Harnessing AI in Business: Why Strategy Matters

Yet, the road to successful AI integration is fraught with challenges, evidenced by numerous companies stepping back from their pilot programs. The key to unlocking AI's potential lies in strategic, well-thought-out implementation plans.

Companies considering AI, First Focus Microsoft practice lead Mia Tait explained, must ask themselves “Why do you want it? Is it because you're keeping up with modern times, or is it because you've got a specific use case?”

“Depending on the answer to that,” she said, “that forms the rest of the analysis and discussion and implementation.”

The Urgent Need for Strategic AI Deployment

Given the sheer novelty of AI technologies, however, most companies still don’t have AI specialists to guide the implementation – and assuming that already-stretched IT teams can just casually add AI to their list of responsibilities is a mistake.

Indeed, a new Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) report found that while 90% of medium sized businesses are planning to incorporate AI by 2026, three in five businesses lack one or more of the digital skills required to do business – and 30% admit they don’t have the time, skills, or budget to adopt AI.

While tools like Microsoft's AI Assistant, Copilot are becoming ubiquitous across enterprises, their successful deployment is anything but guaranteed. Copilot, integrated across Microsoft 365, places powerful tools into the hands of millions virtually overnight—a move that, without proper planning, could expose businesses to significant risks.

Why AI Strategy is Critical

1. Security and Compliance Concerns: With AI, data security risks escalate, particularly when employees use AI without clear guidelines. Organizations must ensure that AI tools like Copilot do not inadvertently compromise customer data or violate compliance boundaries.
2. Strategic Alignment: AI should not be deployed just for the sake of modernization but should be a decision driven by specific business needs. For example, First Focus’s implementation of a Copilot-powered AI chatbot for employee onboarding is a prime example of targeting a specific organizational need—efficient, accurate integration of new hires.
3. Focus on Business Problems: Rather than viewing AI as a solution looking for a problem, companies should identify key pain points and inefficiencies first and then deploy AI solutions strategically to address these areas.

Implementing AI with a Purpose

The story of AI at your company should be one of thoughtful application, not technology for technology’s sake. Consider these steps to ensure AI creates value:

• Identify Key Use Cases: Just as First Focus successfully implemented an AI chatbot for onboarding, identify processes within your organization that could benefit from automation and enhanced intelligence.
• Conduct a Thorough AI Readiness Assessment: This should include goal identification and business strategy review, data quality and infrastructure assessment, data governance and security assessment, and internal skills assessment and training needs.

Implementing AI like Copilot involves not just technical integration but also preparing your workforce to utilize these new tools effectively. A comprehensive training program and a detailed adoption roadmap are essential. This ensures that your team not only understands how to use AI systems but is also aligned with the strategic objectives these tools are meant to achieve.

Having already worked with clients on a range of Copilot implementations, Managed Service Provider, First Focus, has wrapped its experience into a formal Copilot Readiness Assessment designed to identify potential issues and minimise the risk of Copilot adoption.

Deliverables from the assessment include an analysis of your IT environment which will provide insight into security vulnerabilities and blockers to AI productivity, prioritised risk mitigation recommendations and Microsoft security solutions and a clear report of the capabilities and barriers to deploying CoPilot.

As AI becomes a staple in the digital toolkit, its success in your organization will depend significantly on the groundwork laid before its deployment. By focusing on strategic integration aligned with specific business needs, companies can avoid common pitfalls and harness AI’s full potential to drive significant business outcomes.

“We really need our clients to be empowered, and we want them to win,” Tait said. “While every company is doubtlessly going to implement an AI technology like Copilot, the planning they do beforehand will determine whether they get ahead, or get left behind.”

Moving Forward

Every company is on a trajectory to adopt AI technology. However, the extent to which AI will benefit your organization depends on the forethought and planning that precede its adoption. Equip your teams, secure your data, and align AI deployments with clear business objectives to ensure that AI is not just adopted but integrated in ways that advance your company’s goals.

Download the First Focus Copilot Readiness Assessment and find out what they recommend – and what kinds of transformation Copilot can enable when you take the time to do it right.