Happy Memorial Day everyone!! Since I am in Germany getting ready to attend the European Collaboration Summit, I figured I would start off the week right with a post that has been long sitting in my list of drafts.

You’ve probably heard Microsoft pushing the idea of “Copilot Readiness” for quite some time now. It’s positioned as this critical, must-do checklist for organizations planning to roll out Microsoft 365 Copilot.

But let’s not pretend this is breaking news: Copilot Readiness is just SharePoint Governance with a fresh coat of lipstick. Same challenges, same principles — just dressed up to match the AI hype cycle. I’ve been on this path for 15+ years, and this conversation is nothing but new. The only real difference? We now have 15 extra years of content to manage — and no less pressure to get it right.

If you’ve been quietly trying to bring order to your M365 chaos for years, now’s your moment. Copilot has made governance matter again — because when your environment is messy, your AI results will be too.

Why SharePoint Governance Suddenly Has a Spotlight

Copilot isn’t intelligent unless your content is. It doesn’t magically know what’s useful — it surfaces what users can access.

So if your SharePoint landscape is cluttered with outdated files, overly permissive sharing, or poorly labeled data, Copilot will faithfully reflect all of it. No filter.

The real Copilot Readiness work includes:

• Organizing your information architecture
• Auditing and correcting permissions
• Labeling sensitive content properly
• Controlling external sharing
• Cleaning up site sprawl
• Archiving stale content

Doesn’t that just sound like regular SharePoint Admin work? Exactly! Because that is exactly what this is!

SharePoint Advanced Management: Now (Almost) Free with Copilot

Here’s the good news: with just one user licensed for Microsoft 365 Copilot, your entire tenant gets access to SharePoint Advanced Management (SAM) at no extra cost.

It’s a quiet change, but a massive one — because SAM finally gives admins the tools we’ve been begging for.

Here’s what SAM brings to your governance playbook:

• Site lifecycle policies – automatically detect and archive inactive sites
• Domain-based sharing restrictions – block or allow specific domains tenant-wide
• Site access reviews – see and manage who has access to what
• Policy enforcement per site – tailor controls for sensitive areas
• Advanced insights – discover sharing and usage patterns quickly

But those goodies alone are not enough. You will also need a fully developed playbook to ensure all other components are in tune with each other, which brings me to my next point.

My Copilot Readiness Starter Kit (Feel Free to Replicate and Improve it)

Whether you’re supporting your company, clients, or community — here’s the current checklist I start with to fast-track SharePoint governance for Copilot:

1. Inventory all sites
   Export site data, usage metrics, and sharing status.
2. Automate site lifecycle rules with SAM
   Identify inactive sites and act on them.
3. Review external access
   Apply domain restrictions where needed.
4. Structure your hubs
   Nest for better navigation and alignment.
5. Label and protect content
   Use sensitivity labels and DLP to prevent Copilot from seeing the wrong things.
6. Understand versioning
   A proper understanding of SharePoint’s version control capabilities is essential to avoid unnecessary duplication, noise, and confusion — especially when Copilot starts surfacing outdated drafts. I’ll share my deeper thoughts on managing versions effectively in a forthcoming post.
7. Repeat regularly
   Governance isn’t a project. It’s a posture.

Pro Tip 1: No Purview? Use ShareGate Sensitivity Tags

If your organization hasn’t rolled out Microsoft Purview, you still have options. ShareGate allows you to apply sensitivity tags at the site level to help identify, organize, and prioritize content for review — especially useful when preparing for Copilot.

It’s not a full-blown compliance solution, but it’s an excellent middle ground for tenants that need tagging without jumping fully into Purview (yet).

Pro Tip 2: Use Orchestry Property Bags for Better Context

Another underrated tool that you may already have in your governance toolkit is Orchestry’s property bags.

Property bags let you attach custom metadata to Microsoft 365 workspaces like Teams, SharePoint sites, and Microsoft 365 Groups — letting you track things like business purpose, department owner, compliance level, or Copilot readiness.

They’re incredibly helpful for surfacing insights at scale and managing environments proactively, not just reactively.

You Don’t Have to Start from Scratch: Use the Maturity Model

One of the best parts of being in the Microsoft 365 community is that you’re not alone — and you don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

The Microsoft 365 Maturity Model is a community-driven framework that helps organizations benchmark where they are and plan realistic, scalable improvements across governance, adoption, and solution design.

Whether you’re just getting started or already deep into Copilot readiness, it’s a fantastic resource to validate your approach and prioritize your next steps. I know it because I’m friends with some of the people who wrote it — and guess what? You too can contribute your insights to that project. Here’s how: Join the Maturity Model for Microsoft 365 Practitioner Group

Final Thoughts: Same Governance, New Deadline

Let’s face it — governance didn’t suddenly become important. But thanks to Copilot, it finally has consequences the business cares about.

This is the same work we’ve been doing for years. The difference now? It’s urgent, it’s visible, and there’s budget behind it.

If you’re someone who’s been championing this in the background, now’s the time to step forward. Share your playbook. Tell your story. Help others catch up — and help the Microsoft 365 community get Copilot-ready the right way.

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Got a Copilot governance story to share? Want help building your checklist? Let’s connect here or on LinkedIn.

If this helped you, share it. Because someone out there is about to roll out Copilot without realizing they’re also unleashing access to 10-year-old spreadsheets no one should ever see.