Microsoft Copilot FAQs: What Everyone is Asking about Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft Copilot FAQs: What Everyone is Asking about Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft Copilot has become a hot topic as more businesses explore how to use and deploy it securely across their organizations. Over the past several months, Snap Tech CRO Ted Hulsy has led multiple Microsoft Copilot workshops, webinars, demos, and lunch-and-learn sessions. He has gathered the most frequently asked questions from business leaders seeking to use Microsoft Copilot successfully in their organizations. 
 
In this blog, Ted tackles the most frequently asked questions about Microsoft Copilot from business leaders who have seen it in action. 
 
Let’s dive right in!

“How do I use Microsoft Copilot securely inside my business?”

This is probably the most important and most frequent question we get, “How do I use Copilot securely inside my business?” This is an excellent question because it’s essential for businesses, in anything they do, to do it securely. 
 
If you aren’t sure why you need a security strategy baked into your setup and deployment of Microsoft Copilot, let’s back up a second and share a little about how Copilot will be working. Activating Microsoft Copilot means providing powerful tools to your team, which poses a risk of employees accessing internal content they shouldn’t. But this risk isn’t new—it’s existed as long as there’s been shared storage. The key is to enforce strong data governance using Microsoft’s existing tools. Things like role-based access, document permissions, and the principle of least privilege are more important than ever. Microsoft Copilot can be configured to access and build results and content from your Sharepoint and OneDrive folders, Outlook email, and Teams chat. If you don’t have a permissions strategy, employees could use Copilot to generate and access sensitive information. You wouldn’t want everyone in your company to have access to HR’s payroll reports, would you? A security-first mindset means taking time to build proper roles and permissions to ensure Microsoft Copilot will work effectively and securely within your organization.

“How do I ensure Microsoft Copilot is secure from people outside of my business trying to access our data?”

Microsoft Copilot’s security measures to restrict people from outside of your organization is another important concern. If you’ve ever worried about uploading confidential data to tools like ChatGPT, you’re right to be cautious. Many generative AI tools operate in a bit of a black box—once your data is uploaded, it’s unclear where it goes or how it’s stored. Lawyers, accountants, and professionals in finance often find themselves at a crossroads: they want the benefits of AI, but they can’t risk sensitive data slipping through the cracks. 

That’s where Microsoft Copilot stands out. Copilot Is Grounded in Your Microsoft 365 Environment. The magic word here is “grounded.” Microsoft Copilot isn’t pulling random data from the internet unless you ask it to. Copilot leverages content from within your Microsoft 365 environment—emails, Teams chats, OneDrive documents, SharePoint files—and works inside that secure perimeter. Unlike other AI tools, it doesn’t train on or permanently absorb your internal data. That means your prompts stay private, and your data doesn’t become part of the broader language model. 

“What if I need Microsoft Copilot to reference external information too?” 

Microsoft Copilot can reference external information when needed. For example, if you’re writing a report on a topic where your company has no internal knowledge, you can instruct Copilot to use public data sources. You can even toggle between internal and web content to get a balanced response. 

“Can Microsoft Copilot use content from other file storage like Dropbox?” 

For Microsoft Copilot to be useful, your files and data need to live within Microsoft applications—specifically, OneDrive and SharePoint. If you’re using Dropbox, Box, or other third-party storage tools, Copilot can’t access those unless you move or sync your files over to Microsoft’s ecosystem. 

“How do I access Microsoft Copilot?” 

The answer: Everywhere. Copilot is embedded across the Microsoft ecosystem—Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Teams, and more. While there is a chat-style app for Microsoft Copilot that is similar to the way ChatGPT looks and feels, Microsoft Copilot isn’t limited to being a separate window or app. Microsoft Copilot is integrated into each Microsoft app with a Copilot button in the toolbar. So, whether you’re summarizing a Teams meeting, drafting a sales proposal in Word, or building a PowerPoint deck, Copilot is there to help you work smarter. 

“Which version of Microsoft Copilot do I need?” 

There are free and paid versions of Copilot. The free version, accessible via Bing and Microsoft 365 web apps, gives you basic features. But to unlock Microsoft Copilot in Word, Outlook, or Teams, you’ll need a licensed version—typically as an add-on to Microsoft 365 Business Premium, costing around $30 per user/month. 

“How can I see and try Microsoft Copilot for myself?” 

Good news! If you live near Atlanta, Phoenix, or San Francisco, we have excellent in-person opportunities for you. 
 
To see a demo and get your questions answered by a Microsoft Copilot expert over lunch, REGISTER NOW in a city near you: 

5/15 – Alpharetta, GA. Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/alpharetta-ga-microsoft-copilot-lunch-learn-hosted-by-snap-tech-it-tickets-1316587993129?aff=bg 

5/20 – San Francisco, CA. Morton’s Steakhouse: 
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/san-francisco-ca-microsoft-copilot-lunch-learn-hosted-by-snap-tech-it-tickets-1316664371579?aff=bg 
 
5/29 – Scottsdale, AZ. Fleming’s Steakhouse: 
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/scottsdale-az-microsoft-copilot-lunch-learn-hosted-by-snap-tech-it-tickets-1316796556949?aff=bg 

 
Or, if you’d like the opportunity to get hands-on with our exclusive 4-hour workshops please email ncaldwell@snaptechit.com directly and indicate the date/city of your choosing from the following options: 
 
June Workshops: 
6/12 – Sandy Springs, GA 
6/24 – Scottsdale, AZ 
6/26 – San Francisco, CA

A Final But Important Security Concern Regarding Microsoft Copilot. 

Microsoft Copilot is a powerful tool for businesses to save time and boost productivity. To ensure it brings about the benefits without causing security issues, careful consideration must be made regarding where your data lives and how to manage access. Some businesses may decide that figuring it out and rolling out Microsoft Copilot is too much of a security risk for them to take on alone and may opt to avoid doing it altogether.  
 
But remember, if you don’t provide a secure way for your team to use AI, they may resort to less secure AI tools, jeopardizing your organization’s data. 
 
If you need assistance in rolling out Microsoft Copilot securely or have additional Copilot questions, please schedule a call with us today:

Contact us today!