By Alice Chambers |
Nearly 70 per cent of the Fortune 500 now use Microsoft 365 Copilot, according to Microsoft’s Q1 2025 financial results, and interest continues to grow. But diving in without a deployment plan can create more headaches than wins, warns Jonathan Meade, director of collaboration technologies at Synergy Technical.
“One of the biggest hurdles to successful AI adoption isn’t the technology itself, but the organisation’s readiness,” says Meade. “Before turning on Microsoft Copilot, businesses need to ensure their data is clean, content is well-organised and access permissions are properly configured.”
In his work supporting Copilot deployments, Meade has identified several tell-tale signs that an organisation isn’t ready for AI. The first is a lack of clear use cases.
“Without specific, well-defined goals, AI adoption often feels scattered and fails to gain traction,” he says. “Whether it’s drafting content, summarising meetings or extracting insights from Microsoft Excel, teams should understand how Copilot can support their day-to-day work from the start.”
Another red flag is cultural resistance. If leadership isn’t actively promoting Copilot and encouraging its use, employees are unlikely to embrace it. “A supportive culture that encourages experimentation and learning is essential for success,” says Meade.
Weak content governance is also a problem. Since Copilot can retrieve and display content across Microsoft 365 – including SharePoint, Teams and OneDrive – poor access controls can lead to information being shared inappropriately. “Without proper permissions in place, there’s a risk of exposing sensitive or irrelevant information to the wrong people,” says Meade.
Instead of enabling Copilot for everyone immediately, Meade suggests a phased rollout.
“Copilot isn’t a plug-and-play solution,” he says. “It works best when rolled out gradually, giving teams time to learn, build trust and discover where it delivers the most value. This phased strategy also gives IT teams time to address privacy, security and compliance concerns before scaling up.”
Much of this preparation involves foundational work that’s often overlooked. Meade advises businesses to start by cleaning up their content libraries and applying consistent naming and classification standards. “This ensures documents are stored properly in SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams,” he explains. “Equally important is reviewing who has access to what, especially since Copilot can pull from across your entire Microsoft 365 environment.”
To support secure collaboration, he also recommends implementing data governance and lifecycle policies to manage sensitive information and prevent any data oversharing. But technology is only half the equation. Effective change management plays a critical role in long-term success which means focusing on teams that will use the tools.
“Helping people feel confident using AI starts with clear communication about what Copilot can and can’t do,” says Meade. “Early champions are also essential. These internal advocates model good usage, surface feedback and help build momentum across teams.”
A mid-sized professional services firm – and client of Synergy Technical – recently saw real benefits from this kind of structured rollout. The company was keen to adopt Copilot but faced challenges around disorganised content and inconsistent access controls.
“We started with a readiness assessment, followed by targeted clean-up of their Teams and SharePoint environments,” says Meade. “The team then delivered tailored training for different departments. Within weeks of going live, staff were using Copilot to draft proposals, summarise client meetings and streamline reporting. It saved them time and boosted their confidence in using AI day-to-day.”
Post-deployment feedback across Meade’s client base has been largely positive, though not without reflection.
“Leaders are seeing productivity gains in areas like document creation, email drafting and quicker access to insights,” he says. “End users love how it simplifies routine tasks but many wish they’d had more time to learn how to use it well.”
For those looking to adopt AI successfully, Meade emphasises: “Organisations that invest in up-front training and change support see smoother adoption and higher satisfaction across their employees and customers. As AI becomes more deeply embedded in the workplace, that kind of thoughtful preparation may be what separates the leaders from the laggards.”
Discover insights from these partners and more in the Autumn 2025 issue of Technology Record. Don’t miss out – subscribe for free today and get future issues delivered straight to your inbox.