Microsoft has announced the Security Copilot Alert Triage Agent in Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management (IRM), with general availability targeted for November CY2025. This new capability analyses and prioritises IRM alerts so analysts can focus on the most urgent issues first. It also provides a concise summary of the riskiest user activities linked to each high-priority alert, helping teams move from noise to action faster.
IRM already correlates signals across your Microsoft 365 environment to detect potential insider risks such as IP theft, data leakage, and policy violations. The alert triage agent builds on that by using AI to surface what matters most, sooner—while respecting privacy via pseudonymisation by default, role-based access controls, and full audit logs.
For Australian SMBs balancing risk, compliance, and lean IT teams, this is a practical step forward: fewer alerts to sift through, clearer context, and a faster path to resolution.
Why it matters for Australian SMBs
Insider risk is not just an enterprise problem. Whether intentional or accidental, a departing employee syncing customer lists to a personal device, or a contractor emailing sensitive files externally, the business impact can be significant. Manual triage of alerts is slow, inconsistent, and exhausting; important signals are easily missed.
The alert triage agent helps by:
- Prioritising alerts that show the highest risk patterns.
- Summarising why an alert is critical, so analysts can make quick, informed decisions.
- Reducing time spent on low-value alert handling, so your team can focus on containment and education.
How the Alert Triage Agent works?
Prioritisation you can trust
IRM looks across multiple activities—downloads, uploads, copies to removable media, sharing, and more—then sequences them into user-centric alerts. The triage agent ranks those alerts based on risk factors defined by your policies (for example, exfiltration indicators during a resignation window) and signals available in Microsoft 365. The result is a clear stack of “triage-first” alerts.
Summaries that speed investigation
For each prioritised alert, the agent generates a brief explanation of the activities that drove the risk score. Instead of clicking through multiple pages, analysts see the key facts immediately and can decide to escalate, dismiss, or assign next steps. This supports consistent decisions across the team, even when resources are thin.
Privacy by design
IRM is built with privacy in mind. User identities are pseudonymised by default until a case meets defined thresholds, and access is controlled through roles with audit logging. This helps you meet Australian privacy expectations and internal governance requirements without sacrificing visibility into genuine risk.
For background on IRM, see Microsoft’s overview: Insider Risk Management documentation.
Getting ready: prerequisites and setup
Licensing and roles
IRM typically requires Microsoft 365 E5 or the E5 Compliance add-on. The alert triage agent is associated with Security Copilot capabilities and may require additional Copilot entitlements at GA. Confirm final licensing with Microsoft once the feature is generally available in November CY2025.
Set up appropriate roles (for example, Insider Risk Management Admin, Analyst, and Investigator) and ensure least-privilege access. Establish an approval path for de-pseudonymisation to protect employee privacy.
Connect the right signals
IRM is most effective when core signals are enabled. Prioritise:
- Microsoft 365 activity signals (SharePoint, OneDrive, Exchange, Teams) and endpoint signals via Microsoft Defender for Endpoint where available.
- Data loss prevention (DLP) and sensitivity labels to classify and protect data, strengthening IRM risk scoring.
- HR connector or data feeds to identify high-risk periods (such as resignations or role changes) aligned to your policies.
Policy design tips for SMBs
Start with a small set of clear policies that reflect real business risk, such as “exfiltration during notice period” or “mass downloads of sensitive files.” Use Microsoft’s templates as a baseline and adjust thresholds to match your environment. Keep your review cadence tight at the beginning to avoid alert overload.
Practical rollout approach
Phase 1 (Weeks 1–4): Validate licensing, roles, and data connectors. Pilot IRM policies with the alert triage agent in a limited scope (a single department or subset of users). Establish a simple runbook for triage decisions and escalation.
Phase 2 (Weeks 5–8): Tune policies and thresholds based on pilot outcomes. Align with HR and Legal on de-pseudonymisation criteria and notification workflows. Begin reporting monthly risk trends to leadership.
Phase 3 (Weeks 9–12): Expand scope to more users and data types. Integrate lessons learned into security awareness training, and fold triage actions into your managed security operations processes.
Limitations and considerations
AI-generated summaries help speed decisions but do not replace analyst judgement. Maintain a human-in-the-loop approach and periodically review false positives and misses. Align your approach to Australian Privacy Principles and internal policies, and confirm data residency and processing locations for both Purview and any Copilot components you use. For more on Microsoft’s AI security tooling, see Microsoft Security Copilot documentation.
Finally, remember the GA timing: this capability is slated for November CY2025 per Microsoft. If you plan an adoption project, schedule time for pilot testing and change management around that date.
FAQ’s
How is this different from DLP alerts?
DLP flags single policy violations (for example, sharing a labelled file externally). IRM correlates multiple activities over time and user context to form higher-fidelity alerts. The triage agent then prioritises those alerts and explains why they are high risk, so you action the right issues first.
Is this overkill for an SMB?
No. Insider risk often surfaces in smaller teams because access is broad and processes are informal. Starting with a focused policy set and the triage agent can deliver quick wins by reducing noise and improving consistency.
What does it cost?
Costs depend on your current Microsoft 365 licensing (E5 or E5 Compliance add-on for IRM) and any Copilot entitlements required at GA. We recommend a licensing review before deployment to avoid surprises.
Will this impact employee privacy?
IRM is designed with privacy in mind: pseudonymisation by default, role-based access, and full audit logs. You control when and how identities are revealed, subject to your governance and legal guidelines.
How Evocate can help
Evocate works with Australian SMBs to design practical insider risk programs that balance security, privacy, and productivity. We can help you assess readiness, configure Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management, integrate the new alert triage agent, and tune policies in line with your risk profile. If you are building a broader Microsoft security and data posture, we can also align this with labelling, DLP, and endpoint protections.
Explore our related services: Microsoft Purview, Copilot, Managed Services, and Microsoft 365. We can also help connect key signals across SharePoint, Exchange Online, and Microsoft Teams to improve detection fidelity.
Ready to reduce alert fatigue and focus on the risks that matter? Evocate can plan your roadmap, validate licensing, pilot IRM with the alert triage agent, and manage ongoing tuning and reporting. Contact Us or send us an email sales@evocate.com.au
