What's in the Copilot QuickStart guide?
The QuickStart Guide is designed to support organizations in conducting a comprehensive risk analysis of Copilot in Microsoft 365. It is a starting point for identifying risks, developing mitigation strategies and having conversations with key stakeholders. The message is clear: Microsoft manages the underlying infrastructure, but it's up to customers to get the security of their own data and environment right.
The QuickStart Guide covers three key components:
- AI risks and mitigation framework
- Sample risk analysis
- Additional resources
The AI risks and mitigation framework sections describe the major categories of AI risks and how Microsoft addresses them. Both at the enterprise and service level. The guide then presents a sample risk analysis, sharing customer-focused questions and answers to help organizations determine their risk profile. In addition, the guide includes additional resources to further support organizations in managing AI risks.
Some of the AI risks covered in the guide include:
- bias
- disinformation
- over-reliance on AI
- privacy issues
- data leaks
- security vulnerabilities
The shared responsibility model: a common mistake
An important part of the guide is the AI Shared Responsibility Model. This model recognizes that customers share responsibility for the secure use of Copilot. While Microsoft manages certain risks, a significant portion of the responsibility lies with the customer themselves.
What is often misunderstood by organizations is the interpretation of this shared responsibility model. Many companies incorrectly assume that Microsoft takes care of everything, including security, compliance and governance of their environment. This is a misconception. While Microsoft manages the infrastructure and provides certain security measures, it remains the responsibility of customers to keep their own data, processes and users safe. For example, creating policies, maintaining governance and implementing compliance measures within their organizations.
It is essential that organizations understand that they must actively establish their own security and risk management. Microsoft emphasizes in the guide that many risks can be mitigated through the proper use of Copilot, and that customers should train their users to understand the limitations and pitfalls of AI.
Goals
The goal of the QuickStart Guide is to help organizations prioritize risk identification, develop mitigation strategies and start conversations with stakeholders. Governance plays a crucial role here. The importance of good governance and clear policy making is often underestimated, but is essential for safe and efficient collaboration within organizations.
Focus on technology
What I often see with customers is that they immediately focus on technical solutions. And they do so without first thinking about what collaboration should look like and what rules and processes are needed to achieve this. Governance starts with developing a clear policy: what do you want to achieve and how do you want the collaboration to run? Only when these frameworks are clear can you adjust the technology accordingly.
Solid foundation
The shared responsibility model emphasizes the importance of this process. It is not enough to rely solely on Microsoft for the technical infrastructure; organizations must take care of their own security, compliance and governance. By first thinking carefully about collaboration and policies, you create a solid foundation on which to safely and effectively use AI solutions, such as Copilot.
In short, a thorough risk analysis of Copilot in Microsoft 365 is essential for secure collaboration. The shared responsibility model requires organizations to actively manage their security, compliance and governance. Don't just rely on Microsoft, make sure you have clear policy frameworks in place before implementing technology. Good governance lays the foundation for successful and secure AI use.
