Microsoft Copilot Aims to Help U.K. Firms Navigate Cloud

Increased use of automation is set to dramatically reshape Microsoft’s clouds and their associated ecosystem of service providers, ISG Provider Lens™ report says

Microsoft’s Copilot, the company’s GenAI-powered smart assistant, will equip U.K. enterprises with revolutionary new solutions, services and ways of working with Microsoft clouds, according to a new research report published today by Information Services Group ( ISG ) (Nasdaq: III ), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

The 2024 ISG Provider Lens™ Microsoft Cloud Ecosystem report for the U.K. finds Microsoft has embraced the disruptive potential of GenAI through its investments in Copilot for Microsoft clouds. Several providers have already announced partnerships with Microsoft to develop new industry or functional solutions that tap into the power of Copilots, the ISG report says.

“The introduction of Copilot is going to change worker roles,” said Anthony Drake, partner and head of ISG in the U.K. and Ireland. “Ecosystem providers and advisors can offer training services and change management expertise to help enterprises and their employees adapt to this new era of human and machine collaboration.”

Microsoft’s integration of GenAI capabilities is not limited to Copilot. It is present in different forms, from ITSM to cloud migration, application development, application modernization, observability and ITOps, the ISG report says. In fact, according to the report, GenAI is set to transform nearly every aspect of Microsoft clouds in the coming years, not only through its various GenAI-powered Copilots but also with its Azure OpenAI Service. In response, providers are ramping up their GenAI talent by recruiting or training existing staff to support the new focus on GenAI for the Microsoft clouds, ISG says.

Although U.K. enterprises are intrigued by GenAI, many remain reluctant to invest significantly until clear use cases are defined and possible risks are adequately addressed, the ISG report says. According to the report, issues regarding data security, privacy and intellectual property protection top the list of enterprise concerns. As a result, providers strongly emphasize their advisory and consulting services as the first step on the path to enterprise adoption of GenAI tools for Microsoft clouds, ISG says.

“The potential of GenAI is prompting U.K. enterprises to focus a lot more attention on their data,” said Jan Erik Aase, partner and global leader, ISG Provider Lens Research. “They are turning to Microsoft ecosystem providers to help them shift to more modern data architectures.”

The report also examines how providers are interweaving Microsoft’s Power Platform capabilities into other key business technologies, such as SAP, Oracle and Workday.

For more insights into the Microsoft ecosystem challenges facing enterprises in the U.K., including optimizing data and adapting the workforce to GenAI, and ISG’s advice for addressing them, see the ISG Provider Lens™ Focal Points briefing here .

The 2024 ISG Provider Lens™ Microsoft Cloud Ecosystem report for the U.K. evaluates the capabilities of 46 providers across five quadrants: Managed Services for Azure, Microsoft 365 Services, SAP on Azure Services, Power Platform Services and Generative AI Services for Microsoft Clouds.

The report names Accenture & Avanade, Eviden (an Atos Business), HCLTech and TCS as Leaders in all five quadrants, while DXC Technology and Wipro are named as Leaders in four quadrants each. Cognizant, Fujitsu and Hexaware are named as Leaders in three quadrants each, while PwC is named as a Leader in two quadrants. Capgemini, Computacenter and Infosys are named as Leaders in one quadrant each.

In addition, LTIMindtree and Mastek are named as Rising Stars — companies with a “promising portfolio” and “high future potential” by ISG’s definition — in one quadrant each.

In the area of customer experience, Bechtle is named the global ISG CX Star Performer for 2024 among Microsoft cloud ecosystem partners. The provider earned the highest customer satisfaction scores in ISG's Voice of the Customer survey, which is part of the ISG Star of Excellence™ program , the premier quality recognition for the technology and business services industry.

The 2024 ISG Provider Lens™ Microsoft Cloud Ecosystem report for the U.K. is available to subscribers or for one-time purchase on this webpage .

About ISG Provider Lens™ Research

The ISG Provider Lens™ Quadrant research series is the only service provider evaluation of its kind to combine empirical, data-driven research and market analysis with the real-world experience and observations of ISG's global advisory team. Enterprises will find a wealth of detailed data and market analysis to help guide their selection of appropriate sourcing partners, while ISG advisors use the reports to validate their own market knowledge and make recommendations to ISG's enterprise clients. The research currently covers providers offering their services globally, across Europe, as well as in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, the U.K., France, Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, the Nordics, Australia and Singapore/Malaysia, with additional markets to be added in the future. For more information about ISG Provider Lens research, please visit this webpage .

About ISG

ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III ) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 900 clients, including more than 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including AI and automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs 1,600 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry’s most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com .