The Project
Good Change People were introduced to an industry leading rail carriage leasing consultancy with over 30 years in practice and 2,691 vehicles, to help integrate Microsoft Purview into their day-to-day documents. During this project we produced Training User Guides, demo videos and other helpful documentation outlining what security options to use when to use them, how to use them, and why users should use them.
What is Microsoft Purview?
Microsoft Purview brings together tools to help organisations govern, protect and manage their information. For document security, its capabilities include identifying sensitive information, applying sensitivity labels and, where configured, protecting content through encryption and restrictions on how it can be used or shared. These controls help people handle information appropriately; they work alongside, rather than replace, correctly configured access permissions.
Why security comes before Copilot
Microsoft 365 Copilot works within a user’s existing access permissions: it does not bypass security or grant new access. However, it can make information much easier to discover and bring together. If documents are already shared too broadly, Copilot can bring that information into view more readily. In other words, it can reveal doors that were already open, rather than unlock doors that were securely closed.
Before rolling out Copilot, organisations should review who can access their information, address overly broad sharing and establish appropriate information protection controls. The aim is simple: the right people should have access to the right information, without unnecessarily exposing sensitive content. Purview supports this preparation, but labels alone are not a substitute for reviewing and correcting permissions.
Technical background: Microsoft Purview security and compliance for Copilot; Assessing and addressing oversharing before Copilot deployment.
The Challenges
Although the project was short, engagement brought its own distinct challenges. Most of Eversholt’s user base had a legal-focused persona, so the change needed to be framed around the responsibilities of their roles, rather than presented simply as a new technology rollout. The engagement challenge was to connect document security with their day-to-day work and make the practical implications of the change clear.
The Solutions
A Security-First Foundation
For Eversholt, this was exactly the preparation we supported: establishing a security-first foundation ahead of Copilot adoption. Our work helped translate document protection into everyday behaviours, supported by user guides, demonstration videos and clear explanations of which security options to use, when to use them and why they mattered. This positioned information protection as an enabler of responsible AI adoption, rather than an additional hurdle.
Framing the Change Around Users’ Roles
That same audience profile gave us a strong foundation for adoption. A security-first message aligned naturally with the need to protect confidential information, control who could access documents and support responsible information handling. These were meaningful adoption levers because they connected directly to the nature of users’ roles, rather than relying on generic claims about productivity or innovation.
We therefore framed Purview as support for their existing responsibilities: helping them make informed decisions about document protection and appropriate sharing. The user guides, demonstration videos and supporting documentation connected the “how” with the “why”, making security-first behaviours a practical part of preparing for Copilot.
