TELUS Fully Managed AI Optimization Blog - Hero Image

From AI adoption to optimization: Effective AI use for your business

Managed IT · Mar 28, 2025

As businesses embrace new technologies, AI is stepping in as a powerful catalyst for innovation, speeding up growth and unlocking new possibilities. However, this rapid progress also brings a shift in how small businesses need to approach cybersecurity. In our

previous article,

we explored AI's dual role in cybersecurity, both as a defence mechanism and as a tool for cybercriminals. Today, we take a step back to explore the crucial factors to consider to help you navigate implementation and management of this technology.

How are businesses using AI?

Canadian small businesses face mounting challenges in 2025, with

rising costs and market uncertainty expected to persist

. As businesses increasingly rely on technology for growth, managing cyber threats and scaling IT infrastructure have become critical priorities for maintaining competitiveness and operational efficiency.

This is likely to spark the search for tools that enhance productivity and efficiency. Simultaneously, some employees, eager to harness AI as a competitive advantage, are driving its adoption within businesses. Whether motivated by necessity or innovation, businesses must carefully evaluate the feasibility of AI.

AI can serve a variety of purposes depending on the user, but its true value is revealed in how it's applied. Some of the most common uses include:

Inspiration: Helping creative roles within the business generate ideas
Proofing: Assisting in content review and refinement
Task automation: Reducing repetitive and manual tasks
Document summarization: Extracting key insights from lengthy reports
Brand development: Supporting in-market positioning

For business leaders, AI is not just a tool – it can be a powerful accelerator that enhances efficiency, attracts new customers and provides valuable insights. In fact, the

Gartner CEO and Senior Business Executive Survey

revealed that 87% of CEOs believe the benefits of AI outweigh its risks.

Essential factors to consider before adopting AI

Whether you're just starting with AI or looking to optimize its use, careful planning is essential. Below are four critical areas to evaluate to help ensure you're getting the most from your AI investments.

1. Assess your AI readiness

Before adopting AI, businesses must assess their readiness by understanding its opportunities and risks, establishing clear usage policies and engaging employees in how AI will fit into their workflows. A recent real-world example underscores the need for clear guidelines: Employees at a large tech company used a popular, publicly available GenAI platform to process sensitive internal data, exposing it unintentionally due to lack of clear procedures.

To navigate this, businesses can form an AI evaluation committee to identify use cases and implementation strategies. Partnering with

an experienced technology vendor

can make it easier to get essential insights and risk assessments, supporting a smoother and more secure AI adoption.

2. Risk evaluation and remediation

New technology can introduce risks, and AI is no exception. Security vulnerabilities, data leaks and unauthorized access are just a few of the concerns businesses must address.

For instance, adopting remote file-sharing and collaboration tools is a necessity across most organizations these days, but it can expose businesses to additional risks. Microsoft Copilot integrates with Office 365, enabling employees to access information from company files. While this boosts productivity, it can also expose sensitive data if data governance or access controls are inadequate. The same applies when deciding which AI solutions to adopt. To mitigate this risk, a comprehensive audit can help identify key areas such as:

Security gaps and sensitive data exposure risks
Assess whether AI tools align with data privacy policies
Recommend remediation steps, such as updating access permissions or restructuring data storage

Addressing security concerns proactively helps ensure that AI enhances efficiency without compromising confidentiality.

3. AI evaluation and success metrics

With so many AI tools available, selecting the right one for your business can be overwhelming. To make an informed decision, it's important to define clear success criteria based on your specific business challenges. Start by identifying the problems AI can solve, whether it's improving customer service, increasing productivity, automating repetitive tasks or providing actionable insights for better decision-making. Understanding how AI aligns with your business goals will help narrow down the options and ensure you're addressing the most pressing needs.

Once success factors are clear, consider implementing a pilot testing phase to assess AI's day-to-day impact. This phase should be iterative, allowing for adjustments based on feedback and business needs. By testing AI's effectiveness on a smaller scale first, you can make necessary refinements and ensure the solution is the right fit before scaling it across the business.

4. Implementation and ongoing maintenance

AI adoption isn’t a one-time event – it requires continuous monitoring and governance. Before finalizing AI implementation, businesses should:

Update IT policies and acceptable use guidelines
Provide ongoing employee training on AI tools
Conduct regular security assessments to ensure compliance

Much like maintaining a home or vehicle, AI systems need routine checks to keep them running efficiently and securely. Best practices include periodic evaluations to stay ahead of market advancements, automated governance tools to monitor data access and security and third-party audits to validate data protection measures.

The role of managed IT services in AI adoption

Selecting the right AI tools is just the first step. Successful AI adoption requires careful integration into your IT environment to help ensure security, compliance and alignment with business goals. Managed IT services play a key role by helping businesses assess their readiness, evaluating both the risks and opportunities specific to their needs. They also can help ensure AI tools are securely implemented, meeting necessary compliance and data protection standards, while providing ongoing support to monitor AI performance and mitigate potential security threats.

TELUS Business can help you navigate AI adoption securely and effectively. Our dedicated team of specialists provide strategic IT guidance, advanced cybersecurity and ongoing technology management to help your AI initiatives drive value while minimizing risks.

Connect with a managed IT specialist

to learn how to turn IT into a growth driver with TELUS Fully Managed.

Authored by: