Leadership & Learning from Craig

Hey Everyone,

I have been talking with a lot of companies on adopting Microsoft CoPilot Pro into their environment.  It is a very powerful tool for us and will allow us to get a lot of our time back.  We do need to be very careful on rolling it out, so we don’t expose previously inaccessible data to internal users.  As a reminder, when you implement CoPilot in your environment everything is indexed that that individual has access to.  This includes: files, pictures, business systems – like Microsoft Business Central data.

It is important to do an audit of security settings and put security hardening in place prior to rolling it out.  We can help with this as Microsoft knows it is a big deal and has empowered us with tools to review our environments so we know what we are exposing.  Again, this is a GREAT tool and will allow us to get a lot of our time back, but we must start out with a responsible approach.  With Great Power comes Great Responsibility!!!

As we consider integrating Copilot (an AI-driven coding assistant) into our environment, prioritizing security and privacy safeguards is paramount. The tool's ability to access and analyze spreadsheets, data, create content, art, etc.  presents both opportunities for increased productivity and potential risks for data exposure. Below is a concise action plan to ensure a secure rollout:

1. Data Audit: Begin by identifying sensitive and proprietary information within our digital landscape to understand potential risks.
2. Access Controls: Implement strict access controls, defining clear permissions for what Copilot can and cannot access, ensuring sensitive data remains protected.
3. Data Masking: Where necessary, employ data masking techniques to allow Copilot to operate in realistic scenarios without exposing actual sensitive data.
4. Secure Repositories: Ensure code repositories are securely configured, with private settings and access controls to prevent unauthorized data access.
5. Configuration Review: Tailor Copilot’s settings to comply with our security policies, disabling any features that pose a risk.
6. Team Education: Educate our team on responsible Copilot usage, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding sensitive information.
7. Ongoing Monitoring: Implement monitoring and auditing mechanisms to track Copilot’s access and usage, enabling quick responses to any security anomalies.

By following this comprehensive strategy, we can leverage Copilot’s capabilities to enhance our productivity while maintaining rigorous standards for data security and privacy. This approach ensures that our integration of innovative AI tools aligns with our commitment to protecting sensitive information and maintaining trust.

Action Items

• Watch this Quick Video on Prepping for Microsoft CoPilot
• If you haven’t started your journey to the Cloud (Microsoft Teams, Files to Teams, Chat, etc), start to prioritize this as you will want to take advantage of the new tools in the Office 365 stack
• Use ChatGPT or CoPilot for ONE THING you are working on EVERY DAY
  • It’s a FREE PERSONAL ASSISTANT
  • Apps are available for your mobile to use speech to text functionality
• Start using Edge with CoPilot – it has ChatGPT 4 built in
  • Use the Bing or ChatGPT Apps for Recipes, Travel Itinerary’s, email creation, or anything you are thinking you want to know.

Tech Tip: Microsoft Planner and To Do is part of your O365 subscription.

• Use Planner to keep your teams aligned on priorities.
• Use To Do to keep personal and family lists organized and prioritized.
• Note: Most communication issues come from not being aligned. 

Enjoy the Journey!!!