How to Secure ChatGPT, Copilot, and AI Tools in Your Organization

Your employees are using ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and other AI tools at work. That’s not going to stop. The question is whether those tools are configured to protect your data — or quietly exposing it.

Consumer-grade AI tools and enterprise-grade AI tools look almost identical on the surface. The difference is in what happens to your data on the backend. This guide covers the specific security configurations you need for the most common AI tools businesses use in 2026.

Why the Consumer vs. Enterprise Distinction Matters

When your employee uses a personal ChatGPT account or the free version of any AI tool, their inputs — including any data they paste in — may be used to improve that AI model. OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and other providers offer enterprise tiers specifically because businesses need data protection that consumer accounts don’t provide.

Enterprise-tier AI tools typically offer: data not used for model training, data processed within your geographic region, a data processing agreement (DPA) for compliance purposes, admin controls for access management, audit logging, and integration with your existing identity provider. Consumer tools offer none of this by default.

Securing Microsoft Copilot for M365

Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 is the enterprise AI assistant built into Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and the rest of the M365 suite. It operates within your Microsoft 365 tenant, which means it’s subject to your existing data governance controls — but only if those controls are properly configured.

Key Configuration Steps

• Audit your Microsoft 365 permissions before enabling Copilot. Copilot surfaces content from across your tenant based on what each user has access to. If your permissions are misconfigured — and in most orgs, they are — Copilot will expose content users shouldn’t see. Run a permissions audit before rollout.
• Enable sensitivity labels. Microsoft Purview sensitivity labels allow you to classify documents and emails. Copilot respects these labels, which means properly labeled confidential content won’t surface in responses to unauthorized users.
• Configure data loss prevention (DLP) policies. M365 DLP policies can restrict what Copilot can do with sensitive data categories — preventing it from summarizing or sharing content that contains PII, financial data, or other restricted information.
• Control who has access. Use Microsoft Entra ID groups to control which users and departments have access to Copilot features. Don’t enable it org-wide and sort out governance later.
• Review the Copilot activity logs. M365 audit logs capture Copilot interactions. Review them regularly for unusual patterns — large data requests, access to restricted SharePoint sites, etc.

Securing ChatGPT for Enterprise Use

If your team uses ChatGPT, the minimum acceptable version for any work involving sensitive data is ChatGPT Team or ChatGPT Enterprise — not the free tier or ChatGPT Plus personal subscription.

Key Configuration Steps

• Use ChatGPT Enterprise or Team. These tiers include a DPA, data is not used for training, and conversations are not shared with OpenAI for model improvement. The free and Plus tiers don’t offer this.
• Disable conversation history for sensitive use cases. Even in enterprise tiers, you can configure whether conversation history is retained. For teams handling sensitive data, disable history retention.
• Require SSO. Integrate ChatGPT Enterprise with your identity provider via SSO. This ensures access is tied to your employee accounts and revoked automatically when someone leaves.
• Establish usage guidelines. Even with enterprise-grade protections, employees need clear guidance on what data is appropriate to input. Technical controls and policy work together.

Securing Google Workspace AI Features

Google Workspace includes AI features — Gemini for Workspace — across Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Meet. If your organization uses Google Workspace, these features may already be enabled without explicit action from your team.

• Review which Gemini features are enabled in your Google Admin console. Go to Apps → Google Workspace → Gemini to see what’s active and for which users.
• Configure data protection settings. Google Workspace Enterprise tiers include data regions, DLP, and audit logging. Ensure these are configured before AI features are in active use.
• Restrict access by organizational unit. Not every team needs access to every AI feature. Use Google Admin OUs to grant access selectively.

Governing AI Tools You Didn’t Deploy

Beyond the major platforms, your employees are likely using AI tools you don’t know about — browser extensions, standalone apps, AI features built into tools you’ve already licensed. This is the shadow AI problem, and it can’t be solved with configuration alone.

The solution is a combination of technical controls (network monitoring to identify AI tool traffic, browser extension management policies) and policy (an AI acceptable use policy that clearly defines what’s approved and what’s not). See our guide: AI Acceptable Use Policy: What Every Business Needs →

Need Help Configuring Your AI Tools?

AI tool configuration is technical, and getting it wrong creates real risk. Cover6 Solutions works with organizations to assess their current AI tool posture, configure enterprise AI platforms securely, and build the governance framework to keep them that way.

Schedule a free AI security consultation →

For the full AI security picture, start here: AI Security for Business: The Complete Guide →

Tyrone E. Wilson is a U.S. Army veteran, vCISO, and founder of Cover6 Solutions — a veteran-owned cybersecurity firm specializing in vCISO services, penetration testing, and security training.