Ideal State’s 2025 Focus: Preparing Your Business for AI

At Ideal State, we’ve always believed that technology should do more than just work—it should make work better for everyone. Since we started sketching out ideas over a glass of wine in Washington, D.C. back in 2014, our mission has been to help organizations use advanced tools to boost workplace happiness and productivity. Since then, we've helped numerous wonderful clients use technology to achieve their mission.

Over the last couple of years, we have become a Microsoft AI Solution Provider and indirect reseller. Through that lens, we have seen how powerful AI can be in the workplace and we gained some incredible experience helping our customers with these new capabilities. We’re excited to announce our focus for 2025 and beyond: helping businesses get ready for artificial intelligence (AI).

Why AI? Our outlook for the year ahead shows that AI has vast potential to transform organizations for the better—unlocking immense productivity in ways we’ve only begun to see. Tools like Microsoft Copilot, integrated into Microsoft 365 (M365), can save time and effort—Microsoft research from 2023 suggests productivity gains of up to 27% when used effectively. We believe that once people fully appreciate the potential there will be a rush to adopt these capabilities.

Across industries, from professional services to healthcare, AI can streamline repetitive tasks, improve decision-making, and free up teams to focus on what matters most. But here’s the catch: those benefits don’t come automatically. Organizations need to prepare their M365 environments—ensuring data is organized, secure, and ready for AI to work its magic. That’s where we come in, and it’s why we’re centering our services on this opportunity in 2025.

A New Focus for Our Services

To make AI readiness practical and achievable, we’ve refined our service offerings to meet businesses right where they are. Whether you’re just starting to explore AI or ready to fully integrate it, our goal is to guide you with a human-centered approach—supporting IT teams, HR leaders, and decision-makers alike. Here’s what we’re bringing to the table this year.

Adopt365 Services

These services are for customers who wish to partner with us to take strong steps to improve their utilization of Microsoft 365 and prepare for AI. This offering starts with our AI Readiness Check which helps us and you see where you are on the journey toward becoming a fully AI-enabled company.

We will meet you wherever you are and help you bring your business forward from that point. Based on that here are the stages of the journey as we see it, and how our services map to it: 

Stage 2: Get Your People and Processes AI-Ready

Project-Based Services

For specific needs, we offer fixed-scope projects. These can stand alone or complement Adopt365, giving you the flexibility to address immediate priorities. Here are some examples:

•  SharePoint Agent Design and Deployment: Designing and implementing custom SharePoint Agents to enhance content interaction, scoped to your specific sites or libraries.
• Migration Support and Teams Onboarding/Refreshes: Assisting with data migrations to M365 (e.g., from on-premises systems) and onboarding or refreshing Teams environments for optimal use.
• Copilot Chat Configuration and Deployment: Configuring and deploying Copilot Chat to integrate AI-driven assistance into your M365 workflows.
• Copilot Agent: Setting up standalone Copilot Agents for specific tasks or departments, tailored to your needs.
• SharePoint Intranet: Designing and deploying a SharePoint-based intranet to centralize communication and resources.
• Viva Engage Deployment: Implementing Viva Engage to enhance employee engagement and community-building within M365.

Why AI Readiness Matters Now

AI isn’t just a trend—it’s a shift that’s already reshaping how work gets done. With 345 million M365 users worldwide (Statista, 2023), and a growing $1 billion market for M365 diagnostics and AI integration (Forrester, 2023), the potential is clear. However, our experience shows that many organizations aren’t fully tapping into it yet. License waste alone can cost businesses 25% of their M365 spend (Forrester, 2022)—that’s $75,000 or more for a mid-sized firm. Poor adoption leaves tools like Teams and SharePoint underused, and without preparation, AI tools like Copilot can’t deliver their full promise.

That’s why we’re doubling down on AI readiness in 2025. We see it as a chance to help companies save money—like cutting that $75,000 waste—while unlocking productivity gains that can change how teams operate. Our Readiness Check, for instance, pinpoints where your M365 setup stands today—whether it’s ready for Copilot’s 27% boost or needs work to get there. Our Adopt365 services and project-based services take it further, offering ongoing support or quick fixes tailored to your goals—whether you’re in IT managing systems, HR boosting engagement, or leadership eyeing the bottom line.

How We’ll Help You Get There

Starting this month, we’re rolling out resources to make AI readiness clear and approachable. Our first step? A YouTube video series—Jeremy and Sara sat down to talk about AI, why it matters, and how our AI Readiness Check gets you started. It’s live now, and we’ll be posting more videos, webinars, and LinkedIn updates throughout 2025 to share what we’ve learned.

For businesses looking to up their game, our message is simple: AI can transform your organization, and we’re here to help you unlock that potential. Our AI Readiness Check is your entry point—just a few days to see where you stand. From there, Adopt365 or a custom project can take you as far as you want to go.

Here’s to a 2025 where AI works for you, your team, and your business.

Jeremy Nurse & Sara Teitelman
Co-Founders, Ideal State