Using AI to Enhance Oversight & Streamline Compliance

Join MVPs Joy Apple, Christian Buckley, me and special guest Diego Silva (Microsoft 365 Architect) as they dive deep into the reality of Microsoft Copilot adoption. What happens when the initial AI excitement fades and organizations face the hard truths about governance? This month's episode tackles the cultural, technical, and practical challenges of moving from Copilot demos to sustainable enterprise deployment.🔥 Key Topics Covered:Why governance matters more than ever in the AI eraThe hidden costs of poor content management with CopilotCultural change strategies that actually workPractical steps for sustainable AI adoption

Episode 17 of "Guardians of Microsoft 365 Governance" featured hosts MVPs Christian Buckley, Joy Apple and Ragnar Heil discussing Copilot Studio governance with guest Matthias Einig, CEO of Rencore.Agent Sprawl Crisis: Organizations are experiencing explosive growth in Copilot Studio agents - one customer already has 20,000 agents in just six months. Unlike traditional M365 Copilot's flat-rate pricing, the pay-as-you-go model creates cost control concerns when agents are shared organization-wide.Lifecycle Management Gap: Current Microsoft tools lack proper lifecycle management for agents. The new Copilot Control Center helps but doesn't scale for thousands of agents. Organizations need automated policies for unused agents, approval workflows for high-risk deployments, and chargeback models to assign costs to appropriate departments.From Data to Agents: While M365 Copilot governance focuses on cleaning underlying SharePoint/OneDrive data and permissions, Copilot Studio requires governing the agents themselves - their access scope, sharing permissions, and risk profiles throughout their lifecycle.Risk-Based Approach: Organizations are implementing policies like requiring special approval for agents shared with 100+ users, but these are often only checked at creation, not monitored ongoing. Risk assessment should consider both data sensitivity and audience size.Automated Governance: Rencore demonstrated upcoming capabilities including cost tracking per agent, usage analytics, automated cleanup of unused agents after 30 days, access reviews, and policy violations detection. The platform provides visibility into agent conversations, knowledge sources, and cross-connections between components.Cultural Shift: Unlike the COVID-era "deploy first, govern later" approach that created current data chaos, organizations are taking more measured approaches to AI adoption, recognizing that proper governance enables rather than hinders innovation.The episode emphasized that successful Copilot governance requires treating it as an ongoing process, not a one-time "readiness" checklist, with automation becoming crucial as both governance tools and AI agents operate autonomously.

Summary of Guardians of M365 Governance Ep.14When data sprawl, out-of-date documents, and misaligned permissions persist unchecked, any AI output (such as that from co-pilot) can be compromised or inaccurate. The overarching message is that organizations need to establish clear policies and processes to keep information fresh, secure, and properly categorized, thereby laying the groundwork for successful AI deployment. For Episode 14 of the Guardians of M365 Governance monthly webcast, Joy Apple (@joyofsharepoint), Ragnar Heil (@ragnarh) and I welcomed our guest and fellow MVP, Stacy Deere (@sldeere), the CEO of Focal Point Solutions, to discuss “How SharePoint is Making Governance Easier & More Secure” and many of the announcements made in the recent SharePoint event from Microsoft.

This episode explores how AI can improve oversight and streamline compliance processes in governance.Join this month's Guardians of M365 Governance as Ragnar Heil Joy Apple and Christian Buckley welcome dual Security and M365 MVP Alistair Pugin.Highlights- Introduction to the role of AI in enhancing government oversight.- Discussion on AI’s potential to simplify compliance tasks.- Real-world examples of AI applications in governance.- Expert opinions on the future of AI in regulatory frameworks.- Strategies for integrating AI solutions effectively in public sectors.

or Episode 12 of the Guardians of M365 Governance monthly webcast, Joy Apple (@JoyofSharePoint), Ragnar Heil (@ragnarh) and I welcomed our guest, Sharon Weaver (@sharoneweaver), a fellow MVP and RD and the CEO of Smarter Consulting, to discuss “Deep Dive Into the Microsoft 365 Maturity Model.” If you’ve been following the show, you’ll probably remember that Sharon was scheduled to be on live broadcast in August but had a last-minute customer priority, so we invited her back to continue the discussion and share her work as part of the core team helping to expand the Microsoft 365 Maturity Model.Our discussion centered on the importance of governance within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, emphasizing its role in managing content, permissions, and access while fostering a culture of effective communication and training. The M365 Maturity Model can be a valuable framework for assessing and improving governance practices. This model provides a structured approach to evaluate organizational maturity across various competencies, such as communication, security, compliance, and adoption. Key insights included the significance of understanding current maturity levels, setting actionable goals, and creating a clear path for improvement through self-assessment tools and workshops.A critical focus of our conversation was the importance of communication as a competency. It was noted that communication is often the lowest-rated competency in organizations, yet it has the greatest impact on overall success. Improving communication can act as a catalyst for advancing other competencies, helping organizations navigate critical transitions, such as moving from a basic to an intermediate level of maturity. Strategies for leveling up include providing clarity about changes, offering guidance to stakeholders, and ensuring transparency in governance processes to foster trust and collaboration.We also explored the impact of AI, particularly tools like Microsoft Copilot, on governance practices. It was suggested that organizations need mature governance and communication competencies to effectively implement AI solutions. As AI adoption accelerates, there is a growing need for AI-specific governance considerations, including transparency, accountability, and ethics. In fact, we discussed the idea of creating a new “Level 600” in the maturity model to address the advanced requirements of AI governance, highlighting the evolving nature of organizational needs as technology becomes increasingly sophisticated.

For Episode 13 of the Guardians of M365 Governance monthly webcast, Joy Apple (@JoyofSharePoint), Ragnar Heil (@ragnarh) and I welcomed our guest, Michal Pisarek (@MichalPisarek), the CEO (and Janitor) of Orchestry Software, to discuss “Governance as a Blueprint for AI Readiness” and how effective governance is essential to harness the full potential of AI technologies. When data sprawl, out-of-date documents, and misaligned permissions persist unchecked, any AI output (such as that from co-pilot) can be compromised or inaccurate. The overarching message is that organizations need to establish clear policies and processes to keep information fresh, secure, and properly categorized, thereby laying the groundwork for successful AI deployment. We discussed a threefold set of challenges: First, content quality must be addressed: outdated files and redundant versions can degrade AI-driven insights. Second, security deserves special attention: loose or unmonitored permissions may inadvertently expose sensitive data to AI tools, particularly when these systems can “discover” documents through sophisticated queries instead of simple keyword matches. Finally, user ownership and adoption are critical, as the people managing projects, sites, or teams must be informed and empowered to enact changes—whether cleaning out shared links, adjusting permissions, or archiving old materials—without requiring deep technical expertise. Automation was offered as the key to handling these responsibilities efficiently. By standardizing the creation of new teams, sites, or agents with built-in governance guardrails, companies ensure that vital security and lifecycle steps are not left to chance. Automated reviews and prompts encourage team owners to make necessary adjustments to content and permissions at regular intervals, alleviating the workload on IT and strengthening overall compliance. Combined with thoughtful cost management—particularly for AI licensing—this integrated governance approach becomes the blueprint that allows organizations to embrace advanced AI solutions with confidence and clarity.

For Episode 11 of the #GoM365gov series, Ragnar, Christian, and Joy welcome guest Ben-David Piepenburg, Collaboration Consultant with HanseVision, to discuss "Taming the Chaos: Enhancing Audit & Compliance with EasyLife 365 at Munich Airport" This is our first case study in this series, with more planned for Season 2 in 2025. Please join us at 11am EST on Wednesday, November 20th, 2024 for our next episode! Case Study in German at HanseVision: https://blog.hansevision.com/referenz-easylife-365-flughafenm%C3%BCnchen Case Study in English at EasyLife 365: https://www.easylife365.cloud/blog/news/hansevision-press-release/

In the latest episode of Guardians of M365 Governance, I co-hosted an insightful discussion with Joy Apple (@JoyofSharePoint) and our special guest Nikki Chapple (@ChappleNikki), a dual Microsoft MVP and Principal Cloud Architect at CloudWay UK. Our topic, “More Storage? Or Just Smarter Use?”, tackled a persistent challenge in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Despite falling storage costs, the exponential growth in data volume continues to pose significant challenges. Organizations are increasingly finding themselves navigating through: Data sprawl across countless files and sites Unclear ownership structures Inefficient storage utilization Growing security concerns Rising storage costs The good news? Modern automation tools now offer innovative solutions for lifecycle management tasks, from archiving to removing obsolete content. This automation helps organizations optimize their data footprint and reduce unnecessary expenses. We also explored the critical partnership between IT departments and business units in digital asset management. While Microsoft 365’s collaboration tools (Teams and SharePoint) offer fantastic flexibility, this ease of use can lead to: Fragmented data across platforms Unclear ownership responsibilities Potential security vulnerabilities The emergence of Microsoft Copilot, combined with enhanced governance features, is highlighting the importance of robust data management. By implementing clear accountability measures and structured processes for data lifecycle management, organizations can: Reduce operational costs Enhance security Improve collaboration efficiency Better manage retention and deletion policies

In this enlightening episode of the Guardians of M365 Governance monthly webcast, co-host Ragnar Heil (@ragnarh) and I welcomed Melinda Morales, Head of Collaboration at Dyson UK, to explore the vital topic of scaling governance across global enterprises. While fellow co-host Joy was unable to attend the live broadcast, the discussion proved rich with insights and practical wisdom. Melinda shared valuable perspectives from her experience at Dyson, emphasizing: The discussion delved into several crucial challenges faced by large enterprises: A significant portion of the conversation focused on how AI-driven tools could revolutionize governance processes. The episode concluded with a forward-looking discussion on evolving governance trends: This holistic approach emerged as a crucial strategy for managing rapid technological advancement while maintaining organizational security and productivity.

For Episode 8 of the Guardians of M365 Governance monthly webcast, Ragnar Heil (@ragnarh), Joy Apple (@JoyOfSharePoint) and I were sorry that our planned guest, Sharon Weaver, was unable to join us this month for health reasons, but we’ll be sure to add her back into the schedule soon. While we did not get to hear Sharon’s perspective as a Core Team member for the M365 Maturity Model community, we did discuss the maturity model and share some of our own thoughts and experiences. This episode focused on “Leveraging the M365 Maturity Model” to enhance governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) practices. As regulatory environments grow more complex, organizations must evolve from reactive compliance efforts to a proactive approach where GRC is integrated into daily operations and strategic decision-making. We explored how the M365 Maturity Model helps organizations assess their current GRC maturity, identify gaps, and build a more resilient framework that supports both compliance and business growth. We discussed how one size does NOT fit all, and that it is important to tailor your governance framework to fit the unique needs of your organization, ensuring that compliance efforts align with your specific industry requirements and business objectives. From there, organizations can strategically use Microsoft 365 tools like Compliance Manager, Information Protection, and eDiscovery, as well as 3rd party governance solutions to streamline their management efforts and enhance operational efficiency. We also discussed how leadership plays a vital role in driving maturity, fostering a culture where governance is seen as a strategic priority and accountability is embedded at all levels. Finally, we emphasized the need for continuous improvement and adaptation in practices. The M365 Maturity Model serves as a living framework that organizations can use to regularly assess and refine their governance efforts, staying ahead of emerging risks and maintaining compliance in an ever-changing regulatory landscape. And as I mentioned last month, I’d like to once again encourage our viewers to share their own governance war stories and engage with the community within the governance community page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/m365governance.