# Ideal State - Long Version

> Ideal State is a Microsoft AI Cloud Solutions Partner specializing in Microsoft 365 consulting, AI adoption, and human-centered digital transformation. Founded in 2016, the company helps mid-sized organizations and nonprofits build AI-enabled workforces through Microsoft 365 Copilot deployment, content governance, and change management. Ideal State is a certified Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and Microsoft indirect reseller partner based in the United States.

---

## About Ideal State

It all began back in 2014 in Washington, D.C. when co-founders Sara Teitelman and Jeremy Nurse started meeting regularly for an after-work glass of wine. The conversation often turned to the best tactics for helping complex organizations transform their operations and impact through smarter use of technology. Both were leading large-scale technology projects at the time — Sara as a director of knowledge management and Jeremy as an IT strategy consultant.

Two years later, Jeremy and Sara sat down at their now-shared kitchen table with a specific goal in mind: to revolutionize the traditional IT consulting space by putting humans first. Soon after, Ideal State was launched and quickly became known as a leader in human-centered digital transformation.

While the nature of Ideal State's work continues to grow and evolve, the company remains true to its co-founders' vision that honors the humanity of every employee and the potential of every organization for transformative change.

### Core Values

- Honoring the humanity of every individual unlocks innovation and sparks joy.
- Working collaboratively and transparently makes our impact potential go exponential.
- Sharing our knowledge freely with our clients helps them grow and succeed.

### Leadership

**Sara Teitelman, Co-Founder**: Since the early 2000s, Sara has blazed trails as a digital transformation business leader and consultant. She is the force behind Ideal State's human-centered service model. Sara's groundbreaking book on human-centered digital transformation was published by Wiley.

**Jeremy Nurse, Co-Founder and CEO**: A lifelong IT professional who got his start at Forrester Research in the 1990s, Jeremy's passion for technology drives Ideal State's operational excellence and corporate strategy. His experience includes projects for Ford Motor Company, Nationwide Insurance, Children's Medical Center, and the VA's $4.3 billion annual technology budget. Jeremy advises clients on platform strategy and system integration for today's mixed hosted and cloud environments.

**Laura Schuck, Sr. Service Delivery Manager**: A seasoned program manager who excels in delivering exceptional service quality and client outcomes. Laura is a certified Project Management for Development Professional with experience at international NGOs including Pact and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

### Partner Certifications

- Microsoft AI Cloud Solutions Partner (Modern Work)
- Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Certified
- Microsoft Indirect Reseller Partner

---

## Services Overview

Ideal State helps organizations make the most of their Microsoft 365 investment while building an AI-enabled workforce. The experienced team meets clients where they are, whether they need to secure their content environment for AI readiness, take a more proactive approach to content governance, roll out Microsoft 365 Copilot, deploy Purview security and compliance solutions, deploy AI agents for specific use cases, migrate to Microsoft 365, consolidate content from multiple platforms, or improve Teams adoption.

### Digital Transformation Stages

**Stage 01: Optimize**
- Conduct a Microsoft 365 AI Readiness Check
- Migrate from legacy cloud and on-prem file stores
- Clean up Teams and SharePoint and refresh configuration
- Review Microsoft licensing and identify cost savings opportunities

**Stage 02: Adopt**
- Introduce secure collaboration practices for Teams and beyond
- Roll out security and compliance in Microsoft Purview
- Establish content lifecycle management and governance
- Build a modern SharePoint intranet or Staff Resource Hub

**Stage 03: Accelerate**
- Pilot AI-driven solutions with M365 Copilot and agents
- Build agent-based self-help portals for IT and HR
- Design and deploy advanced AI agents in Copilot Studio
- Monitor AI adoption and performance

---

## Transform365

Transform365 is Ideal State's flagship monthly subscription service for mid-sized companies looking to quickly build an AI-enabled workforce. It is a one-stop solution for harnessing the potential of AI in Microsoft 365 and achieving measurable ROI.

### How It Works

As soon as an organization signs up, they are assigned a dedicated team of digital transformation experts who are 100% focused on unlocking the value of Copilot and Microsoft 365. Within weeks, clients receive a 24-month AI Transformation Roadmap and a Transformation Team mobilized around quarterly roadmap milestones. From AI agent rollouts and staff training to M365 administration and change communication, nothing is left to chance.

### Services Included

**1. AI Transformation Roadmap**: A tailored 24-month plan to develop an AI-enabled workforce. Crafted collaboratively via in-depth discovery research encompassing stakeholder interviews, reviews of existing Microsoft 365 usage, IT ecosystem analysis, and AI readiness evaluations. The roadmap distills specific challenges and opportunities into a sequenced array of activities, deliverables, and milestones aligned with clear, business-aligned objectives.

**2. Copilot Adoption**: Full rollout of Microsoft Copilot encompassing in-app Copilots (for Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel), the Copilot for Microsoft 365 app for cross-tool assistance, and Copilot agents for automated tasks. Includes use case identification, configuration, live user training workshops, ongoing support, and continuous monitoring with improvements based on analytics and surveys.

**3. AI-Powered Self Service**: Building and maintaining employee-facing AI-powered Knowledge Hubs in SharePoint Online, creating interactive self-service portals for topics like HR policies, IT troubleshooting, and more. Includes refreshing site architecture, deploying standardized templates, integrating Copilot agents for query handling, auditing outdated content, and migrating files.

**4. AI-Powered Collaboration**: Optimizing Microsoft 365 collaboration tools (Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Planner) while unlocking integrated AI features like Copilot in Teams. Includes retiring outdated elements, streamlining structures with standardized templates, delivering training on effective usage, and overseeing file migrations.

**5. M365 Modern Work Administration**: Full administrative support for core Microsoft 365 apps and tools including SharePoint Online, OneDrive, Teams, Purview, Viva Suite, and Copilot. Encompasses ongoing configuration, weekly usage monitoring, technical documentation, Tier 2 issue resolution, and quarterly licensing reviews.

**6. Governance & Change Communication**: Establishing a cross-functional governance committee to guide decisions about the digital workplace, ensuring alignment across departments. Prioritizes inclusive communication to keep staff informed and engaged, using feedback loops and tailored messaging. Professional project management to track roadmap milestones, manage risks, and coordinate stakeholders.

### Dedicated Team

Each Transform365 subscriber is assigned:
- **AI Strategist**: Sets the strategic vision and roadmap, formulates solutions to complex challenges, responsible for customer satisfaction and high-impact results.
- **M365 Solutions Expert**: Configures and deploys M365 solutions, augments internal M365 admin resources, provides end-user support and training.
- **Transformation Delivery Manager**: Provides rigorous project management support for successful, on-time completion of roadmap milestones. Leads change communication.

### Subscription Terms

- Cancel anytime with no penalty
- Three month initial term, then auto-renew monthly
- Pause subscription anytime (2x per year)
- Scaled to desired pace of change

---

## AI Readiness Check

Ideal State's AI Readiness Check is a rapid evaluation designed as a low-commitment, low-cost first step toward AI adoption. Within days, it delivers a custom AI Readiness Report containing a summary of potential risks and barriers to AI rollout and adoption, plus a detailed list of actionable recommendations and quick wins based on customer benchmarks and the latest Microsoft guidance.

### What's Included in the Report

**SharePoint, Teams and OneDrive Health**: Inactive teams and sites, redundant systems and content sprawl, OneDrive vs. SharePoint/Teams usage, Teams sprawl indicators.

**Microsoft 365 Licensing**: License usage and cost efficiency, current Copilot usage, Copilot and AI agent prerequisites.

**Tenant Governance**: Content lifecycle management, data loss protection (DLP), routine monitoring and reporting.

**Security and Compliance**: Baseline file and site sharing settings, Purview information protection and compliance tools, sensitivity label usage, sensitive information types.

**People and Processes**: End user training and self-service, change management, AI governance and oversight, AI adoption.

### How It Works

1. **Kickoff**: A kick-off call with project participants and instructions for gathering needed info.
2. **Data Review and Analysis**: Data gathered from the M365 tenant quickly and securely.
3. **Report Review and Refinement**: Walk-through of draft report together with refinement based on input.
4. **Final Report**: Delivery of final report with availability to discuss or present.

### Pricing

The total cost for the AI Readiness Check is $3,795.

### Why Get an AI Readiness Check

Microsoft 365 and the data it contains is more than a tool — it's a strategic asset. Microsoft 365 Copilot and AI Agents can unlock immense productivity, but only if people, processes, and data are ready. Outdated content and dead zones in Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive reduce Copilot accuracy, while unlabeled sensitive data can be at risk.

---

## Microsoft 365 Consulting

Ideal State provides tailored Microsoft 365 optimization and user enablement services that leverage the full power of the platform. Services include migration to Microsoft 365, SharePoint intranet and collaboration site development, Teams optimization and governance, OneDrive and file management configuration, and licensing reviews with cost optimization recommendations.

---

## Adoption and Change Management

Ideal State's organizational change management services help organizations ready their people and processes for transformative change. This includes pre-project exploration workshops, future-state visioning sessions, system design workshops, launch planning workshops, training programs, and ongoing support. The approach is grounded in human-centered design principles, ensuring that every employee's experience is central to the transformation process.

---

## Digital Transformation Consulting

Ideal State provides full-service digital transformation consulting that starts with what matters most: people and processes. Every engagement begins by listening during a discovery phase, engaging with and learning from those who will be at the front lines of the envisioned transformation. Based on this human-centered discovery, Ideal State works with clients to produce a multi-year digital transformation roadmap that solidifies a shared vision grounded in the organization's strategic objectives and fully aligned with capabilities and constraints.

---

## Key Capabilities

- Microsoft 365 Copilot deployment and adoption
- AI agent design and deployment in Copilot Studio
- SharePoint Online intranet and knowledge hub development
- Microsoft Teams optimization and governance
- Microsoft Purview security and compliance configuration
- Sensitivity labeling and data loss prevention
- Content lifecycle management and governance
- Microsoft 365 licensing management (indirect reseller)
- Organizational change management and user training
- Data migration from legacy cloud and on-premises systems
- Workshop facilitation (visioning, design, launch planning)
- Knowledge management and self-service portal design

---

## Industries and Sectors

Ideal State works across industries and across private and public sectors. The firm has a particular strength in serving nonprofits and can provide discounted consulting services and Microsoft licensing to qualifying nonprofit organizations. Ideal State is based in the United States but works with international clients.

---

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Do you offer M365 licenses?** Yes. Ideal State is a Microsoft indirect reseller partner and can support all licensing needs. A complimentary annual license review and cost containment recommendations report is included for licensing customers.

**What sectors or industries do you serve?** Since the focus is on a specific set of Microsoft solutions, Ideal State works easily across industries and across private and public sectors.

**What geographies do you work in?** Based in the United States with many international clients. Microsoft licensing is only available within the U.S.

**Do you offer monthly support packages?** Yes. Tailored packages are available after a free consultation.

**Do you offer nonprofit discounts?** Yes. Discounted consulting services and Microsoft licensing are available to qualifying nonprofits.

**What's the first step to get started?** Reach out via the Contact page to schedule a session with an advisor.

---

## Contact Information

- **Website**: https://www.idealstate.co
- **Contact Page**: https://www.idealstate.co/contact-us
- **Phone**: (505) 302-3141
- **Email**: info@idealstate.co
- **LinkedIn**: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ideal-state
- **X / Twitter**: https://x.com/IdealStateTech
- **YouTube**: https://www.youtube.com/@idealstatetech