How to create and set up your first workspace

Workspaces help you organize your compliance work in ISMS Copilot. This guide walks you through creating your first workspace, configuring it for your project, and starting conversations within it. You'll be set up in under 5 minutes.

What is a workspace?

A workspace is a container for grouping conversations and setting project-specific context. Each workspace has its own name, default persona, and project instructions that guide how the AI responds to your questions.

Use workspaces to:

• Separate projects — keep ISO 27001 implementation work apart from SOC 2 audit prep

• Maintain context — project instructions persist across all conversations in the workspace

• Organize conversations — conversations started in a workspace are automatically linked to it

• Work with different roles — set a default persona (Implementer, Auditor, Consultant) per workspace

Your default workspace

When you sign up for ISMS Copilot, a workspace called "My First Workspace" is automatically created for you. This gives you a ready-made place to start organizing your compliance work immediately.

You can:

• Start using it right away by clicking on it in the sidebar

• Rename it to match your project (e.g., "ISO 27001 Implementation")

• Add project instructions and set a persona to customize AI responses

Creating a new workspace

You can create workspaces from three locations in ISMS Copilot. All methods produce the same result.

Method 1: From the sidebar

1. Locate the Workspaces section in the left sidebar

2. Click "Add workspace" or the + button

3. Enter a workspace name (e.g., "ISO 27001 Implementation")

4. Click "Create Workspace"

Method 2: From the Workspaces page

1. Click "View all workspaces" in the sidebar, or navigate to the Workspaces page

2. Click the "Add" button or "+" icon

3. Enter the workspace name

4. Click "Create Workspace"

Method 3: From the workspace dropdown in the header

1. Click the workspace dropdown on the home page

2. Click "Create new workspace"

3. Enter the workspace name

4. Click "Create Workspace"

After creation, you'll see a confirmation: "Workspace created".

Choosing a default persona

Each workspace can have a default persona that shapes how the AI responds to your questions. Choose the persona that matches your primary role in that workspace.

The four personas

• Default — General-purpose compliance guidance. Best for exploratory research, learning about frameworks, or mixed-use workspaces where you ask a variety of questions.

• Implementer — Practical, step-by-step implementation advice. Best when you are building an ISMS from scratch, writing policies, or deploying controls. Responses focus on actionable steps and deliverables.

• Auditor — Verification-focused responses with emphasis on evidence requirements. Best when preparing for internal or external audits, reviewing control effectiveness, or assessing compliance gaps.

• Consultant — Strategic, client-facing recommendations. Best for compliance consultants advising organizations, preparing deliverables for clients, or providing executive-level guidance.

To set a persona for your workspace:

1. Open the workspace settings (click "Edit" on the workspace card from the Workspaces page)

2. Select your preferred persona from the Default Persona dropdown

3. Click "Save Changes"

Adding project instructions

Project instructions are free-text guidance that the AI uses for every conversation in your workspace. They provide persistent context so you don't need to repeat background information in each new chat.

How to add project instructions

1. Navigate to your workspace settings (click "Edit" on the workspace card)

2. Find the Project Instructions text field

3. Enter your instructions

4. Click "Save Changes"

What to include

Effective project instructions tell the AI about your specific context:

• Industry and company size — e.g., "SaaS company, 50 employees, cloud-native infrastructure"

• Framework scope — e.g., "ISO 27001:2022 certification, focusing on Annex A controls"

• Current maturity — e.g., "First-time implementation, no existing ISMS"

• Output preferences — e.g., "Use formal language suitable for audit documentation"

• Constraints — e.g., "Limited IT budget, prefer open-source tooling where possible"

Example project instructions

Industry: B2B SaaS (healthcare sector)
Framework: ISO 27001:2022
Scope: Full ISMS implementation for cloud-hosted platform
Team size: 45 employees, 3-person security team
Current state: Gap analysis complete, beginning policy development
Preferences: Practical, implementation-ready outputs. Reference specific ISO 27001 clauses and Annex A controls.

Starting conversations in your workspace

Conversations started from within a workspace are automatically linked to it. The AI uses your workspace's persona and project instructions when responding.

To start a conversation in your workspace

1. Click on your workspace in the sidebar (the sidebar shows your 3 most recent workspaces)

2. The workspace name appears at the top, confirming you're in the right context

3. Type your question in the chat input and send

4. The conversation is automatically associated with the workspace

Viewing workspace conversations

Your workspace page displays up to 10 recent conversations. To see or continue a previous conversation:

1. Navigate to your workspace

2. Click on any conversation in the recent conversations list

3. Continue the conversation where you left off

Switching between workspaces

To switch to a different workspace:

• From the sidebar: Click on any of your 3 most recent workspaces listed there

• From the dropdown: Use the workspace dropdown in the header to select a different workspace

• From the Workspaces page: Click "View all workspaces" to see your full list, then click the one you need

Next steps

Now that your workspace is set up, explore these related guides:

• Starting your first conversation — learn how to ask effective compliance questions

• Organizing work with workspaces — editing, deleting, and advanced workspace management

• Managing multi-client projects with workspaces — workspace strategies for consultants

• Protecting workspace and custom instructions — security best practices for workspace data