If we’re talking buzzwords in the realm of financial planning, chances are trust and confidentiality are the top two on your list. These words tend to be what can make or break a financial planning business, so it’s understandable that embracing new tech isn’t a decision that is taken lightly. You may have heard of Microsoft 365 Co-Pilot and be scratching your head over its security credentials, and whether it’s a bigger help or hindrance to your financial planning firm.
Well, wonder no more, because we’re here with answers! In this blog, we’ll talk about whether Microsoft 365 Co-Pilot is a safe choice for financial planners so you can make an informed decision about whether it’s right for you.
What is Microsoft 365 Co-Pilot?
Before we start talking about how secure it is, let’s first delve into what the Microsoft 365 Co-Pilot is all about. As its name suggests, Microsoft 365 is like a helpful co-pilot that is built right into your usual Microsoft 365 programmes, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. It’s there to help boost your productivity, and help you get better at using these tools so you can get stuff done faster.
There’s also something new called Business Chat. This feature works across all your Microsoft 365 apps and personal data, like your emails, calendar, and chats. With Business Chat, you can ask it things in everyday language, like “Tell my team about our updated product strategy,” and it’ll whip up a status update based on what’s been happening in your meetings, emails, and chats that day. Pretty nifty, right?
How does Microsoft 365 Co-Pilot handle sensitive data?
So, we know the financial world is all about keeping things like personal finances, investment details, and confidential client data safe. Messing up with that stuff? Yikes, not a good look, not to mention you’ll be looking at legal repercussions.
Understandably, this worry can leave you umming and ahhing over which technology to use, or worse, breaking your back doing things the long way around when you could be embracing a handy shortcut. This begs the question; how does Co-pilot manage the data you provide it with?
Co-Pilot processes your data based on the inputs you provide, ensuring that:
- Your prompts and results remain confidential and inaccessible to other customers.
- Your data is not used to train or improve any third-party products or services.
- Your data is not used to enhance Microsoft AI models unless your tenant admin has opted into optional data sharing.
What other security features does Microsoft 365 Co-Pilot have?
If the above hasn’t already put your mind at ease, Microsoft also has other security features as standard. These include:
Data encryption: Your data is encrypted when it’s stored and when it’s being sent, so it’s always protected.
Compliance standards: It follows all the global rules and regulations to keep things in line with what’s expected.
Advanced threat protection: The platform uses advanced methods to detect and fend off cyber threats, reducing the risk of any nasty surprises.
Should I be using Microsoft 365 Co-pilot in my financial planning firm?
After reading all of the above, you may now be thinking about bringing Microsoft 365 Co-pilot into your financial planning firm. The sweet spot lies in finding a balance between using technology that can help your firm run more smoothly, without putting any of your important data at risk. And fortunately, the majority of data protection is just good old-fashioned common sense!
When it comes to Co-pilot, you can help to ensure data safety in your financial planning firm by:
- Keeping up with the latest security updates and features in Microsoft 365 through regular training.
- Being strict about who can access important tasks and data.
- Setting clear rules about how data can be used, accessed, and stored in Microsoft 365.
Are you a financial planning or wealth management firm? Need some help with your IT? Contact us today to find out about our range of IT services – we can even help you ensure cybersecurity throughout your operations!