Air IT launches AI services for SMEs lacking plans

Air IT Group has launched a suite of artificial intelligence services for small and medium-sized businesses aimed at firms that have yet to form a clear AI adoption plan.

The move comes as UK business use of AI remains limited. Research from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology found that only one in six UK firms had deliberately deployed at least one AI technology for a defined business purpose, while nearly 80% had neither a plan nor a strategy for adoption.

Air IT is expanding its AI offering beyond Microsoft Copilot with AI Accelerator workshops, an Air Agent Marketplace, bespoke agent development and AI managed services. The package is intended to help businesses identify where AI can be used, prioritise projects and move from trials to operational use.

The Nottingham-based managed service provider said the launch follows three years of internal work on automation and AI, during which it tested tools in its own operations before making them available to customers.

Air IT says it now runs millions of automated actions each month across its business, saving around 2,000 to 2,500 hours a month. Use of automated self-service has also risen 350% year on year.

Internal testing

That experience now shapes the structure of the new offer. Rather than starting with a software product, Air IT begins by asking customers to define a business problem and the result they want to achieve.

The AI Accelerator includes an in-person session for senior leaders, followed by an assessment of potential use cases and a roadmap covering immediate, medium-term and later steps. The aim is to give customers a basis for deciding where to invest and how to measure success.

The Air Agent Marketplace is described as a portfolio of AI agents built around business problems and existing use cases. The agents are configured to fit each customer's information, processes and governance requirements within a Microsoft environment.

If a pre-built option does not fit, Air IT will also offer custom agent development and ongoing management. That reflects a wider shift among managed service providers as customers seek more direct help with implementation rather than simply buying software licences.

Lee Johnson outlined the company's view of the market. "AI has the potential to be a major productivity driver for SMEs, but only if businesses can move from interest and experimentation to focused execution. Many organisations know AI matters, but they need help deciding where to start, what to prioritise and how to turn the opportunity into measurable business value. This launch is about giving customers the confidence and capability to invest in AI in a way that is structured, responsible and aligned to the outcomes they want to achieve," said Johnson, Chief Technology Officer, Air IT Group.

Customer use

Air IT says it has already begun using the approach with clients. One example is Colchester Global Investors, which completed an AI Accelerator engagement and is now moving ahead with an RFP and DDQ agent intended to reduce time spent on repetitive questionnaire responses and make approved information easier for teams to find.

Trevor Denton described the process from the customer side. "When we first started exploring AI, we wanted to move beyond the hype and understand where it could genuinely create value for the business. Air IT Group's AI Accelerator provided a structured framework to do exactly that.

"Rather than leading with solutions, they challenged our thinking, helped us identify the areas with potential for meaningful impact and turned what had been a broad strategic conversation into a focused set of priorities and practical next steps. We have much greater clarity on where we're investing our efforts and why," said Denton, Chief Executive Officer, London, Colchester Global Investors.

The launch also reflects a broader change in how technology suppliers are pitching AI to smaller businesses. After an initial phase centred on access to general-purpose tools, providers are increasingly tying adoption to narrower operational tasks such as document handling, workflow automation and internal knowledge retrieval.

For smaller firms, that can lower the barrier to entry, but it also raises familiar questions around governance, security, data quality and internal readiness. Air IT's messaging places those issues alongside project selection, suggesting it sees demand moving from curiosity about AI tools to scrutiny of return on investment and oversight.

Barney Taylor said that shift would shape the next stage of adoption. "SMEs are under pressure to act on AI, but speed alone does not lead to better decisions. Too often, businesses start with the technology before defining the problem, the value they expect to create, or how success will be measured.

"The next phase of AI adoption will be defined by execution. SMEs need solutions that are practical, secure and ready to use, but also focused on the work that will make the biggest difference to their business. The value is not in adopting AI for its own sake, but in applying it where it can improve decisions, remove friction and create measurable progress.

"That is the gap we want to close. We want to give SMEs a clearer route into AI, one that helps them move with pace, focus and control," said Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, Air IT Group.