AI in Managed IT: How to Scale Your Microsoft AI Platform

Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are elevating how organizations work, often enhancing operations and streamlining processes to increase productivity. At the same time, companies with smaller in-house IT operations teams might experience siloed systems, limited access to newer, more innovative systems, and delayed system integration. These challenges make scaling software and processes especially difficult. A scalable IT infrastructure enables organizations to future-proof processes, encouraging agility and preparedness. As strategic guides without overhead costs, MSPs equip organizations with the foundation, tools, and capacity to scale their systems and implement innovative technology solutions.

Key Takeaways

• Managed Service Providers (MSPs) play a crucial role in helping organizations scale and optimize their IT infrastructure, offering innovative solutions and improving productivity and agility without incurring overhead costs.
• Microsoft’s AI platform integrates with Microsoft 365 applications, making it a premium choice for organizations aiming to automate routine tasks, maintain data security, and uphold compliance.
• Recognizing the signs of outgrowing existing systems is essential for organizations to prevent workflow disruptions, financial losses, and decreased customer satisfaction.

Understanding Microsoft’s AI Platform

As technology continues to advance, many big and small software platforms are working to advance artificial intelligence by developing their own AI software. Microsoft, a leader in technology, launched Microsoft CoPilot in 2023, becoming an early supporter and adopter of AI. Since then, tech companies, big and small, have launched their own AI-powered assistants, all offering a tool to help businesses automate, assist, answer, and achieve.

However, because the platforms are new, organizations that engage with AI-powered systems must exercise caution and verify that their personal information is secure. Microsoft CoPilot integrates with the Microsoft ecosystem, enabling seamless integration with Microsoft 365 applications, streamlining processes, and automating routine tasks across departments. As a sophisticated software solution, CoPilot is a premium choice for organizations that want to adopt a secure, compliant, data-privacy-focused, and collaborative AI experience.

Assessing the Need for Scaling

While scalable infrastructure is important, it can be challenging to determine when to scale up systems and integrate new technologies. Scaling your platform means expanding CoPilot’s capabilities to alleviate workloads off internal teams, providing the AI-powered solution with greater guidance, capacity, and data while maintaining accuracy and compliance. This is where working with an MSP becomes essential.

Key Signs You Are Outgrowing Your Systems

Managed service providers can help identify faulty infrastructure or disconnected systems to improve efficiency and scale processes, but first, you need to know when your systems aren’t keeping up. Signs you are outgrowing your systems include:

• Increased downtime
• Frequent system crashes
• Slow response times
• Decreased productivity
• Outdated protocols leading to enhanced risks

Failure to recognize these signs and make appropriate changes can lead to major workflow disruption, increased risks, and financial implications. With more downtime, higher maintenance costs, and potentially reduced customer service, legacy systems often limit performance and erode employee and customer satisfaction, ultimately harming a business’s bottom line.

How to Identify Outdated Systems?

To enhance visibility, organizations can benefit from conducting an internal review to carefully evaluate current systems and processes and identify areas for improvement. Internal reviews enable a deeper understanding of the relationship between technology and workflows to pinpoint misaligned tools, outdated protocols, and service-disruption bottlenecks. This leads to increased efficiency, enhanced governance, and updated systems, all of which contribute to the overall success of not only the IT infrastructure but the business as a whole.

Overcoming Common Challenges in Microsoft AI Scaling

Organizations looking to integrate or scale Microsoft’s CoPilot program should be aware that although there are numerous benefits, the risks cannot be overlooked. From user experience to technical hurdles, many businesses will face several challenges when adopting or scaling an AI system. Common challenges include, but are not limited to:

• Addressing technical obstacles
• Cultivating stakeholder confidence
• Navigating operational workflows
• Incorporating change management processes across departments
• Educating employees from a user experience perspective
• Integrating AI systems into current systems

Strategies for Scaling Your Microsoft AI Platform

Integrating new software, such as an AI-powered assistant, brings exciting changes and has the power to significantly improve operations. To successfully implement an AI system, organizations can look to the following strategies:

• Leverage cloud-based solutions
• Integrate AI into current applications
• Consistently monitor and evaluate current systems and processes
• Prioritize customer security, compliance, and governance
• Identify areas for improvement
• Update safeguards and company protocols as technology advances
• Establish internal controls and perform scalability tests

Future Trends: The Role of AI in Managed IT

AI is not just a current trend; it’s a tool that’s paving the way for the future of technology and business. Organizations that don’t successfully adopt AI practices into their current IT infrastructure won’t just fall behind; they risk losing their competitive advantage, tarnishing their reputation, and facing financial implications.

At EisnerAmper, our MSPs understand how to scale operations securely and compliantly. Coupled with their deep knowledge of AI and Microsoft systems, the team is ready to guide your organization toward scalable success. To learn more about our capabilities, contact us below.