Microsoft 365 & the executive office · For CIO
Ask your company anything: a SharePoint knowledge assistant for every team
- Claude
- SharePoint
- OneDrive
- Teams
- Microsoft Entra ID
The short answer
Claude can answer employee questions inside Microsoft Teams using content from SharePoint and OneDrive. Each answer links back to the source document, and Claude only draws on files the person is already allowed to open. Staff find answers in seconds instead of searching folders, and leaders keep control over what is shared and who can see it.
Key takeaways
- Employees spend a surprising share of their week hunting for documents that already exist.
- A knowledge assistant in Teams answers questions in plain language and points to the source.
- Claude respects existing SharePoint and OneDrive permissions, so nobody sees anything new.
- Success is measured in time saved, fewer repeated questions and better-informed decisions.
Executive summary
Most organisations hold their knowledge in thousands of files spread across SharePoint sites and OneDrive folders. Employees waste time searching, ask colleagues the same questions again and sometimes act on outdated versions. A SharePoint knowledge assistant changes this. Staff ask a question in Teams and receive a clear answer, with a link to the document it came from. Claude only uses content each person is already permitted to see, so existing security holds. For CIOs, this means more value from the Microsoft 365 investment, fewer support requests, and a governed way to make company knowledge genuinely usable.
What problem does scattered knowledge cost your organisation?
Knowledge rarely goes missing. It simply becomes hard to find. A policy sits in one SharePoint site, a pricing guide in a team folder, and the latest version of a procedure in someone's OneDrive. Each time an employee needs an answer, they either search for ten minutes, or they message a colleague and interrupt them.
The hidden cost adds up. Time is lost on searching, questions are repeated across teams, and people sometimes work from an outdated file without realising it. New joiners struggle longest, because they do not yet know where anything lives.
- Searching for the right document can take many minutes per question.
- The same questions reach the same experienced people again and again.
- Out-of-date versions get used because the current one is hard to locate.
What changes when the answers come to people?
With a knowledge assistant in Teams, employees ask in ordinary language, such as "What is our travel approval limit for Gulf visits?" Claude reads the relevant documents, writes a short answer and shows where it came from. The employee can open the source to check the detail or to read the full context.
The organisation gains a shared, consistent way of finding information. Answers match the documents people are meant to follow, and leaders can see which topics generate the most questions, which often reveals gaps in documentation that need attention.
- Staff get answers in the flow of work, inside Teams.
- Every answer is traceable to a named source document.
- Repeated questions fall, freeing experienced colleagues for higher-value work.
How does Claude connect to SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams?
Claude for Microsoft 365 works with the tools your people already use, including Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive and Word. Through Microsoft's secure connection layer, called Microsoft Graph, Claude can search and read the content a given user is allowed to access. Claude connectors create the secure link between Claude and these business tools, so no one needs to copy files into a separate system.
Sign-in is handled by Microsoft Entra ID, the identity service your organisation already uses. This means the assistant knows who is asking, and it applies the same access rules that already govern SharePoint and OneDrive. A closely related automation is Tidy, findable and safe: document governance across OneDrive and SharePoint. It is built on Claude for Microsoft 365, from Anthropic.
- Works with SharePoint sites, OneDrive folders and Teams conversations.
- Uses Microsoft Entra ID sign-in and existing group memberships.
- Available to teams through Claude for Enterprise, with centralised administration.
What does a day look like before and after?
Consider a regional sales manager preparing for a client call on a Tuesday morning. Before, she searches SharePoint for the latest pricing guidance, opens three versions to see which is current, and messages a colleague to confirm the discount rules. This takes roughly half an hour.
After, she asks the assistant in Teams. Within seconds she receives the current discount rules, the date of the guidance and a link to the approved document. She checks the link, confirms the detail and moves on to preparing the call. Her colleague is not interrupted, and the figures she quotes come from the approved source.
- Search time drops from around half an hour to a few minutes.
- The answer is tied to the current, approved version.
- Colleagues are no longer pulled away for routine questions.
How are permissions, security and governance protected?
The most important design principle is that Claude only sees what each user is already allowed to see. If an employee cannot open a confidential finance folder in SharePoint, the assistant will not surface its contents to them. Access rules stay where they are, and no new copy of your data is created for the assistant to hold.
Governance remains with people. Your IT and information governance leads decide which sites are in scope, and audit logs record activity so that the organisation can review use. The design supports the expectations of common data protection rules, but it does not replace your own legal or compliance review.
- Permissions in SharePoint and OneDrive are respected at every answer.
- Sensitive sites can be excluded from the assistant's scope.
- Audit trails support internal review and oversight.
How should success be measured?
Measure what matters to the business. Track the time staff spend searching, the number of routine questions reaching experienced colleagues, and feedback on answer quality. Compare these with a baseline taken before launch, so the impact is visible rather than assumed.
Look also at documentation health. Questions the assistant cannot answer point to gaps or outdated files. Teams that act on these signals steadily improve the quality of their shared knowledge.
- Baseline search time and repeat-question volume before launch.
- Review unanswered questions each month to target documentation fixes.
- Gather short user feedback on whether answers were useful.
How do you start?
Begin with a free automation audit. We review where your knowledge sits, which SharePoint sites and OneDrive areas matter most, and which questions cost your teams the most time. We also confirm the access model and identify any sites that should be excluded.
From there, a small pilot with one function, such as sales operations or HR, proves value quickly. Once the answers are trusted, the assistant extends across the organisation. Explore the wider picture in our overview of Claude for Microsoft 365 and enterprise transformation.
- Start with a free automation audit of your knowledge sources.
- Pilot with one function before wider rollout.
- Expand once answers are consistently trusted and used.
How it works
Employee asks in Teams
A person types a question in plain language, in a Teams chat or channel.
Claude checks who is asking
Sign-in through Microsoft Entra ID confirms the person's identity and existing access.
Relevant files are found
Claude searches the SharePoint and OneDrive content that this person is permitted to open.
A clear answer is written
Claude drafts a short, plain-English answer based on the approved documents.
The source is linked
Each answer includes a link to the document, so the reader can check the detail.
Before and after
Finding the current pricing rules
BeforeSearching several folders and asking a colleague to confirm, around half an hour.
AfterAsking in Teams and receiving a sourced answer in seconds.
Answering a new joiner's policy question
BeforeInterrupting an experienced manager, who answers from memory.
AfterThe new joiner gets the approved policy and its link straight away.
Confirming the latest version of a procedure
BeforeOpening several copies and guessing which is current.
AfterThe assistant points to the current approved document.
Spotting gaps in shared knowledge
BeforeGaps surface only when someone is stuck.
AfterRepeated unanswered questions highlight what needs documenting.
What leaders typically see
- 30–50%Typical reduction in time spent searching for internal documents
- 20–40%Typical fall in routine questions reaching experienced colleagues
- Days, not weeksTypical time to see first answers trusted in a focused pilot
Typical ranges. Your free audit sets a baseline for your own organisation.
What it means for each leader
- CIO
- Gets more value from the Microsoft 365 estate while keeping existing permissions and governance intact.
- COO
- Sees faster routine decisions and fewer interruptions to operational experts.
- CHRO
- Gives new joiners a faster route to policies and onboarding material.
- CISO
- Keeps access rules unchanged, with audit trails to support oversight.
- General Counsel
- Ensures staff quote approved wording, with each answer traceable to its source.
United States, United Kingdom, India and the Middle East
United States
US organisations often weigh state privacy laws such as California's CCPA/CPRA alongside sector rules where relevant, such as HIPAA in healthcare or GLBA in financial services. US hosting is available, and the assessment during the audit helps determine the right setup.
United Kingdom
UK organisations consider UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, along with sector guidance where it applies. UK hosting is available, and the design supports your review of how personal data is used.
India
Indian organisations consider the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and any sector regulators such as RBI, SEBI or IRDAI where they apply. India hosting is available, and the audit confirms the right deployment region.
Middle East
Organisations in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar consider the relevant national personal data protection laws and free-zone rules such as DIFC or ADGM, along with Arabic-language needs. Data-residency requirements are assessed in the audit, and the deployment region is chosen to meet them.
Safeguards built in
- Claude only uses content each user is already permitted to see in SharePoint and OneDrive.
- Sign-in is managed through Microsoft Entra ID, with existing group rules applied.
- Sensitive sites can be excluded from the assistant's scope.
- Every answer links to its source so people can verify the detail.
- Audit logs record use to support internal review.
- People remain responsible for decisions; the assistant informs but does not approve.
From audit to rollout
Free automation audit Week 1–2
Map knowledge sources, access model, priority questions and sites to exclude.
Focused pilot Week 3–8
Launch in one function, measure search time and answer quality against a baseline.
Refine and govern Week 9–12
Address documentation gaps, confirm governance and agree operating ownership.
Scale across the organisation Week 13 onward
Extend to further teams and sites as answers are consistently trusted.
The Claude products behind it
Claude working with Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams and SharePoint.
Secure links between Claude and business tools.
Claude for large organisations.
Frequently asked questions
What does doing nothing cost us?
Staff continue to lose time searching for documents and interrupting experienced colleagues. Outdated versions remain in circulation, and onboarding stays slow. The cost is hidden in everyday work, so it rarely appears in a single budget line, but it accumulates across every team every week.
Can the assistant see files that staff should not access?
No. The design works within existing SharePoint and OneDrive permissions, so the assistant only uses content each user can already open. Sensitive sites can also be excluded entirely from its scope.
Where is our data held?
Hosting can be chosen in the United States, the United Kingdom, India or the European Union, depending on your requirements. The free audit confirms the right deployment region and how data flows between your Microsoft 365 environment and the assistant.
How accurate are the answers?
Answers are drawn from named documents and always link to the source, so people can check the detail. Accuracy depends on documentation quality, so the assistant also highlights gaps where questions go unanswered. People remain responsible for final decisions.
Will this change how our staff work?
Staff spend less time searching and fewer routine questions reach busy colleagues. Teams are involved in the pilot so the way they use the assistant fits their work, and training focuses on asking good questions and checking sources.
Which Microsoft 365 licences or tools do we need?
You use the Microsoft 365 tools you already have, such as SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams, with Microsoft Entra ID for sign-in. The audit confirms whether any additional licences or Claude plans, such as Claude for Enterprise, suit your scale.
How long until we see results?
A focused pilot typically shows whether answers are trusted within weeks. Wider rollout depends on documentation readiness and governance decisions, so the rollout plan sets realistic milestones.
Can this work outside the US and UK, such as in the Gulf?
Yes. Organisations in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar can use the assistant, including Arabic-language needs. Data-residency and free-zone rules are assessed during the audit, and the deployment region is selected to meet them.