Is Your Organization Ready for Copilot?

Adopting AI tools like Microsoft Copilot presents a unique opportunity for organizations to drive innovation and enhance productivity, but the path to successful implementation is not without challenges. Before introducing these tools, businesses must ensure they are “AI-ready,” meaning their data is well-organized, secure, and accessible. Without proper preparation, including governance frameworks for data privacy, security, and compliance, AI tools may fail to deliver on their promises. Mismanaged data, unclear content structures, or poor search capabilities can hinder the effectiveness of AI, leading to underwhelming results and unmet business expectations.

Organizations must also balance the excitement surrounding new technology with the need to achieve tangible business outcomes. AI adoption is not just about implementing cutting-edge tools—it requires strategic planning, change management, and a clear understanding of how AI can impact operations. Success hinges on measuring the right metrics, ensuring employee engagement, and continuously refining processes based on real-world feedback. Looking ahead, businesses need to anticipate how AI tools like Copilot will shape not only their day-to-day operations but also their long-term strategy, transforming the way teams collaborate and make decisions.

In the next #CollabTalk TweetJam taking place on Thursday, October 10th at 9am Pacific, the community will once again join forces and have a focused discussion on the topic of “Understanding Your Baseline for Copilot Adoption” where we will focus on what organizations need to do to prepare for successful AI integration. We’ll cover key topics like AI readiness, overcoming adoption roadblocks, and how Copilot can transform both day-to-day operations and long-term business strategy.

In this 1-hour X/Twitter-based panel discussion, we’ll bring together MVPs and Regional Directors, community experts, partners, consultants, and practitioners to share their perspectives on this important topic.

Anyone can join this community discussion using X and the #CollabTalk hashtag or your favorite Twitter platform. You don’t even need to be an “expert” to participate in the online conversation. Anyone can ask questions, comment on the questions posed, or just “lurk” in the background. These online discussions are open to anyone — you do not have to be on the panel to participate.

If you have never participated in one of these tweetjams, it’s pretty simple: anyone can jump in and share their thoughts, or just lurk in the wings and absorb the wisdom of the crowd. Either way, it’ll be a TON of content to consume in a single hour. You can follow the live session using the X UI of your choice (X.com, Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, whatever). How it works is that I’ll post a series of questions every few minutes, and people will respond to Q1, Q2, Q3 and so forth with A1, A2, A3, always including the #CollabTalk hashtag with their answers. Feel free to reply as often (or as little) as you’d like, ask your own follow-up questions, share relevant links, re-tweet others, and engage with the audience.

The questions we will discuss over the course of the 1-hour online event:

1.  What does “AI readiness” mean for organizations preparing to adopt Microsoft Copilot, and what are the first steps in ensuring a successful rollout?
2. How should organizations assess their current data management and infrastructure before integrating AI solutions like Copilot?
3. What are the key roadblocks organizations typically face in planning for Microsoft Copilot, and how can they overcome them?
4. How can organizations balance the excitement around new AI technology with the need for it to deliver on real business outcomes?
5. In terms of governance, what should companies prioritize when developing frameworks for security, data privacy, and compliance with AI tools like Copilot?
6. How should organizations measure the success of their Copilot adoption? What metrics matter most in determining its business value?
7. Looking ahead, how do you think AI tools like Copilot will transform not only day-to-day operations but also the overall business strategy of organizations?

Of course, there will be many side questions, conversations, and wise-cracking shenanigans. This is open to the public, so please join in the discussion! The dialog is always thought-provoking and fun.

Participating on this panel (so far):

• Maarten Eekels (@maarteneekels), Microsoft RD, SharePoint MVP, global director data & AI and cto for Rapid Circle
• Kurt Kragh Sørensen (@KurtKragh), intranet consultant and owner of IntraTeam.com
• Martina Grom (@magrom), co-founder of atwork.at, M365 Apps & Services MVP and Microsoft Regional Director
• Sue Hanley (@susanhanley), M365 Apps & Services MVP, portal, KM, and SharePoint consultant
• Jay Leask (@jayleask), principal technical architect at the Washington D.C. Microsoft Technology Center
• Stacy Deere (@sldeere), M365 Apps & Services MVP and owner of Focal Point Solutions
• Sharon Weaver (@sharoneweaver), Microsoft RD + M365 Apps & Services MVP, consultant, trainer and ceo of Smarter Consulting
• Kevin McDonnell (@kevmcdonk), M365 Apps & Services MVP and group manager, modern workplace at Avanade
• Hal Hostetler (@TVWizard), M365 Apps & Services MVP and senior field engineer and social media coordinator for Roland, Schorr & Tower
• Sascha Fredrich (@saschaF80), IT consultant of Microsoft solutions at bei Bechtle AG
• Adam Ball (@AdamCBall), co-founder of COUCUG, Teams and Skype for Business MVP
• Shari Oswald (@shortcutshari), M365 MVP, co-founder and productivity evangelist at PowerUP! Learning
• Paul Keijzers (@KbWorks), a Microsoft Teams and Office 365 specialist, and the founder of  KbWorks
• John White (@diverdown1964), dual M365 Apps & Services and Data Platform MVP, cto at tyGraph, an AvePoint company
• Joy Apple (@JoyOfSharePoint), Microsoft MVP and director of partner & customer success at Orchestry
• David Patrick (@DavidEPatrick),  M365 Apps & Services MVP, user group organizer, subject-matter expert with DSA, Inc.
• Eric Overfield (@ericoverfield), Microsoft RD & SharePoint MVP, chief product officer of Creospark
• Matt Varney (@thevarnish), intranet manager at KCTCS
• Ben Stegink (@benstegink), M365 Apps & Services MVP, SharePoint, Office 365 and Azure consultant, owner of Intelligink, LLC
• Mike Maadarani (@mikemaadarani), M365 Apps & Services MVP, cloud solution architect at MCM Consulting
• Virgil Carroll (@vcmonkey), head monkey at High Monkey
• Eli Robillard (@erobillard), SharePoint MVP, musician, fly-fisher, collaboration technology guy
• Antonio Maio (@antoniomaio2), SharePoint MVP, managing director and senior enterprise architect at Protiviti
• Kirsty McGrath (@kirstymcgrath13), Office Apps & Services MVP and managing director at OnPoint Solutions
• Ragnar Heil (@ragnarh), M365 MVP, business development manager at HanseVision/Bechtle
• Antares Leask, Ph.D. (@AntaresLeask), adjunct professor, independent consultant at Smarter Consulting
• Andrew Jolly (@andrewjolly), information management practice lead at Engage Squared
• and your host, Christian Buckley (@buckleyplanet), M365 MVP & RD, 6-time author, independent consultant, international speaker, co-host of #ProjectFailureFiles #GoM365gov #MVPbuzzChat and #M365AMA, and founder of the #CollabTalk Podcast & TweetJam

If you would like to be included on one of these panels, please drop me a line via email, LinkedIn, or X. If you are interested in being a sponsor of a future tweetjam, please contact me.

We’ll be back on November 26th at 9am PT for the next CollabTalk TweetJam, so be sure to follow me (@buckleyplanet) for news and updates. And be sure to block your calendars for our always-epic end-of-year TweetJam on December 31st where we’ll talk about the biggest news of the year gone by and make our predictions for 2025. Don’t miss it!