Handling Oversharing in SharePoint for Copilot Deployment

Introduction

• Main Topic: Addressing the issue of oversharing data in SharePoint to enable Copilot in organizations.
• Objective: Prepare organizations to handle oversharing across Microsoft 365, especially SharePoint.
• Goals:
  • Identify oversharing in SharePoint.
  • Implement solutions to manage and restrict access.
  • Outline workarounds for quick resolution to not delay Copilot deployment.
• Resource: Use data access governance reports and configuration changes in SharePoint.

Why is Oversharing a Concern?

• Definition: Oversharing occurs when data is shared too broadly within an organization, often unintentionally.
• Risks: Sensitive data exposed inadvertently (e.g., CEO salaries, confidential reports, contracts)
• Scenario: Copilot exposing data due to improper security settings.

Tools and Reports for Managing Oversharing

SharePoint Data Governance Reports

• Access: Available in the SharePoint admin portal through Microsoft 365 admin center.
• Key Elements: Sensitive labels and sharing links.
• Purpose: Identify links granting wide audience access (anyone, people in the organization).
• Important Note: Existence of links does not automatically grant access until clicked.
• Requirements: SharePoint premium licenses or Microsoft 365 E5 subscription.
• Output: Top 100 reports for further analysis (export to Excel recommended).

Analyzing Microsoft Teams

• Admin Portal: Use the Teams admin portal.
• Focus Areas:
  • Public vs. private teams.
  • Organization-wide teams.
  • Large membership teams.
• Purpose: Identify large groups where data may be overshared.
• Recommendation: Export data for detailed analysis.

SharePoint Active Sites Report

• Access: SharePoint admin center.
• Key Information: All SharePoint sites, volume of storage, number of files.
• Analysis:
  • Identify sites with many members but few documents.
  • Export data for further investigation.

Configurations and Workarounds

Exclude Specific Sites from Copilot and Search

• Steps:
  • Go to site settings.
  • Open site information, view all site settings.
  • Navigate to search and offline availability.
  • Exclude the site from indexing.
• Result: Site is not accessible through Copilot or Microsoft 365 search.

Block All Sites and Create a Whitelist

• Purpose: Enable restricted search mode in SharePoint for faster resolution.
• Steps:
  • Connect to SharePoint online using PowerShell.
  • Enable restricted search mode for the tenant.
  • Add specific sites to the allowed list (up to 100 sites).
• Result: Only whitelisted sites are accessible through Copilot and search.
• User Notification: Warning message about restricted access when using Copilot.

Conclusion

• Summary: Emphasize the importance of recognizing and managing oversharing in SharePoint to ensure secure Copilot deployment.
• Call to Action: Utilize the presented tools, reports, and workarounds to secure data before activating Copilot.
• Reminder: Oversharing is a risk even without Copilot deployment; addressing it improves overall data security.
• Further Learning: Subscribe, thumbs up, and ask questions for more videos and deeper understanding.

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Resources: PowerShell scripts and tools linked in the video description.