Free AI Readiness Assessment
Discover where your organization stands on AI governance, Copilot readiness, and BYOAI risk — in a 30-minute expert evaluation with Microsoft's oldest Gold Partner.
Your employees are already using AI. The question is whether you know which tools, what data is exposed, and whether you are compliant. Get answers in 30 minutes — free.
Book Your Free AI Readiness Assessment30 minutes. No obligation. No sales pitch. Just clarity.
What Is an AI Readiness Assessment?
Quick Answer: An AI Readiness Assessment is a structured evaluation that scores your organization (0-100) across seven dimensions: AI tool inventory, BYOAI risk, Copilot readiness, data governance maturity, compliance alignment, security posture, and organizational readiness. It identifies governance gaps, quantifies risk exposure, and delivers a prioritized roadmap for safe, compliant AI adoption. EPC Group offers a free 30-minute Quick Scan that covers AI tool inventory, BYOAI risk scoring, and immediate recommendations.
Every enterprise is adopting AI. Very few are doing it safely. Microsoft Copilot alone is being deployed across millions of organizations — but fewer than 10% have completed a governance review before turning it on. The result: overshared data surfaced to every employee, sensitive documents exposed through AI-generated summaries, and compliance violations that regulators have not caught yet.
Meanwhile, employees are not waiting for IT approval. They are using ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and dozens of other AI tools on personal devices and free accounts — feeding company data into models with no retention guarantees, no audit trails, and no compliance controls. This is BYOAI (Bring Your Own AI), and it is the biggest unmanaged risk in enterprise IT today.
An AI Readiness Assessment gives you visibility into what is actually happening, quantifies the risk, and provides a clear path forward. EPC Group has conducted these assessments across healthcare, financial services, government, and education — and the governance gaps we find are consistently worse than leadership expects. The free Quick Scan takes 30 minutes and gives you enough data to make informed decisions about your next steps.
7 Dimensions of AI Readiness
Our assessment framework evaluates your organization across the seven dimensions that determine whether AI adoption will succeed or create risk. Each dimension is scored independently and contributes to your composite AI Readiness Score.
AI Tool Inventory
Identify every AI tool employees are actually using — sanctioned and unsanctioned. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Midjourney, custom GPTs, browser extensions, and AI-powered SaaS features hidden in existing subscriptions.
Organizations discover 3-5x more AI tools in use than IT knows about.
BYOAI Risk Score
Quantify the risk of unauthorized AI usage on personal devices and accounts. Measure data leakage exposure, identify which departments have the highest shadow AI activity, and assess regulatory violation probability.
68% of knowledge workers use AI tools IT has not approved.
Copilot Readiness
Evaluate licensing alignment, Entra ID permissions, SharePoint governance, sensitivity labels, and DLP policies. Determine whether Copilot will expose overshared data or comply with your governance model.
90% of organizations have overshared SharePoint sites Copilot will surface.
Data Governance Maturity
Assess data classification policies, sensitivity labels, retention policies, DLP rules, and information barriers. Score your Microsoft Purview deployment against enterprise best practices.
Without data governance, AI amplifies every data quality and access problem.
Compliance Gap Analysis
Map your current compliance posture against HIPAA, SOC 2, GDPR, FedRAMP, EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, and state-level AI legislation. Identify gaps that AI adoption will create or widen.
AI-specific compliance requirements are emerging faster than most teams can track.
Security Posture
Review Conditional Access policies, Entra ID configuration, Microsoft Defender deployment, endpoint protection, and AI-specific threat vectors. Ensure your security architecture accounts for AI attack surfaces.
AI tools create new attack vectors: prompt injection, model poisoning, data exfiltration.
Organizational Readiness
Evaluate change management maturity, AI literacy levels, Center of Excellence (CoE) structure, executive sponsorship, and training infrastructure. AI adoption fails without organizational alignment.
70% of AI projects fail due to organizational resistance, not technology limitations.
Composite AI Readiness Score
All seven dimensions combine into a single 0-100 score with industry benchmarking, trend tracking, and prioritized improvement recommendations.
What You Receive
Every assessment delivers actionable outputs — not shelf-ware reports. Our deliverables are designed to drive decisions, not just document findings.
AI Readiness Score (0-100)
Weighted composite score across all seven dimensions with industry benchmarking. Know exactly where you stand versus peers in your sector.
Risk Assessment Report
Detailed analysis of BYOAI exposure, data governance gaps, compliance violations, and security vulnerabilities specific to AI adoption.
Copilot Deployment Roadmap
Phase-by-phase plan for safe Microsoft Copilot deployment including prerequisites, pilot group selection, governance gates, and success metrics.
Governance Framework Recommendations
Tailored AI governance framework aligned to your industry regulations, organizational structure, and Microsoft technology stack.
90-Day Action Plan
Prioritized, sequenced action items with owners, timelines, and dependencies. Quick wins in weeks 1-2, structural improvements in weeks 3-8, validation in weeks 9-12.
Assessment Tiers
Start with a free Quick Scan to understand your risk exposure, then upgrade to a Standard or Comprehensive assessment for full visibility and a deployment roadmap.
Quick Scan
30 Minutes
- AI tool inventory across your organization
- BYOAI risk score with exposure analysis
- Basic Copilot readiness check
- Top 3 priority recommendations
- 2-page summary brief
- Live 30-minute video call with senior consultant
No obligation. No sales pitch. Just answers.
Standard Assessment
2-3 Weeks
- Full 7-dimension assessment
- AI Readiness Score (0-100) with benchmarking
- Detailed risk assessment report (30-50 pages)
- Copilot deployment roadmap
- Governance framework recommendations
- 90-day action plan with owners and timelines
- Stakeholder interviews (up to 10)
- Technical environment deep-dive
- Executive summary presentation
Most popular for organizations with 500-5,000 employees.
Comprehensive Assessment
4-6 Weeks
- Everything in Standard Assessment
- Implementation oversight for 90-day action plan
- Quarterly governance reviews (12 months)
- Executive dashboard with AI adoption metrics
- Change management strategy and training plan
- Dedicated senior consultant for 12 months
- Stakeholder interviews (up to 25)
- On-site workshop option (2 days)
- Board-ready AI governance presentation
- Priority support and escalation path
Best for enterprises with 5,000+ employees or regulated industries.
Who This Assessment Is For
Our AI Readiness Assessment is designed for organizations that recognize AI is not optional — but understand that ungoverned AI adoption is worse than no AI adoption at all.
Healthcare Organizations
Hospitals, health systems, payers, and pharma companies that must comply with HIPAA while adopting AI tools for clinical documentation, administrative automation, and patient engagement.
Financial Services Firms
Banks, asset managers, insurance companies, and fintech organizations navigating SOC 2, GLBA, and SEC AI disclosure requirements while deploying Copilot and AI analytics.
Government Agencies
Federal, state, and local agencies that must comply with FedRAMP, FISMA, and emerging government AI mandates while modernizing operations with Microsoft 365 and Azure AI.
Enterprises Deploying Copilot
Any organization planning or actively deploying Microsoft 365 Copilot that has not completed a data governance and permissions audit — which is the majority of organizations.
Organizations with 500+ Employees
Mid-market and enterprise organizations where shadow AI usage is guaranteed, governance gaps are systemic, and the blast radius of an AI-related data breach is significant.
Compliance-Driven Industries
Education (FERPA), legal (privilege and confidentiality), manufacturing (trade secrets), and any industry where data classification and access control are regulatory requirements.
Assessment Process: 4-Week Timeline
Our proven assessment methodology delivers comprehensive results in four weeks. The free Quick Scan is completed in a single 30-minute session.
Discovery & Scoping
Kickoff call, stakeholder identification, technical environment access, initial AI tool discovery scan, and project plan finalization.
Assessment & Analysis
Stakeholder interviews, technical environment review, data governance audit, compliance gap analysis, security posture evaluation, and BYOAI risk quantification.
Scoring & Roadmapping
AI Readiness Score calculation, risk prioritization, Copilot deployment roadmap development, governance framework design, and 90-day action plan creation.
Delivery & Planning
Executive presentation, detailed report delivery, action plan walkthrough, implementation options discussion, and next-steps alignment.
Why EPC Group for Your AI Readiness Assessment
There are dozens of firms offering AI assessments. Here is why enterprises across healthcare, finance, and government choose EPC Group.
29 Years of Microsoft Enterprise Expertise
EPC Group has been a Microsoft partner since 1997. We are not an AI startup learning enterprise governance — we are enterprise governance experts who added AI to our 29-year-old practice. That distinction matters when the assessment uncovers permissions problems in SharePoint, Entra ID, or Purview.
6,500+ Enterprise Implementations
Our assessment framework is not theoretical. It is built from patterns observed across 11,000+ enterprise deployments in healthcare, finance, government, education, and legal. When we say 90% of organizations have overshared SharePoint sites, it is because we have measured it across thousands of environments.
4 Microsoft Press Bestsellers
Errin O'Connor, EPC Group founder and Chief AI Architect, has authored four Microsoft Press books on Power BI, SharePoint, Azure, and large-scale migrations. This level of Microsoft ecosystem depth means our assessments go deeper than surface-level configuration checks.
Compliance-First Methodology
Every EPC Group assessment is built for regulated industries. We map findings against HIPAA, SOC 2, GDPR, FedRAMP, NIST AI RMF, ISO 42001, and the EU AI Act — not as an afterthought, but as the foundation of our assessment framework. Zero governance failures across all client engagements.
Learn more about our AI governance capabilities:
AI Readiness Assessment: Frequently Asked Questions
What is an AI Readiness Assessment?
An AI Readiness Assessment is a structured evaluation of an organization's preparedness to adopt, govern, and scale artificial intelligence. It examines seven critical dimensions: AI tool inventory, BYOAI (Bring Your Own AI) risk, Copilot readiness, data governance maturity, compliance gaps, security posture, and organizational readiness. The output is a scored report (0-100) with a detailed roadmap for safe, compliant AI adoption. EPC Group's assessment is built on 29 years of enterprise Microsoft consulting and aligns with NIST AI RMF, ISO 42001, and EU AI Act frameworks.
How long does the AI Readiness Assessment take?
The free Quick Scan takes 30 minutes and covers AI tool inventory, BYOAI risk scoring, and basic recommendations. The Standard Assessment ($25,000) takes 2-3 weeks and includes all seven assessment dimensions, stakeholder interviews, technical environment review, and a detailed report with roadmap. The Comprehensive Assessment ($50,000) takes 4-6 weeks and adds implementation oversight, quarterly reviews, and ongoing governance support for 12 months.
What is BYOAI and why is it a risk?
BYOAI (Bring Your Own AI) refers to employees using unauthorized AI tools — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Midjourney, and others — on personal devices or accounts to process company data. This creates massive risks: sensitive data leaking to third-party AI models, compliance violations (HIPAA, SOC 2, GDPR), intellectual property exposure, and complete inability to audit or govern AI usage. Our assessment identifies BYOAI activity across your organization and provides a containment strategy before a data breach occurs.
What does the Copilot Readiness portion evaluate?
The Copilot Readiness evaluation examines six areas: Microsoft 365 licensing alignment (E3/E5/Copilot license requirements), Entra ID and permissions architecture (overshared sites, exposed SharePoint libraries), data classification and sensitivity labels (Microsoft Purview configuration), DLP policy coverage, SharePoint and OneDrive governance maturity, and change management readiness. Most organizations fail the permissions audit — Copilot will surface every document a user has access to, including overshared content they should never see.
Who should participate in the assessment?
For maximum value, involve: the CIO or VP of IT (strategic alignment), CISO or security lead (security posture review), compliance officer (regulatory gap analysis), IT operations lead (technical environment review), and at least two business unit leaders (organizational readiness and adoption planning). The Quick Scan only requires IT leadership. The Standard and Comprehensive assessments involve broader stakeholder engagement for accuracy.
How is the AI Readiness Score calculated?
The AI Readiness Score (0-100) is a weighted composite across seven dimensions: AI Tool Inventory (10%), BYOAI Risk (15%), Copilot Readiness (20%), Data Governance Maturity (20%), Compliance Alignment (15%), Security Posture (10%), and Organizational Readiness (10%). Each dimension is scored 0-100 based on documented criteria, stakeholder interviews, and technical evidence. Scores below 40 indicate significant risk and unreadiness. Scores 40-70 indicate partial readiness requiring targeted improvements. Scores above 70 indicate strong foundations with optimization opportunities.
What industries benefit most from an AI Readiness Assessment?
Regulated industries gain the most value: healthcare (HIPAA compliance with AI tools), financial services (SOC 2, GLBA, SEC AI disclosure requirements), government and defense (FedRAMP, CMMC, FISMA), legal (client confidentiality and privilege concerns), and education (FERPA, student data protection). However, any organization with 200+ employees deploying Microsoft Copilot or Azure AI should complete an assessment — the governance gaps we find are universal across industries.
What deliverables do we receive after the assessment?
Deliverables vary by tier. The Quick Scan provides an AI tool inventory summary, BYOAI risk score, and a 2-page recommendation brief. The Standard Assessment delivers a full AI Readiness Score (0-100), detailed risk assessment report (30-50 pages), Copilot deployment roadmap, governance framework recommendations, and a 90-day action plan. The Comprehensive Assessment includes everything in Standard plus implementation oversight, quarterly governance reviews, executive dashboards, and a 12-month AI adoption support plan.
How does this differ from a generic IT assessment?
Traditional IT assessments focus on infrastructure — servers, networks, uptime, patching. An AI Readiness Assessment focuses on AI-specific risks and opportunities that did not exist two years ago: shadow AI usage, large language model data exposure, AI governance frameworks, Copilot permissions architecture, responsible AI policies, and AI-specific compliance requirements (EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, state-level AI legislation). EPC Group built this assessment specifically because existing IT audits completely miss the AI governance dimension.
Can the assessment be done remotely?
Yes. The Quick Scan is conducted entirely via video conference. The Standard and Comprehensive assessments use a hybrid approach: remote stakeholder interviews, remote technical environment review (via secure screen share or temporary admin access), and optional on-site workshops for organizations that prefer face-to-face engagement. We serve clients across the United States and internationally — our assessment methodology is designed for remote delivery without compromising depth or accuracy.
What happens after the assessment is complete?
After delivering the AI Readiness Score and report, EPC Group offers three paths: (1) Self-implementation — use the roadmap and recommendations with your internal team, (2) Guided implementation — EPC Group provides advisory support as your team executes the plan, or (3) Full implementation — EPC Group manages the entire AI governance buildout, Copilot deployment, and change management program. Most Standard Assessment clients move to guided implementation. Most Comprehensive Assessment clients engage EPC Group for full implementation.
Why choose EPC Group for an AI Readiness Assessment?
EPC Group brings three differentiators no other firm can match: (1) 29 years as a Microsoft Gold Partner with deep expertise in the Microsoft AI stack (Copilot, Azure AI, Purview, Defender), (2) 11,000+ enterprise implementations across healthcare, finance, government, and education — meaning we have seen every governance gap and compliance failure mode, and (3) a founder who literally wrote the books on Microsoft enterprise technology (4 Microsoft Press bestsellers). Our assessments are not theoretical frameworks — they are battle-tested playbooks built from real enterprise deployments.
Book Your Free AI Readiness Assessment
Complete the form below to schedule your free 30-minute Quick Scan. A senior AI consultant will evaluate your AI tool inventory, BYOAI risk, and Copilot readiness — and deliver actionable recommendations on the call.
Your Employees Are Already Using AI. Do You Know What They Are Doing?
Every week you wait is another week of unmanaged AI risk — shadow AI tools processing company data, overshared documents waiting for Copilot to surface them, and compliance gaps widening. The free Quick Scan takes 30 minutes. The peace of mind lasts permanently.
Free AI Readiness Assessment
EPC Group's AI Readiness Assessment tells you where your organization stands on AI governance, Copilot readiness, and BYOAI risk in 30 minutes with a senior consultant. You receive an AI Readiness Score (0–100), a risk report, a Copilot deployment roadmap, and a 90-day action plan. Available in three tiers: Quick Scan, Standard, and Comprehensive.
Key facts
- Quick Scan: Free — AI tool inventory, BYOAI risk score, Copilot readiness check, top 3 recommendations, 30-minute video call.
- Standard Assessment: Full 7-dimension assessment, AI Readiness Score (0–100), detailed risk report (30–50 pages), Copilot deployment roadmap.
- Comprehensive Assessment: Everything in Standard plus 90-day action plan and governance framework recommendations.
- Assessment covers 7 dimensions: AI tool inventory, BYOAI risk, Copilot readiness, data governance, compliance gaps, security posture, and organizational readiness.
- EPC Group has completed assessments for healthcare, financial services, government, and enterprise organizations.
- Timeline: Quick Scan in 1–2 days. Standard in 2–3 weeks. Comprehensive in 4 weeks.
What is an AI Readiness Assessment?
An AI Readiness Assessment measures how prepared your organization is to deploy AI safely and responsibly. It identifies governance gaps, compliance risks, and technical readiness blockers before you invest in AI deployment.
EPC Group's assessment covers seven dimensions. Each dimension produces a scored result that rolls into a composite AI Readiness Score from 0 to 100.
7 dimensions of AI readiness
1. AI tool inventory
We catalog every AI tool in use across your organization — approved and unapproved. Most enterprises discover 3–5× more AI tools than their IT team knew about. Shadow AI exposure is quantified at this stage.
2. BYOAI risk score
BYOAI (Bring Your Own AI) measures the risk from employees using ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and other external AI tools without IT approval. We score your exposure based on tool prevalence, data types at risk, and current policy enforcement.
3. Copilot readiness
Microsoft 365 Copilot requires data classification, oversharing remediation, and DLP policy configuration before safe deployment. We assess your Microsoft 365 environment against the Copilot readiness criteria and identify gaps.
4. Data governance maturity
AI systems are only as reliable as the data they run on. We evaluate your data quality, lineage documentation, access controls, and sensitivity labeling against the requirements for responsible AI deployment.
5. Compliance gap analysis
We map your current AI posture against applicable regulations — HIPAA, GDPR, SOC 2, FedRAMP, EU AI Act, and NIST AI RMF. Each gap is scored by remediation effort and regulatory risk priority.
6. Security posture
AI systems are attack surfaces. We assess your Zero Trust maturity, identity and access controls, network segmentation for AI workloads, and incident response readiness for AI-specific threats.
7. Organizational readiness
Technology readiness is not enough. We assess leadership AI literacy, AI governance ownership, training coverage, and change management capability — the human factors that determine whether AI adoption succeeds or stalls.
Composite AI Readiness Score
All seven dimensions combine into a weighted composite score from 0 to 100. The score benchmarks your organization against industry peers. It drives the prioritized recommendations in your deliverables.
What you receive
Quick Scan (Free)
- AI tool inventory across your organization.
- BYOAI risk score with exposure analysis.
- Basic Copilot readiness check.
- Top 3 priority recommendations.
- 2-page summary brief.
- Live 30-minute video call with a senior consultant.
Standard Assessment
- Full 7-dimension assessment.
- AI Readiness Score (0–100) with peer benchmarking.
- Detailed risk assessment report (30–50 pages).
- Copilot deployment roadmap.
- Governance framework recommendations.
Comprehensive Assessment
- Everything in the Standard Assessment.
- 90-day action plan with prioritized initiatives and resource estimates.
- Custom governance framework design for your industry and regulatory profile.
- Executive briefing presentation for board or C-suite delivery.
Who this assessment is for
- Healthcare organizations — HIPAA compliance gaps in AI systems, Copilot deployment readiness.
- Financial services firms — SOC 2, FINRA, and OCC SR 11-7 AI risk requirements.
- Government agencies — FedRAMP, CMMC, and NIST AI RMF alignment for AI workloads.
- Enterprises deploying Copilot — Data oversharing risk, sensitivity label gaps, DLP policy needs.
- Organizations with 500+ employees — Shadow AI exposure is highest in larger organizations with many independent business units.
- Compliance-driven industries — Any organization facing regulatory AI guidance that wants to get ahead of requirements.
Assessment process: 4-week timeline
- Week 1: Discovery and scoping — Stakeholder interviews with IT, security, legal, and business leaders. Define assessment scope and data sources.
- Week 2: Assessment and analysis — Technical assessment of Microsoft 365 environment, AI tool inventory, compliance gap review.
- Week 3: Scoring and roadmapping — Score each dimension, compile AI Readiness Score, build prioritized recommendations.
- Week 4: Delivery and planning — Present findings to executive team. Review 90-day action plan. Define next steps.
Why EPC Group for your AI readiness assessment
- 29 years of Microsoft enterprise expertise — We know Microsoft 365, Azure, and Copilot environments at enterprise depth.
- 6,500+ enterprise implementations — Pattern recognition from real deployments, not theoretical frameworks.
- 4 Microsoft Press bestsellers — Deep published expertise on SharePoint, Power BI, Azure, and migrations.
- Compliance-first methodology — HIPAA, SOC 2, FedRAMP, CMMC, and GDPR expertise built into every assessment.
Frequently asked questions
What is an AI Readiness Assessment?
An AI Readiness Assessment measures your organization's preparedness to deploy AI safely. It evaluates AI tool inventory, BYOAI risk, Copilot readiness, data governance, compliance gaps, security posture, and organizational readiness. You receive a scored report and prioritized recommendations.
How long does the AI Readiness Assessment take?
The Quick Scan completes in 1–2 days. The Standard Assessment takes 2–3 weeks. The Comprehensive Assessment runs 4 weeks including executive briefing delivery. All tiers begin with a 30-minute scoping call.
What is BYOAI and why is it a risk?
BYOAI (Bring Your Own AI) is employees using external AI tools — ChatGPT, Claude, Midjourney — for work without IT approval. The risk: employees paste confidential data, PHI, or proprietary information into unapproved systems with unknown data privacy practices. Most enterprises discover more BYOAI exposure than expected.
What does the Copilot Readiness portion evaluate?
It assesses your Microsoft 365 environment against Copilot's data access model. Copilot surfaces any file a user has permission to access. Overshared SharePoint sites, broad distribution group access, and missing sensitivity labels create compliance risk when Copilot is deployed.
How is the AI Readiness Score calculated?
Seven dimensions are scored from 0–100. Each dimension is weighted by its impact on governance risk, regulatory compliance, and deployment readiness. The composite score is compared against peer organizations in your industry to provide context for your results.
What happens after the assessment is complete?
For Quick Scans, we discuss the findings in a 30-minute follow-up call and recommend next steps. For Standard and Comprehensive assessments, we present findings to your executive team and can begin implementing the 90-day action plan as a follow-on engagement.
Book your free AI readiness assessment
Your employees are already using AI. Find out what they are doing. Call (888) 381-9725 or request your free Quick Scan today.