Why your organization must get its data ready for AI
AI readiness refers to an organization’s ability to adopt and scale AI by ensuring that its data, governance, architecture, and people are prepared to support AI use cases securely and efficiently.
Artificial Intelligence is transforming the way organizations operate.
Companies adopting AI report significant gains in productivity, faster decision-making and stronger competitive advantage. McKinsey & Company indicate that 92% of companies plan to increase their AI investments over the next three years, driven by the rapid evolution of Generative AI, Microsoft Copilot and business-ready AI applications.
But with the pace of technology and its adoption accelerating, one truth is impossible to ignore: AI is only as good as the data behind it.
Studies show that up to 85% of AI projects may fail due to poor data quality, fragmented systems or unclear data governance. Employees are already using AI tools in their daily roles and personal lives, but without the right foundations, the insights produced may be unreliable, non-compliant or even risky.
Before organizations implement Copilot, build predictive models or deploy generative AI apps or scale their AI strategy, you must first ensure your data is clean, structured, secure and governed. That’s where Prodware becomes your strategic partner.
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Why Talk About Data Before Implementing AI?
Preparing the data landscape first enables organizations to unlock far greater value from their AI initiatives.
The 8 Essential Reasons to get Data Ready for AI
This is why getting your data ready for AI is the first and most critical step of AI readiness. Without trusted, governed and high-quality data, AI models cannot deliver reliable insights and may even introduce risks such as bias, hallucinations or non-compliance. Preparing your data foundation is essential before conducting any AI readiness assessment or deploying solutions like Microsoft Copilot.
The AI Data Journey: From Chaos to Clarity
95% of your organization’s data has been generated in the last two years.
Most businesses face similar challenges, and with the rapid shift to more hybrid and remote working, these problems intensified.
- Data stored in multiple systems across the organization
- Large volumes of unstructured content (documents, emails, chat logs)
- Historic file servers migrating “as is” to the cloud
- Lack of metadata, labels and structure
- Oversharing and inconsistent permissions
- Disconnected departmental repositories
- Copilot and other AI tools consuming messy data and returning messy answers
Prodware helps organizations move from unstructured, unsecured and ungoverned data chaos to a clean, structured, governed and AI-ready environment.
Your AI Data Strategy with Prodware
A successful AI roadmap must start with a clear data strategy. Prodware supports organizations with a structured, repeatable framework based on five core pillars:
1. Data-Driven Culture
Empowering people with governed, trusted and accessible data.
Symptoms of an organization lacking a data-driven culture include:
– Inconsistent or duplicated data
– Siloed information
– Slow reporting
– Excel manipulation
– Lack of visibility or traceability
– Low trust in data = low trust in AI
Prodware helps you build a data-driven organization, embedding processes, education and tools so teams can confidently leverage AI.
2. Centralized Data Management
Creating a single source of truth with modern cloud architecture
Prodware uses Microsoft technologies such as OneLake, Microsoft Fabric, and modern data platforms to:
– Ingest, clean, transform and centralize data
– Organize data into Bronze–Silver–Gold architecture
– Support BI, predictive analytics and AI models
– Remove silos and improve governance
– Prepare consistent semantic models for Copilot and AI tools
3. Data Quality
Prodware improves the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of your data by addressing issues such as:
– Missing or incomplete values
– Outdated or missing documentation on data meaning
– Incorrect formats and categories
– Duplicates of records
– Unaligned business definitions
– Errors and data loss from integrations or migrations
High-quality data improves prediction accuracy, regulatory compliance and the performance of generative AI.
4. Data Security & Compliance
Ensuring AI is secure, ethical and compliant
Prodware provides services including:
– Identity & Access Management (IAM)
– Role-based permissions
– Encryption of data in transit and at rest
– Continuous auditing and monitoring
– GDPR & ISO 27001 alignment
– Data masking & anonymization
– Incident response planning
Prodware ensures your environment is safe, compliant and trustworthy.
5. Data Governance
Knowing who, how and for what purpose data is used
Prodware builds governance frameworks covering:
– Policies and standards
– Ownership & stewardship
– Microsoft Purview labelling & classification
– Retention & lifecycle policies
– Access control and monitoring
– Cataloging and metadata structures
Strong governance ensures data is protected, consistent and ready for compliant AI use cases.
How Prodware Can Help You Become Data Ready for AI
Prodware combines consulting, strategy, implementation and AI services to support you across the full data-to-AI lifecycle.

Consulting & Data Services
We help you:
- Build a complete AI data strategy
- Establish data governance and quality frameworks
- Deploy Microsoft solutions such as Purview, Fabric, Synapse, Power BI, Dynamics 365 etc.
- Design and implement modern data platforms
- Centralize and structure your data estate
- Improve compliance, security, accuracy and long-term AI scalability

AI Apps & Microsoft Copilot Services
We help you:
- Deploy and optimize Microsoft Copilot across Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform
- Build custom AI experiences with Copilot Studio
- Implement Prodware AI Apps tailored to your needs
- Create AI assistants, predictive tools and automation workflows
- Measure business outcomes and scale AI across functions
Is Your Data Ready for AI?
Our Data and AI Experts will start your initial assessment with an in-depth audit and cover such questions as:
Essential Questions on Preparing Data for AI
How can I evaluate my organization’s AI readiness?
Assessing your organization’s AI readiness is critical to the success of any initiative. This involves validating key dimensions such as data quality, governance, security, and alignment with business processes. Prodware offers a comprehensive AI & Data Readiness Assessment, delivered by expert consultants, based on 10 proven criteria commonly applied in enterprise data audits.
How does Prodware support organizations in becoming AI-ready?
Prodware provides both strategic and technical support tailored to your organization’s maturity level:
– Strategic Advisory: We help define, implement, and monitor a complete AI & Data strategy aligned with your business goals.
– Technical Enablement: Our teams design and deploy projects to strengthen governance, improve data quality, modernize platforms, ensure compliance, and implement AI solutions across Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform.
What data issues most commonly block AI adoption?
AI adoption can be hindered by two types of blockers:
– Technical: Inconsistent data across systems, missing metadata, duplication, unstructured content, unclear ownership, and weak governance — all of which impact accuracy, compliance, and reliability.
– Cultural: Inefficient processes, low prioritization of data and AI projects, limited technical knowledge, and resistance to change among end users — often reducing the expected impact of AI initiatives.
What data prerequisites should be in place before deploying Microsoft Copilot or other AI tools?
Any AI solution, including Microsoft Copilot, requires clean, centralized, governed, and secure data supported by clear access controls, well-defined structures, and a modern
cloud architecture. Microsoft Fabric provides the ideal foundation to achieve these prerequisites, enabling organizations to maximize the value of Data & AI.
Why Prodware for better decision making
With more than 30 years of transformation expertise, Prodware brings a holistic approach to data and AI that ensures secure, integrated and scalable foundations. Our AI Apps and Microsoft-aligned services help you embed intelligence into everyday business processes, unlock insights at scale and empower your workforce. From data readiness to fully integrated AI solutions, we align innovation with your organization so you gain measurable value and a sustainable competitive edge.
