AI Readiness Assessment 

Texaport offers a free 30-minute consultation to scope your AI readiness needs, followed by a formal assessment report, as a one-off engagement. The report covers four areas: data readiness (quality, structure, and access controls), security posture (identity management, permissions, and SharePoint hygiene), governance (AI acceptable use policy and Shadow AI risk), and license fit (whether your current Microsoft 365 plan supports the AI tools you want to use). You leave with a prioritised list of what to fix, what to implement, and what to do next, along with a clear view of which Texaport AI services are the right fit for your situation. There is no obligation to proceed beyond the assessment.

Microsoft 365 Copilot has specific technical and governance prerequisites that many businesses overlook before purchasing licences. The most common blockers are: overly permissive SharePoint and OneDrive access (Copilot can surface documents employees were never meant to see), poorly structured or inconsistently labelled data (which produces unreliable AI output), no Microsoft Purview sensitivity labels applied (meaning Copilot cannot respect data boundaries), and an insufficient Microsoft 365 licence tier (Copilot requires Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Standard or Business Premium as a base). Our readiness assessment checks all of these specifically, with additional checks for businesses with users across multiple countries and time zones. As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, Texaport can also confirm whether your current Microsoft agreement gives you access to proof-of-concept funding before you commit to a full deployment.

Shadow AI refers to the use of AI tools,  such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or consumer-grade AI apps, by employees without IT department knowledge or approval. It is currently one of the fastest-growing data governance risks for UK businesses. The problem is not that employees are using AI; it is that they are pasting sensitive business data, client information, and confidential documents into platforms that may train on that data, store it outside the UK, or lack the security controls your contracts and GDPR obligations require. For UK businesses with EU or US offices, this risk compounds further: different employees in different jurisdictions may be using different tools with no consistent policy in place. Texaport's AI readiness assessment includes a Shadow AI audit as standard, identifying which tools are already in use and building an acceptable use framework that balances productivity with compliance.

A Texaport AI readiness assessment is designed to be low-disruption and fast to complete. The initial scoping consultation takes 30 minutes. The full assessment, covering your Microsoft 365 environment, data structure, permissions, and governance posture, typically takes three to five business days, depending on the complexity of your environment and the number of locations involved. For UK businesses with global offices, we conduct the assessment remotely and can schedule interviews with IT contacts across different time zones at no additional cost. There is no requirement to take systems offline or change any settings during the assessment period. The report is delivered as a clear, jargon-free document with a prioritised action plan that your IT team or Texaport can act on immediately.

Yes, and this is where Texaport's experience is particularly relevant. Most MSPs approach AI readiness as a single-site exercise. For UK-headquartered businesses with offices in the US, Europe, Singapore, or elsewhere, AI readiness has additional dimensions: data residency requirements vary by country, GDPR obligations apply to data flows between your UK HQ and EU offices, and your Microsoft 365 tenant configuration needs to reflect these boundaries before Copilot is switched on. Texaport's Follow the Sun delivery model means we work across time zones as standard, and our assessment framework includes a multi-jurisdiction data boundary review for businesses with global operations. We also conduct a specific check to ensure your Microsoft 365 tenant is configured for the regions your employees work in, a step often missed by UK-only IT providers.