Microsoft 365 Copilot Smart Start
ProArch's Microsoft 365 Copilot Smart Start helps you identify high-value use cases, assess and prepare your Microsoft 365 environment, address data and governance risks, deploy Copilot, and give your users the foundation they need to adopt it successfully.
Put Microsoft 365 Copilot to Work Across Your Organization
Before you roll out Microsoft 365 Copilot, you need to know where it can create the most value, whether your Microsoft 365 environment is prepared, which risks need to be addressed, and how you will support adoption.
ProArch’s Microsoft 365 Copilot Smart Start helps you answer those questions by identifying priority use cases, assessing readiness gaps, establishing the right controls, and building a practical roadmap for pilot, deployment and adoption around how your people actually work.
The Microsoft 365 Copilot Smart Start engagement with ProArch was extremely valuable for our organization. Their team brought a deep understanding of Copilot and provided practical, real-world guidance that helped our users quickly understand the benefits and start incorporating Copilot into their daily work.
Director of IT, Biotechnology Firm
WHAT YOU GET WITH SMART START
Be Ready to Maximize the Value of Microsoft 365 Copilot
- Prioritize Microsoft 365 Copilot use cases that align with business goals and key user roles
- Identify and reduce data, security, governance, and compliance risks that could impact Copilot adoption
- Validate Microsoft 365 licensing, configuration, and tenant readiness
- Establish policies, governance practices, & guardrails for responsible AI use
- Create a roadmap for deployment, adoption, and ongoing governance
- Prepare users to confidently adopt Copilot and realize long-term business value
WHAT WE EVALUATE IN SMART START
What’s Included in Microsoft 365 Copilot Smart Start
ProArch combines Microsoft 365 Copilot readiness consulting, technical assessment, governance planning, security, and adoption planning into a single engagement.
The exact assessment activities and deliverables depend on the selected Smart Start package and agreed scope.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Executive Briefing
Align business and technology leaders on what Microsoft 365 Copilot can do, where it can create value, potential risks, readiness considerations, and expected outcomes.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Readiness Workshop
Interactive workshop that identifies role-based use cases, prioritizes business opportunities, and defines how Copilot can support your organization’s goals.
Microsoft 365 Data Risk Review
Review your Microsoft 365 data estate to identify potential areas of exposure related to sharing, permissions, and data classification.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Gap Analysis
Evaluation of your Microsoft 365 environment to uncover Copilot readiness gaps across security, governance, licensing, configuration, and operations that should be addressed before deployment.
Microsoft Entra Tenant Preparation
Evaluate and prepare foundations needed to support a secure Copilot rollout. This may include licensing, Conditional Access, Microsoft Entra ID, security, and relevant identify-governance controls.
Center of Excellence and Adoption Planning
Puts in place a training plan to educate users on Copilot capabilities and give business stakeholders the ability to monitor adoption.
MICROSOFT 365 COPILOT SMART START CASE STUDY
Credit Union Builds Confidence to Scale Copilot Responsibly
A credit union established the confidence, governance, and internal alignment needed to move forward with Copilot and scale adoption responsibly.
WHAT YOU WALK AWAY WITH
What You Receive from Your Copilot Readiness Assessment
Depending on the selected Smart Start package and scope, your organization may receive
- Prioritized Microsoft 365 Copilot use cases
- Recommended initial user groups and rollout priorities
- Microsoft 365 Copilot readiness and gap findings
- Microsoft 365 data risk and oversharing findings
- Security and governance recommendations
- AI usage policy and responsible AI guardrails
- Microsoft 365 tenant readiness improvements
- Microsoft 365 Copilot deployment
- Adoption and user enablement plan
- Copilot governance and operating model
- Measurement framework for adoption and ongoing optimization
- Recommendations for expanding Copilot across additional teams and workflows
MICROSOFT 365 COPILOT SMART START PACKAGES
Choose the Right Starting Point for Your Copilot Priorities
Choose an individual Smart Start package to address a specific priority, or combine packages into a broader readiness engagement for a more complete Microsoft 365 Copilot rollout.
IGNITE
Define where Copilot can create value
- Microsoft 365 Copilot Readiness Workshop
- Executive Briefing & ROI Modeling
- AI Usage Policy Development
SECURE & SCALE
Prepare your Microsoft 365 environment for AI.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot Gap Analysis
- Microsoft 365 Data Risk Review
- Microsoft Entra Tenant Preparation
GOVERN & ENABLE
Create the controls needed to expand Copilot responsibly.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot Readiness Workshop
- Data Risk Review & AI Usage Policy
- Copilot Center of Excellence Deployment
ADOPT & ACCELERATE
Drive meaningful, long-term change.
- Executive Briefing & ROI Modeling
- Copilot Center of Excellence Deployment
- User Adoption & Training Program
Extend the Value of Microsoft 365 Copilot with Custom Agents
Go beyond productivity assistance and build AI agents that automate business processes, surface knowledge, and connect Copilot to the workflows your teams use every day.
Knowledge & Insights
Microsoft 365 Copilot Smart Start Guidance
Microsoft 365 Copilot Readiness Assessment: Licensing and Preparation Checklist for Your Organization
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Microsoft 365 Copilot readiness important?
Microsoft 365 Copilot can be licensed and deployed without completing a formal readiness engagement, but licensing alone does not prepare an organization for effective adoption.
Readiness work helps identify valuable use cases, review data access and oversharing risks, establish governance requirements, prepare the Microsoft 365 environment, and plan a phased rollout.
Who should consider a Microsoft 365 Copilot Smart Start engagement?
Microsoft 365 Copilot Smart Start is designed for organizations that are:
- Evaluating whether and where to use Microsoft 365 Copilot
- Preparing for an initial pilot or deployment
- Determining which roles and use cases should receive priority
- Reviewing Microsoft 365 data access, security, or governance before rollout
- Assessing data access, permissions, security, or governance before rollout
- Addressing SharePoint, OneDrive, or Teams oversharing concerns
- Working to increase adoption or value from licenses already purchased
Organizations looking for a Microsoft 365 Copilot readiness partner can use Smart Start to bring business, technical, security, and adoption priorities into one coordinated approach.
Can we begin Smart Start before purchasing Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses?
Yes. Organizations can begin readiness, use-case, security, governance, and pilot-planning work before purchasing Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses. This can help clarify which users and workflows should be prioritized, determine licensing needs, and identify issues that should be addressed before a broader rollout.
How does ProArch identify the right Copilot users and use cases?
ProArch works with business and technology stakeholders to evaluate roles, workflows, information needs, and productivity challenges.
Use cases are prioritized according to expected business value, feasibility, security considerations, and readiness for adoption.
How does Smart Start help with AI governance?
Smart Start can help an organization define how Microsoft 365 Copilot should be used, identify data-access and governance gaps, and develop governance recommendations or an AI usage policy based on the selected scope.
This may include reviewing permissions, external sharing, information protection, data-loss prevention, retention, conditional access, and other Microsoft 365 controls relevant to Copilot readiness.
Do all employees need a Microsoft 365 Copilot license?
No. An organization does not need to purchase Microsoft 365 Copilot for every employee.
Licenses can be assigned to the users and roles selected for the pilot or rollout based on business need, use-case fit, data access, and adoption readiness.
What are the licensing requirements for Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Microsoft Copilot requires an eligible Microsoft 365, Office 365, or other qualifying base subscription. Microsoft currently lists eligible plans across several categories, including:
- Microsoft 365 E3, E5, and E7
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, and Business Premium
- Microsoft 365 Apps for business and Apps for enterprise
- Eligible Microsoft 365 frontline plans
- Office 365 E1, E3, E5, and eligible frontline plans
- Certain Teams, Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Planner and Project, and Visio plans
For most eligible plans, Microsoft Copilot is purchased as an add-on. Microsoft 365 E7 includes Microsoft Copilot in the suite, so a separate Copilot add-on is not required for E7 users.
Can Smart Start help if we already have Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses?
Yes. Smart Start can help organizations that have already purchased licenses but need to address readiness gaps, improve adoption, prioritize use cases, strengthen governance, or establish a more structured rollout approach.
The engagement can also help clarify which users and workflows should receive priority and how Copilot usage and business value should be measured.
Will ProArch fix every issue identified during the assessment?
The readiness assessment identifies and prioritizes issues that may need to be addressed. The agreed Smart Start scope determines which tenant-preparation activities, policies, readiness improvements, deployment services, or enablement activities are included.
Additional remediation or implementation work may be recommended as a separate phase when it falls outside the selected package.
How long does a Microsoft 365 Copilot Smart Start engagement take?
Typically 6 to 8 weeks, but the duration depends on the Smart Start option, agreed scope, stakeholder availability, number of use cases, and the complexity of the Microsoft 365 environment.
How much does a Copilot Smart Start engagement cost?
Pricing depends on the Smart Start option, engagement scope, Microsoft 365 environment, priority use cases, and any licensing commitments or applicable incentive programs. Microsoft 365 Copilot licensing is priced separately unless it is explicitly included in the proposal.
Contact ProArch for current pricing and to determine which Smart Start option fits your goals.
