We're about to buy Copilot. What should we check first?
Three things, in this order: what Copilot would show each person on day one, who actually needs a paid seat, and which of the AI models inside it stay on. All three are cheaper to do before the licences arrive.
Copilot shows people what they can already open.
Copilot doesn’t get special access to your files (Microsoft Learn). It answers from whatever the person asking can already open in your Microsoft 365, including the folder someone shared with everyone in 2019 and the accounts nobody switched off.
Most of it is fixable in a set-up month, and nobody’s in trouble. The time to look is before you switch it on.
Today
What does everyone in Finance earn?
Here are the salaries from Salaries 2026.xlsx:
Finance › HRShared with everyone since 2019
After the set-up month
What does everyone in Finance earn?
I can't find anything about salaries in the files you have access to.
Finance › HRShared with HR only
What I’d look at first.
Four questions, answered in writing, before anyone gets a licence.
What Copilot would surface today
Links open to the whole firm, sites shared with everyone, and the most sensitive files reachable by the most people.
Who needs a seat
Most firms don’t need one for everyone. The paid seat is for people whose day is writing, reading and finding things across your own mail and files. (Microsoft Learn)
The model decision
Some AI models inside Copilot are on by default. Whether they stay on is your choice, written down in plain English.
A small pilot first
Nothing goes to the whole firm on day one. A pilot group, then a written decision at day 60 on who keeps a seat.
Ask for the Copilot version of the Check.
Same price, same two weeks, three extra things: Microsoft’s Copilot readiness report from your admin centre, the pilot group I’d start with, and the exact number of seats to buy. If four seats will do the job, I’ll say four, not twenty.
- $750
- Up to 25 staff
- $1,200
- 26–50 staff
- Two weeks, read-only, in writing
- Credited in full against the set-up within 90 days
- If I can't show you at least three specific things worth fixing (a named file, setting or tool), you don't pay.
Rather read first?
All of it is free, with no email asked.
The free checklist
The section “Before you switch Copilot on”, with where to find each setting.
Four Copilot seats, not twenty
How to pick the first seats and what to measure in the first 60 days.
The Copilot Rollout
Once the set-up is done: seats for the pilot group, training on your real work, and a written right-sizing at day 60.
Questions owners ask.
Yours isn't here? Email me and you get a written answer by the next business day.
Can Copilot show someone a file they aren’t allowed to open?
No. Microsoft says Copilot only surfaces data a person already has at least view permission for. The surprise is usually how much each person can already open.
Do we need a Copilot licence for everyone?
Rarely. Copilot Chat is included with eligible Microsoft 365 licences, with no extra seat to buy. The paid seat is for people whose work depends on finding and writing things across your own mail and files. Start small, check the usage at day 30 and day 60, then decide in writing.
We’ve already bought the licences. Is it too late?
No. The Check is read-only and works the same way with Copilot already switched on. If something needs closing quickly, the most sensitive sites can be kept out of Copilot’s answers while the permissions underneath are fixed.
Start with 20 minutes.
No slides, no demo. I'll tell you whether I can help, and what the Check would cost for a firm your size.
DanielI do the work, and I'm who answers.
What happens after you book
- Pick a timeA 20-minute slot, straight from the calendar.
- We talkNo slides, no demo. I’ll tell you whether I can help, and what the Check would cost for a firm your size.
- If it fits, the CheckTwo weeks, read-only, in writing. The price is fixed before any work starts.