In the rush to embrace artificial intelligence (AI), companies are anticipating huge potential productivity gains with tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot—a game-changer promising to streamline workflows, draft emails, and even summarize meetings in real time. But here’s the catch: AI doesn’t magically fix a messy foundation. If your Microsoft 365 tenant isn’t optimized, Copilot won’t deliver its full potential—it might even stumble. That’s where a readiness check comes in. Think of it as a tune-up for your digital engine, ensuring your M365 environment is primed for AI success. In this post, we’ll explore why an AI Readiness Check (or readiness assessment) is your first step toward unlocking Copilot’s power, backed by hard data and real-world insights.
The AI Promise—and the Hidden Hurdle
Microsoft 365 Copilot is more than just a shiny new feature, it’s an AI assistant woven into the fabric of M365 apps you use every day like Word, Excel, Teams, and beyond. It’s able to analyze your data, suggest actions, and save time—potentially slashing decision-making time up to 50%. But Copilot isn’t a standalone miracle worker. It relies on the readiness of your M365 tenant—the sprawling ecosystem of configurations, licenses, user habits, policies, and unstructured data that power your daily operations. If that tenant is rife with outdated content, unconfigured capabilities, and inconsistent adoption, Copilot’s brilliance dims. A readiness check bridges that gap, turning potential into performance.
Consider this: Forrester’s 2022 Total Economic Impact study found that optimizing Microsoft 365 saves companies $1,500 per user annually. That’s not just pocket change—it’s a massive efficiency gain, driven by smarter configurations and streamlined processes. Now, layer AI on top. Without that optimization, you’re asking Copilot to navigate a maze of misaligned permissions and fragmented data. An AI Readiness Check clears the path, ensuring your AI investment pays off.
What’s at Stake Without a Readiness Check?
Let’s paint a picture. Your organization jumps straight into Copilot, excited by its promise of 30% faster operations (Forrester, 2024). But weeks later, users complain it’s missing key files, IT scrambles to fix permissions, and adoption stalls. Why? Your tenant wasn’t ready. Here are the risks of skipping a readiness check:
- Data Disconnects: Copilot thrives on access to your M365 data—emails, documents, Teams chats. If SharePoint sites are poorly structured or permissions are a mess, it can’t find what it needs. A readiness check assesses your data estate’s content health quotient, spotlighting gaps.
- License Waste: Overlapping or unused licenses bloat costs. Without a review, you might overspend while underutilizing M365’s AI-ready features.
- Adoption Lag: If users don’t already embrace M365 tools like Teams or OneDrive, Copilot becomes an alien add-on. A readiness check identifies usage patterns and quick wins to boost engagement pre-AI.
- Compliance Risks: AI tools process sensitive data. If your information protection settings (e.g., via Microsoft Purview) aren’t up to snuff, you’re exposed. A check ensures compliance aligns with Copilot’s needs.
The stakes are high. Gartner predicts that by 2026, 80% of firms will adopt generative AI like Copilot. Those who leap without preparation risk falling behind—wasting time, money, and morale.
The AI Readiness Check: Your AI Prep Kit
So, what’s a readiness check, and how does it set the stage for Copilot? At Ideal State, our Microsoft 365 AI Readiness Check is a deep dive into your environment.
The end result is a comprehensive and tailored report that delivers clarity and a roadmap for improvement. Here’s what it covers—and why it matters for AI-readiness:
SharePoint, Teams, and OneDrive Health
We dive into your SharePoint, Teams, and OneDrive setups to spot inefficiencies—like inactive teams, redundant sites, or content sprawl—that could trip up Copilot’s data retrieval. Are users leaning on OneDrive when Teams could streamline collaboration? Are sprawling Teams channels diluting focus? We clean up these tangles, ensuring AI can pull the right info at the right time, making your environment a well-oiled machine.
Microsoft 365 Licensing
Overpaying for licenses you don’t use? Missing out on Copilot-ready features? We audit your licensing for cost efficiency and alignment with AI prerequisites, pinpointing usage gaps and savings opportunities.
Tenant Governance
Copilot thrives on structured data, not chaos. We assess your content lifecycle management, data loss protection (DLP), and routine monitoring to keep your tenant in check. Are files piling up without oversight? Are sensitive docs at risk? We tighten governance so AI operates on a secure, organized foundation—ready for action, not accidents. Chances are you're not using the powerful data governance solutions within Purview to their full capability. This activity will highlight all the ways you can unlock the value of these powerful tools that you're already paying for.
Security and Compliance
AI needs safe fuel. We review baseline file-sharing settings, Purview information protection tools, sensitivity label usage, and sensitive information types. If compliance is shaky—say, unprotected client data—Copilot’s power becomes a liability. A solid security setup means AI can work confidently, not carelessly.
People and Processes
Tech is only half the battle—your people make it stick. We evaluate end-user training, self-service options, change management, and AI adoption readiness. We provide practical advice for how to improve this critical function.
The Numbers Don’t Lie: Optimization Fuels AI Success
Data backs this up. Consider these stats:
- “Optimized M365 boosts ROI by 205%” (Forrester, 2022): A tuned tenant amplifies returns, and AI like Copilot rides that wave, delivering outsized value.
- “77% report higher productivity with M365 tweaks” (MicroAge, 2021): Optimization lifts baseline usage—add Copilot, and productivity soars further.
- “AI cuts customer service costs by 30%” (IBM, cited in CompTIA, 2024): While Copilot isn’t a chatbot, its efficiency gains mirror this, but only if your tenant supports it.
Without a readiness check, you’re rolling the dice. By taking this quick and painless step, you’re stacking the odds in your favor—turning Copilot from a tool into a transformation.
Real-World Wins: What Readiness Unlocks
Let’s ground this in reality. Imagine a mid-sized firm with 500 M365 users. Their tenant’s a patchwork—some departments love Teams, others cling to email; SharePoint’s a file dump; licenses are a guessing game. They deploy Copilot without a check. Three months in, adoption’s at 20%, IT’s swamped, and the CFO’s asking about ROI.
Now, rewind. They run an AI Readiness Check first. We find $50,000 in annual license savings (500 users x $1,500, adjusted for scale), restructure SharePoint for Copilot’s search, and train staff on Teams basics. Copilot launches to a primed audience—adoption hits 70% in weeks, productivity jumps, and the CFO’s smiling. That’s the readiness difference.
Or take a larger enterprise: 2,000 users, compliance-heavy. Their check reveals weak Purview settings. We fix it, score their AI readiness at 85/100, and roll out Copilot with confidence—no breaches, no headaches. Optimization isn’t just prep—it’s protection.
Why Now? The AI Clock Is Ticking
Timing matters. Microsoft 365’s user base—345 million strong (Medha Cloud, 2023)—is adopting AI at breakneck speed. Copilot’s public preview features, such as SharePoint Agents, are live and full rollouts are accelerating. Waiting risks falling behind competitors who’ve already optimized. A readiness check takes 3-4 weeks and costs around $5,000—a small price to fully prepare. Plus, the longer your tenant festers—unused licenses piling up, adoption stagnating—the harder it is to pivot to AI. A check now catches issues early, saving you from costly retrofits later.
How to Get Started
Ready to prep your M365 tenant for Copilot? Here’s the playbook:
- Assess Now: Schedule an AI Readiness Check to baseline your environment.
- Act Fast: Use the optimization strategy to fix gaps and boost adoption.
- Launch Smart: Deploy Copilot on a tenant that’s primed to shine.
At Ideal State, we’ve guided countless firms through this journey. Our check delivers a detailed report—config analysis, AI readiness score, license savings, and more—plus a custom strategy to make M365 and AI work together seamlessly. Don’t guess if you’re ready—know.