How We Govern AI

Practical safety for professional-services firms. Not compliance theatre, not a 50-page policy document. Governance built into every workflow.

01

Human oversight at every step

Every AI workflow includes human review. AI drafts, suggests, and prepares. Your team reviews and approves before anything goes out. No autonomous actions on client data without explicit sign-off.

02

One workflow at a time

Every deployment follows the same process: discovery, design, testing, sign-off, and monitored go-live. No broad rollouts. No big-bang deployments. One workflow, proved and governed, before moving to the next.

03

Scoped permissions and data access

AI only accesses what it needs. Microsoft 365 permissions are scoped deliberately for each workflow. No broad data access, no accidental exposure of sensitive documents. Every data source is explicitly approved by your team.

04

Approval gates for critical actions

When AI takes an action that affects clients, communications, or sensitive data, it pauses and waits for human approval. Your team decides what requires sign-off. Clear escalation paths for edge cases.

05

Governance built in, not bolted on

Governance is not a separate document you file and forget. It is built into the workflow itself: scoped permissions, logged actions, approval gates, and regular reviews. Practical and operational, not bureaucratic.

By deployment model

Governance by deployment model

Microsoft-native

  • Data sits

    Within your Microsoft 365 tenant

  • Permissions

    Microsoft 365 RBAC and SharePoint permissions

  • Logs

    Microsoft 365 audit logs

  • Human review

    Approvals via Teams, Outlook, or Power Automate

Hybrid (external AI connectors)

  • Data sits

    In your tenant, with governed API connections to Claude or other models

  • Permissions

    Scoped API access, no broad data sharing

  • Logs

    Combined Microsoft 365 and connector audit trails

  • Human review

    Same approval gates, regardless of which model generated the output

Private deployment

  • Data sits

    On infrastructure you control (on-premises or private cloud)

  • Permissions

    Your own access controls and network policies

  • Logs

    Stored within your environment

  • Human review

    Same governance framework, different infrastructure layer

Questions

Common questions

Yes. With governed workflows, human oversight, and scoped permissions, AI handles repetitive work while your team stays in control of every decision that matters.

All AI access is scoped to specific data sources you approve. Permissions are reviewed before deployment. Audit logs track every action the AI takes.

Not necessarily. Copilot is one option. Claude, Power Automate, and hybrid approaches may fit better depending on your workflows. The audit determines the right tools.

Yes. Claude can be connected to your Microsoft 365 environment for tasks like knowledge retrieval, document analysis, and draft preparation. Permissions and access controls apply.

Your team uses the workflow as normal. When AI prepares a draft, suggestion, or action, it appears for review. Approved items proceed. Everything is logged. Monthly reviews keep the system current.

Yes. Private deployment options run AI models on infrastructure you control. For on-premises deployments, no data leaves your network. For private Azure, data stays within a dedicated tenant you control, separate from shared cloud services. Both are available for firms with strict data sovereignty or regulatory requirements.

The workflow audit assesses your data sensitivity, regulatory obligations, and infrastructure. Each workflow gets the deployment model that fits its risk profile. You do not need to choose one model for everything.

Want to see how governance works for your firm?

Book a workflow review to discuss your specific requirements.