Microsoft 365 Copilot is Microsoft's AI assistant embedded directly into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and OneDrive. It uses your organisation's own content, emails, documents, meeting transcripts, SharePoint files, to answer questions, draft content, summarise meetings, and analyse data. Unlike public AI tools, Copilot runs inside your Microsoft 365 tenant and respects existing file permissions.
In Outlook: Draft email replies, summarise long threads, extract action items from conversations.
In Teams: Generate meeting summaries and action items in real time, catch up on missed meetings, draft follow-up messages.
In Word: Draft first versions of documents from a brief prompt, summarise long documents, rewrite selected passages.
In Excel: Analyse data tables in plain English, generate formulas, build charts, identify trends.
In PowerPoint: Generate a slide deck from a Word document or a prompt, add slides, reformat layouts.
In OneDrive/SharePoint: Search across all your files using natural language ("find the Q4 forecast Simon shared last month").
Approximately $40 CAD per user per month, added on top of an eligible Microsoft 365 base licence. Eligible base licences are Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Business Premium, E3, and E5. Business Basic is not eligible.
This makes the effective cost for a Business Standard user: ~$18 + ~$40 = ~$58/user/month.
For knowledge workers whose time has measurable value, yes, but only if they actually use it for the right tasks.
High-ROI use cases (most users recover cost within a week):
Lower-ROI use cases:
The practical test: pilot Copilot with 5 - 10 of your most document- and meeting-heavy users for 30 days and measure time saved. If the numbers work, roll out. If not, the pilot was cheap.
Yes, with important nuances:
The most important pre-rollout step is a permission audit. If your SharePoint has files that sensitive roles should not see but were never properly secured, Copilot will surface them to anyone who asks. Fix permissions before rollout.
They are complementary, not competing, for most businesses.
Do I need Microsoft 365 Business Premium to use Copilot? No. Copilot requires Business Standard, Business Premium, E3, or E5. Business Basic is not eligible.
Can Copilot read my emails without my permission? Copilot only accesses content that the signed-in user already has access to in their own account. It cannot read other users' private emails.
Does Copilot work in French? Yes. Microsoft 365 Copilot supports both official Canadian languages.
What is the difference between Microsoft Copilot (free) and Microsoft 365 Copilot (paid)? The free Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing Chat Enterprise) is a general web-connected AI. Microsoft 365 Copilot is the paid add-on that integrates with your M365 content and apps.
Can North Star IT help us deploy Copilot? Yes. North Star helps Canadian SMBs license, configure, run permission audits, and train staff on Microsoft 365 Copilot for real productivity gains.
Thinking about Copilot for your team? Call 672-983-1174 or book a free Copilot readiness review at northstarit.ca.
Quick answers.
What is Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Copilot is Microsoft's enterprise AI assistant integrated into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and OneDrive. It uses your organizational data securely and respects existing permissions.
How much does Copilot cost in Canada?
About 40 Canadian dollars per user per month, on top of an eligible Microsoft 365 base license.
Is Copilot worth the cost?
For knowledge workers who write, summarize meetings, build slide decks, or analyze spreadsheets, yes. Most users save 30 to 90 minutes per week, easily covering the cost.
Is my data safe with Copilot?
Yes. Copilot operates inside your Microsoft 365 tenant boundary, respects existing file permissions, and Microsoft does not train public models on your data.
Can Northstar IT help us deploy Copilot?
Yes. North Star helps Canadian SMBs license, configure, and train staff on Microsoft 365 Copilot for real productivity gains.
Have a specific situation in mind?
Book a free 30-minute scoping call with a Northstar IT engineer. We will walk through your environment, your questions, and what good looks like for your team.
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