Turn AI interest into useful, governed change
Identify high-return use cases, prepare your data and Microsoft 365 environment, automate repetitive work and give your staff clear governance to use AI safely. Start with a free 2-hour automation audit with Ross Owen.
Start with the work, then choose the technology
A simple rule-based automation is often cheaper and more reliable than AI for a predictable step, while business-grade AI excels at reading messy emails, documents and meeting transcripts. We combine both in three governed stages:
01. Readiness & use cases
We identify repetitive, information-heavy work and the people who own it, then check the quality, sensitivity and Microsoft 365 / SharePoint permissions of the data involved. AI readiness audit
02. A controlled pilot
We define a measurable time-saving outcome, keep a named person in the loop for exceptions, and test integrations and failure handling on your real data before scaling. Workflow automation
03. Governance & adoption
We agree approved AI tools, staff usage rules, UK GDPR data processing agreements and Microsoft 365 Copilot permission boundaries so your team can adopt AI safely. AI policy template
Clear expectations from day one
AI projects succeed when an organisation can explain the expected time saving, the data boundaries and who owns the process day to day:
- Who this suits: Established SMEs and professional practices (10–150 staff) with repeatable administration, document processing or inbox bottlenecks.
- Supplier & IT coordination: If multiple suppliers look after your CRM, phones, email and line-of-business software, we map responsibilities and permissions before changing a single workflow.
- Communication continuity: Shared mailboxes, client portals and main phone numbers stay uninterrupted while new automations are tested in parallel.
A better brief, a clearer proposal
When you book your free 2-hour audit with Ross Owen, we walk through four practical checkpoints together:
- Choose a process owner and one measurable starting bottleneck.
- Check data permissions, sensitivity and approved Microsoft 365 / cloud tools.
- Agree human review points, exception handling and pilot success criteria.
- Confirm exact scope and fixed pricing before any build work starts.
How much does AI automation cost in Cardiff?
We publish our prices so you know where you stand before speaking to us. Every engagement starts with a free automation audit (worth £290) with our founder, Ross Owen. All prices exclude VAT.
| Option | What it covers | Investment (+ VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Free Automation Audit | Up to 2 hours with Ross Owen (in your office or on Teams) mapping your workflows, plus a written plain-English ROI report | Free (worth £290) |
| Single Project (One-off) | A fixed price for a single automation, quoted upfront after the free audit based on £145 + VAT/hr. Built, tested on your data and handed over with no minimum term | Fixed quote (£145/hr rate) |
| Essentials Plan | 4 hours of dedicated AI automation work every month building and maintaining the right automations for your business, plus new AI tools assessed and set up for you (unused hours roll over; 12-month term) | £459 / month (~£115/hr) |
| Growth Plan | Everything in Essentials plus 8 hours of AI automation work every month and a quarterly review and automation roadmap (unused hours roll over; 12-month term) | £859 / month (~£107/hr) |
Compare plans in full · See what's inside Monthly AI Support · Calculate your team's weekly savings
Proof: we run the Alphabyte Group on the systems we build
The clearest proof we can offer is our own business. Across AlphaOps, Alphabyte IT, AlphaPixel and AlphaSec, our Cardiff team runs on the same practical automations we build for clients:
1. Helpdesk & shared mailbox triage
Incoming client support emails and shared mailboxes are read, classified by urgency, matched to the client record and drafted for engineer review before anyone has to re-type a ticket.
2. Automated security & domain posture checks
Our engineering pipeline automatically checks DMARC, SPF, DKIM, TLS and software patching status across hundreds of South Wales domains and generates plain-English technical briefings.
3. Meeting minutes & action extraction
Every internal and client Microsoft Teams meeting is transcribed into our standard minutes template with owners and deadlines extracted automatically. Meeting Minutes AI
AI consulting & automation questions
Where should a business start with AI consulting and automation?
Start with specific work that is repetitive, slow or document-heavy rather than buying AI licences blindly. Our free 2-hour audit assesses your workflows, data quality, permissions and ROI so you start with a pilot that pays for itself.
Can AlphaOps prepare our Microsoft 365 environment for Copilot?
Yes. Alongside our sister company Alphabyte IT (a Cardiff Microsoft Partner since 2009), we audit SharePoint and OneDrive permissions, stop accidental oversharing of HR/payroll/partner folders, configure governance and train your pilot group.
How do you reduce security and UK GDPR privacy risk?
We use commercial enterprise AI endpoints (Anthropic Claude Enterprise/API and Microsoft Azure/365) under strict Data Processing Agreements, enforce human-in-the-loop sign-off for external communications, and provide a plain-English AI Safe-Use Policy for your staff.
Guides on this topic
Jargon explained: AI automation AI governance SharePoint permissions & oversharing
Want Microsoft 365 locked down properly?
Alphabyte IT secures Microsoft 365 for businesses across South Wales and helps them get Cyber Essentials certified.