Breakfast seminar in Bergen: A deep dive into AI, Copilot and cloud-based ERP
Caroline Skuland
On March 12, we invited to an opening party in our new premises in Bergen. Here, the participants received professional replenishment from our subject matter experts, our partner Microsoft and customer cases from Endúr Maritime, before the morning ended with a nice lunch. The participants gained a deeper insight into the topics of AI, Copilot, Dynamics 365/Power Platform, Business Central/ERP and Business Driven Architecture. Our skilled Business Development Manager, Birthe Øvreeide, led the way and made sure that all the speakers were guided through the morning.
AI and Business Driven Architecture
Leiv Thomas Sandnes, CTO, was the first person out and shared Evidi's ambition to meet the ambitious companies that will set themselves up to seize the opportunities. He pointed out the importance of companies building the necessary capabilities to adapt in an ever-changing world, and of daring to see things from multiple perspectives. He went on to address challenges related to globalization and geopolitics, as well as the increased focus on cybersecurity. Today, unfortunately, attacks are frequent, and each business is responsible for its own defense.
When new technological trends emerge, Leiv Thomas said that we often tend to overestimate the effect of these in the short term, and that we often underestimate the effect in the long term. He mentioned that while technology has come a long way, artificial intelligence robots today are at their worst. Furthermore, Leiv Thomas talked about the Evidi house, and how the different rooms in the house approach AI and Copilot. He also presented our Business Driven Architecture framework, which provides the business with sustainable solutions and a speed that stands over time.
A new era for business applications
Fredrik Sætre, Senior Technical Specialist at Microsoft, discussed the transition to a new era of business applications and how AI can help businesses work smarter. According to Fredrik, choosing Microsoft gives the company a digital muscle, and we got a review of the products in Microsoft Dynamics 365. Fredrik also pointed out that Evidi is the only supplier in their partner network that delivers on the full breadth. Furthermore, we were able to demonstrate how Copilot and conversational AI can be used as tools to transform finance work. He said that one of the things that distinguishes Copilot from other AI tools is that it cites sources.
Fredrik encouraged continuous review of the roadmap for Dynamics 365 CRM and Power Platform, and said that you should never be satisfied with the ERP solution you have. He also talked about how Microsoft looks differently at low-code, and went into AI Builder and Power Automate. Fredrik emphasized the same thing as Leiv Thomas relation to Copilot now being at its worst, and that the technology will only get better in the future.
Copilot as an assistant
Roar Kristiansen, Consulting Director, delte sin kunnskap om Copilot i Microsoft 365, og viste oss tall på at brukerne opplevde økt produktivitet, økt kvalitet og bedre kreativitet. Allikevel trakk han frem noen svakheter med verktøyet, som at Copilot ikke forstår alt du spør om og at Copilot ikke kan garantere at svarene den gir deg er korrekte eller kvalitetssikrede. Dermed vil egen dømmekraft og kritisk tenking fortsatt være viktig. Roar understrekte at Copilot ikke gjør jobben for deg, men assisterer og hjelper deg i gang. Han fortalte at Copilot fungerer godt til å lage møtereferater på Teams, og at dette vil spare virksomheten for mange timers arbeid. Han poengterte samtidig viktigheten av å alltid be om samtykke ved bruk av denne teknologien.
- Copilot is easy to start with, but also just as easy to fail, Roar mentioned during the lecture, and went into more detail about the steps for implementing Copilot for Microsoft 365. When introducing Copilot, Roar emphasized privacy, security, collaboration culture, storage, guidelines for use, change management and user adoption. He also encouraged everyone to clean up their files to avoid many outdated versions of the same document, as Copilot cannot determine which version will be applicable. To ensure security, Roar mentioned the importance of ensuring the correct classification of documents, via what Microsoft calls Purview.
Endúr about the journey to the cloud
Arvid Vestgård, CEO of Endúr Maritime AS, shared about their journey from Business Central on-prem to cloud-based solution. Endúr Maritime has broad expertise and experience with ship technical maintenance on complex ships, and operates with services on different types of vessels for both military and civilian maritime customers.
Arvid shared that he has worked as a project manager on several large projects, and that they chose Evidi and Business Central for better project management, reporting, and accessibility. During the migration process, planning, testing and roll-out were carefully carried out to ensure a smooth transition to new systems. The result has been improved project management and reporting, increased flexibility and availability of critical information. Arvid also said that sustainability and safety are more relevant than ever, and will be important focus areas for Endúr in the future.
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We thank everyone who participated and contributed to making the breakfast seminar a successful and enjoyable event! A special thank you goes to Fredrik Sætre from Microsoft for his engaging talk and to Arvid Vestgård from Endúr Maritime for sharing their inspiring Business Central journey. We look forward to continuing our collaboration and exploring new opportunities together.
Do you want to get to know who we are and what we do, or how we set up businesses to seize opportunities? Explore our website or get in touch with our skilled advisors!
