Behind the Scenes: Preparing My Talk on Securing Microsoft 365 for Copilot

Linda Guðmundsdóttir
Mar 23
3 min read

Updated: Mar 24

Behind the Scenes: Preparing My Talk on Securing Microsoft 365 for Copilot

When I was accepted to speak at Expert Live Denmark, I knew I wanted to create a session that would stick with people, not just inform, but help them. As a solution architect working closely with Microsoft 365 customers, I've seen first-hand how exciting (and risky) it can be to roll out Copilot in real environments.

So instead of another “What is Copilot?” session, I wanted to go deeper - into security, deployment, and real-world customer challenges. Also… it was my first time delivering a session in another country! This article shares how I prepared, structured, and delivered that talk - and what I learned along the way.

Choosing the Right Angle

My session title was: "From Preparation to Deployment: Securing Microsoft 365 Copilot for Your Customers."

The goal? Help partners, IT admins, and consultants:

Understand the risks of enabling Copilot without proper planning
Confidently guide customers through a secure and realistic Copilot rollout
Align Copilot deployment with business goals, user needs, and compliance requirements

Laying the foundation: Copilot readiness in 3 steps

Copilot readiness can feel overwhelming - so I broke it down into a simple 3-step framework:

1. Secure: Clean up, classify, and protect the data Copilot will access.

2. Train: Educate users on what AI can (and can't) do, and how to use it responsibly.

3. Strategize: Define the business goals for AI and plan a safe, phased rollout.

This helped attendees quickly map out where their customers are on the readiness journey and where to focus next.

Keeping It Real (and Light on Slides)

I like to keep my slides clean with just a few bullet points to guide the audience and I talk through the rest. (It’s also convenient, since I’m usually finishing them last minute anyway.)

Here’s why it works:

Keeps the audience focused on the message, not reading slides
Makes the session feel more natural and engaging
Gives me room to adapt based on questions or reactions

Plus, a fellow speaker told me: “Always include at least one meme.”

So I did. Obviously.

Making It Practical

I like sharing things people can actually use - not just sit through. So I focused on simple, actionable steps attendees could take straight back to work:

The key to making security matter to the customer is showing how GenAI relies entirely on their own data.
Apply sensitivity labels to classify and protect information
Use retention policies to clean up outdated and redundant data
Establish internal AI policies before rollout
Start with proof of concept group to gather feedback and reduce risk

If someone walks away with even one tool they can actually use, I’m happy.

My Presentation Tips (The Real Ones)

So yeah, I searched “how to give a great talk.” Here’s the real stuff I learned by doing it.:

Start strong: A story, a bold statement, or something real that makes people look up
Keep your slides clean: A few solid points. Let your voice carry the message (or mine, book me 😉)
Don’t over-practice: If you know your stuff, trust your brain
Slow down: Especially if you talk at 3x speed when excited (hi, me)
Be yourself: If you’re funny, use it. I am. Hilarious, actually. If you're not, that’s okay too - don’t force it
End with something they’ll remember: I wrapped up with: “Any questions? Ask Copilot.”