Rolling out Microsoft Copilot: a guide for SMEs

Before a company introduces Microsoft Copilot, employees should know three things: the difference between the free Copilot Chat and the license-based Microsoft 365 Copilot, that Copilot can access all files to which the respective person has access, and how to check results. Before that, permissions need to be cleaned up, rules set and the team trained.

Many SMEs use Microsoft 365 anyway – so Copilot is an obvious choice. The introduction is technically done quickly. Whether it succeeds, however, is decided by preparation and training.

Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot – the difference

	Copilot Chat	Microsoft 365 Copilot
Costs	according to Microsoft at no additional cost for eligible Microsoft 365 accounts	Fee-based additional license per user
Basis of the answers	especially web knowledge and uploaded files	In addition, your work data: emails, files, Teams chats, calendars
Integration	own chat window	directly in Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint
Suitable for	Texts, research, summaries	Work with your own documents and meetings

As of October 2026, Microsoft changes packages and prices regularly – current conditions can be found on Microsoft's website.

The most important preparation: permissions

Microsoft 365 Copilot accesses everything that the logged in person is allowed to see in SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams and Exchange. This sounds obvious, but it has consequences: If a folder with salary data is accidentally shared with everyone, Copilot can use content from it in a summary. Before you start, you should:

Review shares in SharePoint and Teams, especially "for everyone in the company"
Restrict sensitive areas such as personnel, management, contracts in a targeted manner
Clean up old, no longer needed teams and pages

Rules for everyday life

Check results: Copilot summarizes well, but can mix up facts – see Check AI answers.
Identify where customers are getting AI-generated content.
Meetings: Transcription and summary only with the knowledge of the participants.
No decisions about people based solely on Copilot results.
Identify a contact person for questions.

These rules belong in an AI directive. In companies with a works council, the works council must be informed at an early stage.

What employees should learn

Topic	Example
Writing good instructions	"Summarize the emails from customer X from last week, with open points."
Copilot in Word and Outlook	Draft from bullet points, reply to a long email
Copilot in Excel	Have data explained, formulas suggested
Copilot in Teams	Summarize Meeting, Derive Tasks
Know your limits	outdated files, incorrect attribution, invented details

How to formulate instructions is shown in the article Learning to write prompts.

Data protection

Microsoft describes the protection of business data for the company's offerings. Nevertheless, check the data processing agreement, the data storage locations and which functions process data outside the EU. If you prefer not to give sensitive data to a US cloud at all, you can operate your own AI chat, for example with Open WebUI.

Introduction in four steps

Clean up permissions.
Pilot group with five to ten people and clear tasks.
Training for everyone who should use Copilot.
After four weeks, evaluate and decide who gets a license.

In our AI training for companies, teams practice with the tools they actually use – including Microsoft Copilot. With certificate of participation as proof of the measures for AI competence according to Art. 4 EU AI Act.

Regarding funding: Pure training is usually not subsidized by INQA coaching, because the program promotes consulting. If the AI introduction is accompanied as INQA coaching as a whole, the federal government will cover 80% of the consulting costs. The funding check shows which programs are eligible.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot?

According to Microsoft, Copilot Chat can be used for eligible Microsoft 365 accounts at no additional cost and works primarily with web knowledge and uploaded files. Microsoft 365 Copilot is a fee-based additional license and also accesses your emails, files, chats and appointments.

What do you have to pay attention to before introducing Copilot?

Above all, on authorizations: Copilot can use everything a person is allowed to see. Approvals that are too broad should be cleaned up beforehand. In addition, there are rules and training.

Do employees need training for Copilot?

Yes. If you know how to formulate instructions and check results, you get much more out of it. In addition, Art. 4 EU AI Act requires measures on AI competence.

Is Microsoft Copilot GDPR compliant?

Microsoft offers contracts for order processing and protection of business data for companies. You should check whether the use fits your data with your data protection officer.

Source: Microsoft, Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat page (as of October 2026).