What are managed IT services?

Managed IT services comprise of outsourced IT support and management of your business’s IT systems and infrastructure. At Opus Technology, we deliver proactive managed IT support that gives businesses access to our highly skilled Service Desk engineers. Our managed IT support service is for businesses with internal IT teams but require additional support or for businesses that choose to outsource their entire IT support to Opus.

What does a managed service provider (MSP) actually do?

A managed service provider (MSP) like Opus Technology monitors, manages, and supports your IT and Telecoms functions, helping to prevent issues. Their Service Desk ensures support queries can be responded to quickly and ensures your business systems are secure. MSPs also provide consultancy to keep your technology aligned with your business goals.

How much do managed IT services cost?

Managed IT service costs vary based on the size of your business, the specific managed services included, and the complexity of your IT infrastructure. Opus Technology offers flexible pricing models on a monthly contracted basis designed to deliver the maximum value for a fixed monthly cost.

How fast do you respond to issues?

Opus Technology has a large UK based Service Desk that provides rapid response times, with many issues being addressed within minutes. If the reported issue is more complex, it will be immediately escalated to our third line team. Service Level Agreements (SLAs) guarantee swift, prioritised support based on the urgency of the problem.

What happens if we already have an internal IT team?

If you already have an internal IT team, Opus Technology’s managed IT services can be used as additional resource to help reduce their workload. Many clients with internal teams use Opus engineers to add specialist expertise to fill skills gaps or manage specific areas like cybersecurity, cloud, or IT compliance.

AI Governance and Microsoft Copilot Security

ISO 27001 Certified

ISO 9001 Certified

CE+ Certified

Service Mark Accredited

Established in 1992

What is AI Governance and Copilot Security?

AI governance is the set of controls, policies and oversight that decides how AI tools can access, use and share your organisation’s data. For businesses on Microsoft 365, that means making sure permissions, sharing, data protection and acceptable use are in the right state before Copilot or other AI tools are rolled out widely. Opus can review your Microsoft 365 environment for AI readiness and risk, then provide a prioritised view of exposures, governance requirements and recommended next steps. Where remediation or ongoing governance is needed, this can be agreed as a separate implementation or managed service scope.

Why does AI make oversharing a bigger risk?

Microsoft 365 Copilot can only reference content the signed-in user is authorised to access. The risk is that permissions often become broader than intended over time through organisation-wide SharePoint access, inherited membership, old Teams workspaces and sharing links that remain active longer than necessary.

Content that was technically accessible but practically hidden becomes easy to find the moment someone can ask for it in plain English. Governance before scale means fixing that exposure before it turns into an incident.

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What does an AI governance and security review assess?

Area	What Opus reviews	What the assessment identifies
AI readiness and risk review	Your Microsoft 365 environment against the risks AI introduces	A risk summary ranked by impact
Permissions, sharing and oversharing review	Who can access what, including broad and external sharing	A list of exposures to fix, prioritised
Copilot governance and adoption readiness	Proposed Copilot users, use cases, rollout approach and existing controls	Governance gaps and recommended guardrails for a controlled rollout
Information protection and data loss prevention	Existing sensitivity labels, data loss prevention policies and information protection controls relevant to AI use	Control gaps, protection requirements and recommended remediation priorities
AI acceptable use policy and user guidance readiness	Existing policies and guidance governing how staff should and should not use AI tools	Policy gaps and recommended requirements for practical user guidance
Security and compliance checks before pilot	Current security and compliance baseline against the controls needed before users are enabled	A readiness finding and the priority prerequisites for a controlled pilot
Executive readiness summary	The overall position, in business terms	A summary and next steps for leadership
Ongoing governance requirements	The governance approach, ownership and review cadence likely to be needed as AI usage grows	Recommended ownership, review cadence and options for ongoing governance

How does an AI governance review work?

An AI governance review gives you a clear view of how ready your Microsoft 365 environment is for AI, identifying where data, permissions and governance controls need to be strengthened before wider adoption.

Assess

We review where your data is stored, how it is governed and shared, your sensitivity labels and data loss prevention controls, and your overall readiness for AI.

Prioritise

Exposures are ranked by how sensitive the data is and how widely it is shared.

Remediate

We identify the required actions and agree a remediation plan that defines who will tighten permissions, apply protection and validate the changes.

What are the benefits of AI governance?

Less sensitive data exposed through AI tools. Oversharing is reduced at source, lowering the likelihood that AI surfaces content to people who should not have access to it.
Microsoft 365 permissions ready for AI. You understand who can access what before Copilot makes permitted content significantly easier to discover.
Practical guidance for users and leaders. People know what is approved, what data they can use and how to check outputs.
AI aligned with security and data protection. AI use fits the controls and obligations you already have.
Confidence to scale. A controlled approach gives leadership the evidence to expand AI use.

Why is AI governance and security particularly important?

AI governance and security is particularly important for organisations planning to adopt Microsoft Copilot or other AI tools and that want to establish the right foundations before rollout. This includes businesses concerned about historic Microsoft 365 permissions and oversharing, particularly where SharePoint data is shared extensively across teams, sites and external users.

It is also valuable for regulated or assurance-led organisations that need to demonstrate control over their data, and businesses preparing a Copilot business case that need to show AI risks have been identified and managed. The aim is to enable organisations to gain value from AI without introducing unnecessary risks to sensitive data, compliance or reputation.

Why choose Opus for AI governance and security?

Our approach is aligned to Microsoft 365 and Copilot, with controls in place before wider rollout.

Governance links directly to Microsoft Purview, so recommendations become working controls.

You get a prioritised remediation plan, recommended controls and practical AI governance policies.

The same team supports your AI proof of value and adoption programme.

Opus is certified to ISO 27001, the international standard for information security.

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Related services

Microsoft Purview services

Sensitivity labels, data loss prevention and information protection.

AI proof of value

Prove AI value in a controlled pilot before scaling.

AI adoption services

Help teams use AI confidently and consistently, whilst adhering to policies.

Frequently asked questions about AI governance and security

How do I prepare Microsoft 365 for Copilot securely?

Review who can access what, fix oversharing, protect sensitive data with labels and data loss prevention, and agree an acceptable use policy before rollout. An Opus AI governance readiness review covers each of these and gives you a prioritised plan.

Does Microsoft 365 Copilot respect existing permissions?

Yes. Copilot only surfaces content the user already has permission to access, which is why reviewing permissions before rollout matters.

What is Copilot oversharing and why does it matter?

Oversharing is when content is accessible to more people than it should be, often through broad SharePoint or Teams permissions. Copilot makes that content far easier to find, so exposure that went unnoticed becomes a real risk.

What should an AI acceptable use policy include?

Which AI tools are approved, what data can be used with them, how outputs should be checked and who is accountable for decisions made with AI support.

Can staff use ChatGPT or other public AI tools with company data?

Only approved AI tools should be used with company data, in line with your acceptable use policy, data classification rules and security controls. Where public or third-party AI services are permitted, the policy should define which information can be entered, how outputs must be handled and how usage is monitored.

Should AI governance come before a Copilot pilot?

An initial readiness and security assessment should happen before users are enabled. A controlled pilot can then test agreed use cases with a trusted group, while the findings inform the governance, remediation and funding decisions required before wider rollout.

Do we need Microsoft Purview for AI governance?

Microsoft Purview provides important capabilities for AI governance, including sensitivity labels, data loss prevention, auditing and data security assessments. Some foundational controls are included in eligible Microsoft 365 plans, while more advanced capabilities depend on the customer’s licensing, data risks and required level of monitoring or enforcement.

What does AI governance mean for a mid-sized business?

Practical controls proportionate to your size: tidy permissions, protection for sensitive data, a clear acceptable use policy and someone accountable for reviewing AI use as it grows.

How long does an AI governance readiness review take?

The timescale depends on the size and complexity of your Microsoft 365 environment, the number of SharePoint and Teams locations in scope, the condition of existing permissions and the depth of remediation required. Opus confirms the scope, dependencies and expected timetable before work begins.