and the broader adoption of generative AI solutions. By prioritizing a comprehensive review of your data estate, organizations can not only mitigate potential risks but also fully unlock the benefits of Microsoft Copilot. BDO’s expertise, combined with the Care+ Framework, empowers businesses to harness the power of AI while ensuring their data remains secure and compliant. As we continue to navigate the complexities of digital transformation, maintaining strong data governance is key to achieving sustainable business growth and operational excellence.