Applied AI
AI readiness assessment for your business
Before you spend on AI, find out where it would recover time in your business, where it would not, what your staff already use and what has to be put right first.
Who it is for
Leaders who know they should be doing something with AI and do not yet know what, and businesses where staff are already using AI tools that nobody has approved. Most often an existing managed IT client on Microsoft 365, or a professional practice that holds data it is obliged to protect.
What you get
A written report and a prioritised roadmap: the quick wins, the larger pieces of work, and the things to fix first or leave alone, each with the measures it would be judged by, plus a business case for the first recommendation, written for the person who signs it off.
The problem
Most businesses can see that AI could help somewhere. Until the work itself is mapped, nobody can say where, or what has to change first.
The assessment looks at how your people work and how the work flows before it looks at tools. A leadership session sorts the work into four kinds: work where people are the point, which is protected; expert work that AI can prepare for; work that should not exist, which is removed before anything is automated; and rule-based volume work, which is standardised and then automated.
Alongside it we find out which AI tools staff already use, from a short survey and, where you agree, DefensX browser discovery. We check the Microsoft 365 permissions for oversharing, see where the tenant sits on the Microsoft stack, and list the risk and policy gaps: data protection, the policies you have, and the supplier terms of any AI tools in use.
What Odyssey provides
- A leadership session that maps the work before anything is automated
- The AI tools already in use, from a staff survey and, where you agree, DefensX discovery
- Copilot readiness: a Microsoft 365 permissions and oversharing check
- A shortlist of workflows, each scored on value, likely use and what it needs
- A summary of the risk and policy gaps
- A written report and a prioritised roadmap, with the measures for each step
- A business case for the first recommendation
What is included
| Included | Detail |
|---|---|
| Leadership session | The work mapped into what to protect, support, remove and automate |
| Tool discovery | A short staff survey and, where you agree, a DefensX discovery period |
| Copilot readiness | Who can see what in Microsoft 365, over-shared sites and folders, and the tenant's place on the Microsoft stack |
| Workflow shortlist | Candidate workflows scored on business value, whether people will use it, and whether it can be done with what you have |
| Risk and policy gaps | Data protection, existing policies and the supplier terms of AI tools in use |
| Report and roadmap | Quick wins, larger builds, and what to fix first or leave alone, each with its measures |
| Business case | For the first recommendation, written for the person who signs |
Not included, or sold separately
- Implementation
- No configuration or licence purchase; that follows as its own piece of work
- Legal and data protection advice
- Your adviser confirms the policy position; we work from a security standpoint
- Certification audits
- The assessment is not a Cyber Essentials, ISO or other certification audit
- Promised savings
- The report estimates, and a pilot measures
- Prototypes
- Nothing is built beyond what a recommendation needs to be understood
How it is delivered
-
Leadership session
A session with the leader who sets strategy, mapping the work and the outcomes the business wants from it.
-
Staff questions
Two to ten staff nominated by that leader describe how the work is actually done and which tools they use.
-
Technical review
We review the Microsoft 365 tenant, the permissions and the AI tools in use. Your team fills in nothing technical.
-
Report and roadmap
Our findings, the scored shortlist, the risk and policy gaps, and the roadmap with the measures for each step.
-
Business case
The case for the first recommendation, written for the person who signs it off, then talked through with you.
Why trust Odyssey with this
-
ISO
ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certified by NQA
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In-house
All work done by Odyssey employees, never subcontracted
- We provide shadow AI protection and the Microsoft 365 permissions review before Copilot
Questions people ask
What is an AI readiness assessment?
An AI readiness assessment looks at how your people work, how the work flows and what your systems allow, then tells you where AI would help, where it would not, and what has to be fixed first. Ours ends with a prioritised roadmap and a business case for the first step.
Is AI worth it for a small business?
It depends on where your time goes. AI helps most with rule-based, high-volume work and with preparing material for people who make the decisions; it helps least where the process itself is broken. A readiness assessment tells you which of your tasks fall where before you spend anything.
Who takes part from our side?
A leader with authority over strategy, for the leadership session, and two to ten staff they nominate, who describe how the work is actually done. We complete the technical review ourselves, so nobody on your side fills in anything technical.
What do we get at the end?
A written report and a prioritised roadmap: quick wins, larger pieces of work, and the things to fix first or leave alone, each with the measures it would be judged by. A business case for the first recommendation comes with it.
Does the assessment cover Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Yes. It includes a Copilot readiness check: who can see what in Microsoft 365, which sites and folders are over-shared, and which layer of the Microsoft stack your tenant is on.
Will you build anything during the assessment?
No. The assessment recommends, and any implementation, configuration or licence purchase follows as its own piece of work if you decide to go ahead.
Challenges this helps with
Related services
Ask about an AI readiness assessment
Tell us a little about your organisation and where you are with AI, and we will come back to you. We call back within the hour in office hours.
Rather talk? Call 01642 661888. Already a client with a fault? Call the service desk on 01642 661800.
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