Copilot surfaces whatever a user can already access. If your permissions are loose, readiness work matters more than the licence.
The most important thing to understand about Microsoft 365 Copilot is that it respects existing permissions. It surfaces what a user can already reach. That is reassuring in theory and alarming in practice, because most tenants have more oversharing than anyone realises.
Readiness is a data problem, not a licence problem
Before switching Copilot on, the work is in Microsoft Purview and access hygiene: find overexposed sites and files, apply sensitivity labels, and right-size access so Copilot only sees what each person should.
- Discover and fix oversharing in SharePoint and OneDrive
- Apply sensitivity labels so protection travels with the data
- Pilot with a small group, measure, then roll out with confidence
Copilot does not create the exposure. It reveals the exposure you already had.
A Copilot data-readiness assessment is the sensible first step. It turns a vague worry into a specific, prioritised list of things to fix before launch.