AI Projects Are Never Finished. That Changes Everything.

Most Microsoft Partners know how to scope a project. Define the outcome. Build the solution. Deliver it. Close it. AI is starting to challenge that model. Because what happens when the solution you've delivered needs to be continuously taught, governed, supported and improved? In this episode of Microsoft Mentors, Oli sits down with Pat Ramsden, Director of AI and Cyber at ITRM, to explore how AI is already changing the economics of the traditional MSP model. Customers can increasingly build their own Copilot agents. AI is removing manual work from service delivery. New support requirements are emerging that don't fit neatly into the traditional service desk. That has significant implications for Microsoft Partners. 💡 What You'll Learn in This Episode Why Pat believes AI projects may never have a traditional finish line How customers building their own Copilot agents could change the Partner/customer relationship Why ITRM is exploring dedicated AI support and AI-as-a-Service models How AI could reshape traditional project-based MSP revenue Why AI should augment people rather than replace them How one customer reduced a four-day manual process to around half a day Where AI is already improving ticket triage, sentiment analysis and financial operations inside an MSP Why AI agents may need to be treated like employees from an identity and security perspective How AI is simultaneously creating new cybersecurity capabilities and new attack vectors Why governance remains one of the biggest differences Pat sees between enterprise and mid-market IT The risk of engineers becoming too reliant on AI and losing fundamental troubleshooting skills Why adoption still determines whether AI investment produces genuine ROI How ITRM is thinking about the talent required to build a dedicated AI practice Pat's journey from IT technician to Director of AI and Cyber How he's built up 19 active Microsoft certifications without following the traditional study route 🎯 The Big Idea AI isn't simply giving Microsoft Partners another technology to implement. It could change what an implementation actually is. Traditional projects have relatively clear boundaries. A migration, Intune deployment or infrastructure transformation can be scoped around a set of deliverables, completed and handed over. AI behaves differently. The agent a customer needs today may need to behave differently six months from now. Its knowledge changes. Business processes evolve. New use cases emerge. Governance requirements develop. Users find new ways to interact with it. 💬 Memorable Quotes "With an AI project, there is no such thing as done, in my opinion." "You have to treat it as an employee, you have to continue it. Continually teach it, nurture it, and evolve it." "We don't lead with you should use AI technology, A, B, or C. Because actually the customer doesn't care what gets them to their destination. They just care that they get to their destination." "It's not replaced that person, it's augmented their abilities and given them a bit of time to do more." "I think AI is not only one of our biggest assets, but one of our biggest threats." "The hearts and minds of all these projects are the key part." 📬 Enjoyed the Episode? Subscribe to the Microsoft Mentors Newsletter for practical insight from the founders, leaders and technical experts shaping the Microsoft Partner ecosystem. 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7175453155780915200 🔗 Links & Resources Connect with Pat Ramsden on LinkedIn 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/pat-ramsden-11769868/Learn more about ITRM 👉 http://www.itrm.co.uk/Connect with Oli Ridley on LinkedIn 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/oli-ridley/ Follow Cloud Decisions 👉 https://www.clouddecisions.co.uk/