Free resource · Word + Excel kit
Deploying Microsoft 365 Copilot Kit: Licenses, Data, and 90 Days
Copilot Chat is already in your employees' toolkit. This kit helps sponsors, CIOs, CISOs and DPOs of large organizations to decide who receives Copilot Premium, to validate prerequisites, to prepare data against oversharing, to address European compliance and to succeed in the first 90 days.
The Microsoft 365 Copilot Deployment Kit, in brief
- What it is
- A kit to frame the deployment of Copilot Premium in a large organization: choice of scope and cost, technical prerequisites, data preparation, European compliance, configuration of the administration center, targeting of licenses and management of the first 90 days.
- For who
- AI project sponsors, CIOs, CISOs and DPOs, transformation leaders and project managers preparing for the arrival of Microsoft 365 Copilot.
- Format
- 16-page Word document in 8 chapters and Excel workbook in 7 tools (cost of licenses and credits, targeting grid, 30-point configuration checklist, oversharing audit, 90-day plan, adoption dashboard, RACI matrix).
- What it contains
- Why frame the deployment; the 2026 offer (Copilot Chat, Copilot Premium, usage credits); technical prerequisites; data preparation with SharePoint Advanced Management and Purview; GDPR, EU Data Boundary, Anthropic and CSE models; admin center settings and agent governance; targeting and the 90-day plan; indicators.
- What is it based on?
- Microsoft's pricing pages and Microsoft Learn documentation, accessed on October 31, 2026, applicable European and French texts, and our Copilot training courses for large organizations.
- Price
- Free, in exchange for a professional email address. No unsolicited emails.
- Update
- October 2026 edition, information verified on October 31, 2026. Microsoft changes its offers and names every month: check prices before making any purchase decision.
- What it doesn't replace
- Neither the advice of your lawyers and your DPO, nor reading Microsoft's contractual terms.
- Go Further
- Copilot Kit Cat, 50 Copilot M365 prompts, Security and data kit, Microsoft 365 Copilot training for businesses.
In most large organizations, Copilot was already in use before it was deployed. Copilot Chat is pinned by default in Microsoft 365 applications, at no extra cost, and employees are already using it. The question, therefore, is not about introducing AI, but about deciding who receives the paid license, what data Copilot works with, and under what rules.
What sets Copilot apart from traditional office suites is that it sees everything the user is authorized to see. It doesn't create any new permissions, but it makes documents stored on overly accessible websites visible in seconds. This suite therefore addresses data governance with the same care as licensing and training.
1. Copilot Chat or Copilot Premium: what each level offers
Copilot Chat is included for all accounts with an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription. Copilot Premium, displayed as "M365 Copilot (Premium)" in the apps, is an additional license allocated per user. The differences published by Microsoft on its French pricing page are:
| Function | Copilot Chat | Copilot Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Web-based chat, files uploaded or cited | Included | Included |
| Access to work data (Microsoft Graph, Work IQ) | No | Included |
| Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote | No | Included |
| Copilot in Teams | No | Included |
| Copilot in Outlook | Standard | Priority |
| Researcher, Analyst and Model Selection | No | Included |
| Copilot Cowork | No | Charged per use |
| Agents on company data | Charged based on usage | Included |
| SharePoint Advanced Management | No | Included |
Since April 15, 2026, in organizations with more than 2,000 users, the Copilot pane has been removed from Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for users without a license. Anticipate this change in your communications: it's often what triggers renewed license requests.
2. Pricing and usage-based billing
| It offers | Retail price (October 2026, excluding VAT) | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Copilot (Copilot Premium) | €26,00 per user per month | Annual commitment, in addition to an eligible basic license |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot Business | €18.20 per user per month (€15,60 on promotion until December 31, 2026) | Organizations with up to 300 users |
| Microsoft 365 E7 | €91,92 per user per month (price displayed in Belgium) | E5, Copilot, Agent 365 and Entra Suite, available from May 1, 2026 |
| Copilot credits | $0.01 per credit on a pay-as-you-go basis | CoworkCode, Autopilot, advanced models, agents for unlicensed users |
The cost per user is no longer fixed: the license covers current usage, but CoworkAdvanced SharePoint and OneDrive features, Copilot Code, Autopilot, and the most advanced templates consume additional credits. This is managed in the admin center, under Copilot, then Cost Management, with spending limits per organization and per user. The "License Cost" tab in the workbook simulates three scenarios, including licenses and credits.
3. Technical prerequisites
- Bachelor Degrees An eligible basic license (Microsoft 365 E3, E5, F1, F3, Office 365 E1, E3, E5, Business offers) is required. Copilot is not available with Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise per device.
- Messaging and files : a primary Exchange Online mailbox and a OneDrive provisioned for each user.
- Workplace Microsoft 365 Apps on the Current Channel or the Monthly Enterprise Channel. Copilot is not available on the Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel, the choice of many large organizations: plan this project four to six weeks before the pilot.
- Expert Network : authorize the entire *.cloud.microsoft domain and WebSockets, then test from remote sites with the Microsoft connectivity tool.
- Administration : the AI Administrator role to manage Copilot without global administrator rights.
4. Prepare data against oversharing
SharePoint Advanced Management is included as soon as a Copilot license is assigned to the tenant. It provides oversharing reports, Restricted Content Discovery to exclude a site from Copilot responses without affecting access rights, Restricted Access Control, and site owner access reviews. Restricted SharePoint Search, the former 100-site whitelist, is being phased out: no new activations are possible after July 31, 2026.
- Measure the performance of their campaigns : content management assessment and oversharing reports, sites classified by risk.
- Address the urgent matter Restricted Content Discovery on exposed HR, financial or legal sites.
- Correct the rights : removal of "Everyone" links, owner for each site, access reviews.
- Label : Purview sensitivity labels, then DLP rule which prevents Copilot from processing labeled content.
- To do the housework : archiving inactive sites so that Copilot does not rely on obsolete versions.
The "Oversharing Audit" tab of the workbook calculates a risk score per site and suggests the action to be taken.
5. GDPR, EU Data Boundary and Anthropic Models
Copilot is covered by Microsoft's data processing agreement and the EU Data Boundary: prompts and responses are not used to train models, and traffic from EU users is processed within the EU. Three exceptions require a documented decision with the DPO:
- Web search : requests sent to Bing are not covered by either the data processing agreement or the EU Data Boundary.
- Anthropic models The Claude models offered in Copilot are excluded from the EU Data Boundary and disabled by default in the Union. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint agents only work with them. Also check the "Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps with Anthropic models" setting, which is enabled by default for tenants created after March 25, 2026.
- Memory : in preview, it is not covered by either Purview retention strategies or the audit log.
From a social perspective, the introduction of Copilot requires information and consultation with the Works Council (article L2312-8 of the French Labor Code): the Créteil Judicial Court suspended AI tools deployed without this consultation in July 2025. Furthermore, Article 4 of the AI Act mandates user training.
6. Target licenses and succeed in the first 90 days
Microsoft recommends starting with a small group of heavy Microsoft 365 users. The workbook translates this advice into four weighted criteria: intensity of Microsoft 365 usage, potential use cases, exposure to sensitive data, and relay role.
| Period | The goal | Key deliverables |
|---|---|---|
| D-45 to D-0: prepare | Making deployment possible | Prerequisites validated, sensitive sites addressed, settings decided, works council consulted, charter published, pilots appointed |
| Day 0 to Day 30: piloting | Prove the value in 5 to 8 use cases | 100 to 300 open licenses, onboarding by profession, Teams community, starting point |
| Days 30 to 60: adjust | Correct and equip | Library of prompts by profession, shared first agents, Cowork open to a few profiles |
| Days 60 to 90: Decide | Prepare for generalization | Figures, reallocation of underutilized licenses, subsequent waves, training plan |
The management relies on reports from the administration center, the Copilot Dashboard (full functions from 50 licenses) and six indicators: activation rate, active users each week, usage per application, declared time saved, cost per active user, satisfaction and incidents.
7. What the kit contains
The Word document has 16 pages in 8 chapters: why frame the deployment; understanding the offer in 2026; technical prerequisites; preparing the data; compliance, GDPR, EU Data Boundary and CSE; setting up the administration center and governing agents; targeting, supporting and deploying in 90 days; measuring and deciding; the sources.
The Excel workbook "Tools of the Deploy Microsoft 365 Copilot Kit" contains seven tools: the cost of licenses and credits on three scenarios; the targeting grid with weighted score and proposed wave; the 30-point configuration checklist with progress rate; the oversharing audit with risk score and recommended action; the 90-day plan whose dates are recalculated from the launch date; the adoption and return on investment dashboard; the RACI matrix on 18 activities.
Download the Microsoft 365 Copilot Deployment Kit (Word and Excel, free)
16 pages in 8 chapters and a binder of 7 tools. Written by NextStart.AI based on official Microsoft documentation and our Copilot training courses for large organizations.
- Comparison of Copilot Chat and Copilot Premium and cost simulation
- The 30-point configuration checklist
- The audit of oversharing and the data preparation process
- The 90-day plan and the adoption dashboard
8. Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Copilot Chat is included with Microsoft 365: it works on the web and with files uploaded to it, as well as with the inbox and calendar in Outlook. The Microsoft 365 Copilot license, displayed as "M365 Copilot (Premium)," adds access to work data via Microsoft Graph, Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams, Researcher and Analyst, template selection, and SharePoint Advanced Management.
How much does Microsoft 365 Copilot cost for a large company?
In October 2026, Microsoft is advertising €26,00 excluding VAT per user per month with an annual commitment, in addition to an eligible Microsoft 365 license. Copilot credits are also charged on a usage basis. CoworkCopilot Code, Autopilot, advanced models, and agents used by unlicensed collaborators. Set spending limits from day one.
What are the technical prerequisites for deploying Copilot?
An eligible base license, a Microsoft Enterprise account, an Exchange Online mailbox, OneDrive, Microsoft 365 Apps on the Current Channel or the monthly Enterprise Channel (not the semi-annual one), and a network that allows the entire *.cloud.microsoft domain and WebSockets.
How can we prevent Copilot from revealing confidential documents?
Copilot respects existing permissions; therefore, oversharing must be corrected before deployment. SharePoint Advanced Management, included with the license, provides oversharing reports and Restricted Content Discovery to exclude a site from responses. Sensitivity labels and a Purview DLP rule prevent Copilot from processing labeled content.
Is Copilot GDPR compliant and hosted in Europe?
Copilot is covered by Microsoft's data processing agreement and the EU Data Boundary: user traffic from the Union is processed within the Union, and the data is not used to train models. Two exceptions to analyze: web searches via Bing and Anthropic models, which are excluded from the EU Data Boundary and disabled by default in the Union.
Should the Works Council be consulted before deploying Copilot?
Yes, in most cases: the introduction of a new technology requires information and consultation with the Works Council (article L2312-8 of the French Labor Code), and a court has already suspended AI tools deployed without this consultation. Meeting summaries and user reports are the most closely examined points.
Is the kit free?
Yes. The Word document and Excel workbook are free, in exchange for a professional email address which will only be used to send you the download link. No unsolicited emails.
9. Going further
To launch Copilot Chat to all employees, the Copilot Kit Cat It provides 30 prompts, administrator settings, and a 30-day launch plan. Once the licenses are activated, the 50 Copilot M365 prompts equip users and the Copilot Studio kit accompanies the creation of agents. Regarding the security aspect, the Security and data kit and the GDPR kit ; for consultation with the Works Council, the AI and Social Dialogue KitDuring training, the Microsoft 365 Copilot training for businesses makes the teams work on their own documents.
Read also : Copilot Chat or Microsoft 365 Copilot: what are the differences in 2026? et Copilot Pro, Copilot Premium, Microsoft 365 Premium: differences and prices.
The entire series of free kits. To drive adoption: AI charter template, AI training plan template, AI Ambassadors Kit, Manager's toolkit for dealing with AI, AI-powered time-saving kit, Adoption Roadmap Kit, AI maturity grid, AI Measurement and ROI Kit, AI Governance Kit, Cowork kit, 50 Copilot M365 prompts, Copilot Studio kitDeploy Microsoft 365 Copilot kit, Copilot Kit Cat, Copilot Excel kit, Copilot Teams and Outlook kit, Copilot Word and PowerPoint kit, Configure Claude kit, Deploying Claude in the Workplace Kit, Claude Agents Kit, Claude Skills kit, Claude Plugins Kit, Claude Code kit, Claude Design kit et Vibe coding kitFor the AI project sponsor: AI Act kit, GDPR kit, Security and data kit, Shadow AI kit, AI and Social Dialogue Kit, frugal AI kit, AI Sovereignty Kit et responsible AI kitBy profession: AI HR kit, AI marketing kit, AI finance kit, AI kit for lawyers, AI kit for salespeople, AI toolkit for project managers, AI innovator kit, communicator's AI kit, AI Shopping Kit et AI Kit for Researchers.
10. Sources
The information cited on this page and in the kit is based on the following sources, verified on October 31, 2026.
- Microsoft, Microsoft 365 Copilot for businesses, pricing.
- Microsoft Learn, Microsoft Copilot requirements.
- Microsoft Learn, Usage-based billing with Copilot Credits.
- Microsoft Learn, SharePoint Advanced Management with a Copilot license.
- Microsoft Learn, DLP for Microsoft 365 Copilot.
- Microsoft Learn, AI subcontractors and Anthropic models.
- Microsoft Learn, Copilot Dashboard.
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 on artificial intelligence, 4 article.
- CMS Francis Lefebvre, AI suspended: Judge demands consultation with the Works Council before any deployment (TJ Créteil, July 15, 2025).