You’ve probably heard the pitch: Microsoft 365 Copilot will change the way we work. AI that’s baked right into Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, and more. Type a command, and it writes an email, pulls the data, builds the slide. Sounds great.
But there’s a problem most teams haven’t thought about yet.
Who’s going to set it up, manage it, and keep it working?
Because here’s the truth: Copilot isn’t a flip-the-switch tool. If your Microsoft 365 environment is messy, Copilot will just surface the mess faster.
And the people who know how to clean it up, the Microsoft 365 admins, are getting harder to find.
Copilot Needs a Strong Foundation
Copilot isn’t just another app. It pulls from everything: your Teams chats, your SharePoint files, your Outlook inbox, your calendar, your OneDrive, your Planner boards, even Viva.
It weaves all that data together to answer your questions.
That sounds magical until you realize how dangerous it can be if the wrong people have access to the wrong stuff.
Want your new intern pulling confidential HR data by mistake? Probably not.
That’s why smart companies are slowing down and asking: Is our Microsoft 365 environment ready for Copilot?
And the ones who are honest usually say… not yet.
Admins Are the Missing Piece
Good Microsoft 365 admins are the ones who keep your environment clean, secure, and working the way it should.
They’re not just resetting passwords. They’re:
- Structuring SharePoint so sensitive info doesn’t spill
- Setting up proper permissions across Teams and OneDrive
- Managing licensing and app rollout
- Enabling (or blocking) Copilot access for the right users
- Using tools like Purview and Entra ID to keep things secure
- Writing PowerShell scripts to automate the messy stuff
If that sounds like a big job, it is. And most companies don’t have anyone doing all of it. Or they’re leaning on a generalist IT person who’s already stretched too thin.
Why the Hiring Gap Is So Wide
You’d think with how popular Microsoft 365 is, there’d be plenty of admins out there. But here’s the reality:
- Everyone wants them right now. With Copilot rolling out fast, demand has spiked overnight.
- The job has changed. It’s not just Exchange and SharePoint anymore. Admins now need to understand data governance, security, automation, and AI.
- Resumes don’t always tell the truth. Some people say they’ve “done M365 work” when they really just created a few Teams channels.
- Internal hiring moves too slowly. It can take 60+ days to fill these roles through the usual channels.
That’s why a lot of companies are stuck. They’ve committed to Copilot… but they don’t have the people to support it.
What Happens Without the Right Admins?
Here’s what we’ve seen:
- Access issues: Copilot can’t find what it needs, or worse, shows someone something they shouldn’t see.
- Poor user adoption: the rollout gets rushed, confusing, or half-baked, and people stop using it.
- IT burnout: your existing staff gets buried in tickets they weren’t trained for.
- Security risks: sensitive data floats into places it shouldn’t be.
All of that can be avoided with the right M365 admin or engineer in place.
So… Where Do You Find These People?
That’s where a specialized IT staffing partner comes in.
When you work with someone who lives in this space, you don’t waste weeks posting job ads and filtering through buzzwordy resumes. You get:
- People who’ve already done this work.
- Candidates with real PowerShell, governance, Purview, and Copilot exposure.
- Contract, contract-to-hire, or direct placements, depending on how you want to structure it.
- A faster path to rollout success, with fewer headaches for your IT team.
It’s not about hiring more people. It’s about hiring the right one.
Final Thought: The AI Is Only as Good as Your Admin
Copilot is powerful, no doubt. But it’s not magic. It’s only as smart as the systems behind it, and the people who manage them.
If you’re planning a Copilot rollout (or already mid-way through one), don’t skip the step that matters most: making sure your Microsoft 365 foundation is solid.
Because what good is an AI assistant… if the assistant doesn’t know where anything is?
