Microsoft 365 Copilot vs Perplexity: which is safer for work?
On the facts we could verify, Microsoft 365 Copilot carries lower data-exposure risk for default at-work use. Both should still be used on an approved tier for anything sensitive.
| Fact | Microsoft 365 Copilot Low risk · 0 Microsoft · Productivity | Perplexity Low risk · 20 Perplexity AI, Inc. · Search |
|---|---|---|
| Trains on consumer-tier data | No | Opt-out |
| SOC 2 Type II | Yes | Yes |
| ISO 27001 | Yes | Unverified |
| GDPR DPA | Yes | Yes |
| HIPAA BAA | Yes | Unverified |
| EU data residency | Yes | Unverified |
| SSO / SAML | Yes | Yes |
| Data retention | Copilot interaction history stored in the customer's tenant (Substrate/Exchange) and governed by the tenant's Microsoft 365 retention, eDiscovery, and Purview policies; not retained for training. | Consumer: data retained unless 'AI data retention' is disabled; Enterprise Pro offers configurable retention and a Zero Data Retention mode; Sonar API retains no request data. |
Full profiles: Microsoft 365 Copilot · Perplexity. Facts are sourced from each vendor's own policies; confirm the tier before relying on them.