Microsoft Copilot in the IT channel: A progress report

As channel partners continue to grow their generative AI service offers, we focus on the solution that has made the biggest splash over the past year, rounding up the early adopters

Since the announcement of Microsoft Copilot in mid-2023, the IT channel has enthusiastically embraced the AI-powered tools, with many leading firms integrating them into their services.

Throughout the year, we've tracked the progress of various top VARs and MSPs as they adopt and deploy Copilot.

Here are some of the companies staking the biggest claims in the Copilot space.

Bechtle's international rollout

Solution in focus: Copilot for Microsoft 365

Copilot seats: 5,000

In March, German IT service provider Bechtle began deploying Copilot for Microsoft 365 across 14 countries, rolling out 5,000 seats - the largest rollout by a service provider at the time.

The company has since focused on building expertise in AI assistants for Office applications, aiming to expand its sales capabilities with the help of GenAI.

Bechtle CTO Dirk Müller-Niessner explained the company's structured approach: "As well as sharing training materials, guidance, and successful use cases, Bechtle has formed a project team to support change across the whole company.

"We have colleagues from our business development teams supporting this, and there is an agile project team driving this forward."

"This support extends from every employee right up to the executive board. Furthermore, we have set up special training courses and a unique intranet site that summarizes all the information about using Copilot," he continued, emphasising the support built around the product suite by the multinational firm.

Bechtle, an early adopter of Copilot since Q4 2023, has already observed tangible benefits.

"We have seen much better results when the teams have a broader base and exchange ideas at short notice and regularly," Müller-Niessner noted.

Microsoft Copilot in the IT channel: A progress report

As channel partners continue to grow their generative AI service offers, we focus on the solution that has made the biggest splash over the past year, rounding up the early adopters

Performanta's AI-powered cybersecurity solution

Solution in focus: Copilot for Security

Copilot seats: N/A

MSSP Performanta integrated Microsoft's Copilot for Security into its Safe XDR solution in March 2023, marking a significant milestone for the company, as it progresses with founder and CEO, Guy Golan's goal of becoming a 100m-turnover firm and moving from an MSSP to a SaaS model.

The integration has enabled Performanta to offer what it describes as the world's first AI-verified extended detection and response (XDR) service, which significantly reduces incident response times.

Unveiling the new offering, Golan (pictured) shared his vision: "The launch of Safe XDR has been six years in the making."

He highlighted the challenges in the cybersecurity industry, stating, "Many of you say you need ‘hands-on people,' people who know how to get things done. It is a fact that IT is just much harder to defend. There are so many more tools, and every day there are new processes in place."

Microsoft Copilot in the IT channel: A progress report

As channel partners continue to grow their generative AI service offers, we focus on the solution that has made the biggest splash over the past year, rounding up the early adopters

AvePoint's Comprehensive Copilot Bundle

Solution in focus: AvePoint Software bundles

Copilot seats: N/A

Data management vendor AvePoint has been bundling Copilot with its software offerings, viewing it as a transformative tool for clients.

Chris Shaw, UK and SA country channel manager at AvePoint (pictured), called Copilot an "absolute game-changer that's very real now after Microsoft's recent announcement making it available more widely."

However, Shaw cautioned that organisations need to be well-prepared to fully benefit from Copilot. "Organisations need a certain level of control and preparation to make the most of Copilot and justify/understand use cases.

"It can do everything, so you must be specific on intended goals and what adoption actually means for your business," he advised.

Shaw also emphasised the importance of understanding use cases: "These are still broad questions for organisations to answer—it's not negative, but customers must understand what they want to achieve. Then we can help ready them and align Copilot to streamline those goals."

To prepare customers, AvePoint offers a software licensing bundle that includes visibility modules and access controls.

Shaw also touched on potential risks, explaining that there's a "grey area regarding whether Microsoft or the customer is responsible if Copilot shares information it shouldn't."

He suggested that partners can mitigate these risks by providing technologies and services that classify data, set security parameters, and implement governance controls according to industry regulations.

Microsoft Copilot in the IT channel: A progress report

As channel partners continue to grow their generative AI service offers, we focus on the solution that has made the biggest splash over the past year, rounding up the early adopters

Node4's strategic investment

Solution in focus: Microsoft Copilot suite

Copilot seats: 1,100

In May 2023, MSP Node4 demonstrated its commitment to AI by purchasing over 1,100 Copilot licenses for its employees.

This significant investment is part of Node4's broader strategy to leverage AI for productivity enhancement and business transformation.

"We've built internal portals to track Copilot usage across the Microsoft suite. This allows us to calculate ROI and report it at the board level." He added that the company has seen time savings across various roles, averaging about an hour per week per employee, Mark Skelton, chief technology and strategy officer at Node4 (pictured), commented at the time.

Skelton emphasised that the MSP's adoption of Copilot is about more than just technology: "It's about driving an AI culture and changing behaviours to maximise its potential."

To support this cultural shift, Node4 has implemented a comprehensive change management programme, including workshops and innovative "prompt-athons" to help employees learn how to interact effectively with AI tools.

Microsoft Copilot in the IT channel: A progress report

As channel partners continue to grow their generative AI service offers, we focus on the solution that has made the biggest splash over the past year, rounding up the early adopters

Bytes' evolving Microsoft partnership

Solution in focus: Copilot for Microsoft 365

Copilot seats: N/A

Bytes, a long-standing Microsoft partner, has continued to invest heavily in Copilot integration as part of its core focus on Microsoft services, particularly around Azure and cybersecurity.

CEO Sam Mudd (pictured) and CTO David Rawle discussed their approach around the company's financial results announcement in May.

Mudd emphasised the importance of customer education and preparedness for deploying Copilot: "In most cases, it's about educating. So we're working with our customers who are in the early stages of understanding what the barriers of technology are.

"It's about looking at the preparedness that needs to go into potential deployment—security, segmentation, adoption, and change management."

Rawle added that Bytes is using Copilot internally to enhance its own operations.

"We've made a substantial investment in Copilot internally to make sure we are customer zero for Copilot, he said.

"We're using it structurally to be able to respond to customers better, align ticket workflows, pre-sales requests, and more."

Microsoft Copilot in the IT channel: A progress report

As channel partners continue to grow their generative AI service offers, we focus on the solution that has made the biggest splash over the past year, rounding up the early adopters

Crayon's long-term AI vision

Solution in focus: Copilot suite

Copilot seats: N/A

In June, Crayon CEO Melissa Mulholland shared her long-term vision for AI adoption, which is closely tied to Microsoft Copilot.

While Copilot continues to drive growth for Crayon, particularly in data management and cloud migrations, Mulholland acknowledged that full integration of AI into work environments will take time.

"I think AI in the workforce is here to stay. However, the acceleration and full integration into all work environments will take time," Mulholland said.

She attributed this delay to the planning required for employee adoption, data preparation, and internal security.

Crayon itself was an early adopter of the technology, part of a select group of partners who were able to offer Copilot as of November 2023.

Mulholland also highlighted the growing importance of data compliance: "Data compliance is becoming an increasingly important topic, and customers frequently seek our support in this area."

She noted that Crayon was one of the first partners globally to sell Copilot within 24 hours of its CSP and enterprise agreement launches, but concluded that "widespread adoption will take time due to the necessary planning and data compliance preparations that customers need to make."