Navigating Strategic AI

A Comprehensive Vision for Executive Leadership

AI is reshaping business. This paper shows how you can use AI to stay ahead - practically, securely, and with direct impact. Ctac helps you do just that.

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"Firms that actively harness generative AI to enhance experiences, offerings, and productivity will realize outsized growth and will outpace their competition."
— Forrester Research
Source: Forrester Research
"AI agents will become the primary way we interact with computers in the future. They will be able to understand our needs and preferences, and proactively help us with tasks and decision making."
— Satya Nadella, CEO van Microsoft
Source: SkimAI Industry Experts
"Experts agree that AI is the third great wave of technology after the personal computer (PC) in the 1980s and the Internet in the 1990s."
— Timo Elliott, VP and Global Innovation Evangelist, SAP
Source: SAP News
"By 2028, Gartner predicts that 33% of enterprise software applications will include agentic AI, up from less than 1% in 2024."
— Gartner
Source: Gartner Research

Strategic necessity

AI isn't just innovation; it's a business necessity

More agility and lower costs
Set the pace instead of following

AI must become part of your core strategy

That means knowing exactly where it creates value: in operations, customer interaction, and new revenue streams. When AI is embedded into your processes, you become more agile, reduce costs, and set the pace in your industry, rather than just following it.

Operational excellence
Enhanced customer interaction
New revenue streams
Operations
→
Customers
→
Growth

Balancing speed and risk in AI adoption

The pressure to move fast with AI is real. But speed without structure brings risk. Success lies in striking the right balance: act fast, but with control.

Speed
Fast deployment
Control
Secure governance

Rapid Innovation

Quick wins and fast deployment

Optimal

Controlled Growth

Risk management and compliance

Effort/Impact Analysis of AI Projects

AI brings big opportunities. But to get value fast, you need focus.

Impact vs Effort Matrix

High Impact, Low Effort

• Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
• AI-Powered Chatbots
• Automated Document Recognition (OCR/AI)

High Impact, High Effort

• Predictive Analytics & Forecasting
• Comprehensive Customer Experience Platforms
• AI-Enhanced Business Intelligence Systems

Low Impact, Low Effort

• AI-driven Email Classification
• AI-enhanced Reporting and Dashboards

Low Impact, High Effort

• Advanced AI Research Projects
• Complex NLP Initiatives without Clear Use Case

Define your costs of doing nothing

How relevance can be lost in the next year or two

Failing to act on AI today means more than missing a trend—it means losing ground. Companies that delay face higher costs, slower operations, and shrinking market relevance.

Market Relevance

Competitors leap ahead with faster, smarter, AI-driven processes

Operational Efficiency

Without automation, productivity drops and costs climb

Customer Loyalty

Generic experiences lead to lower engagement and higher churn

Revenue Loss

Dynamic pricing and resource use boost AI-led profit margins

Talent Acquisition

Digital talent prefers forward-thinking employers

Resilience to Disruption

Disruption favors agile, AI-enabled businesses

The cost of doing nothing isn't just financial—it's strategic. To stay relevant, businesses must evolve with the market. That means embracing AI now, not later.

Copilot & Joule: a unified AI experience

The Convergence of Productivity and Process

Enhances everyday tools like Outlook, Teams, and Excel with natural language capabilities.

  • Ask questions in natural language
  • Generate content
  • Summarize meetings

Adds business context by connecting to SAP systems like S/4HANA, BW, and SuccessFactors.

  • Real-time transactional data
  • Business process insights
  • Live operational information

Connected AI in action

"Why is revenue down in region X?" → Get a data-backed answer in context, in seconds.

"With the bi-directional integration of Joule and Copilot for Microsoft 365, we're enabling employees to get more done in the flow of their work through seamless access to information from business applications in SAP as well as Microsoft 365."
— Scott Guthrie, Executive Vice President, Cloud + AI bij Microsoft
Source: Joule to Integrate with Microsoft Copilot | SAP Sapphire | SAP News Center

MCP: The universal connector

The 'USB-C Connector for AI' at Ctac

Microsoft
SAP
Enterprise
Custom

Improved governance and security

Enterprise-grade security with DLP policies and authentication standards.

Speed and scalability

AI integrations that took months now go live in weeks.

Flexibility and future-proofing

Change AI models or tools without starting from scratch.

Ctac's perspective on Connected AI

Real-world enablement: from integration to impact

At Ctac, we see this integration not just as a tech milestone, but as a shift in how people engage with data. AI moves from isolated pilots to daily practice, from backroom analytics to front-line action.

This is what we call Connected AI: AI that's embedded, contextual, and outcome driven.

Strategy & Roadmap

We start by identifying high-impact use cases. Where can Copilot or Joule reduce friction, save time, or boost decision-making? Together, we build a practical roadmap focused on business value.

Data Readiness

SAP systems must be clean, connected, and AI-ready. We ensure that the right data is available, secure, and in the right format—so AI works with your reality, not against it.

Integration

We connect Microsoft and SAP environments with care and precision, using frameworks like the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for secure and scalable interoperability.

Enablement & Adoption

Success depends on adoption. We train your people and embed new workflows into their daily tools. We make sure AI becomes part of the way people actually work.

Continuous Improvement

As technology evolves, so does your solution. We align AI developments from Microsoft and SAP with your business objectives, so you keep moving forward.

"Open protocols like A2A and MCP are key to enabling the agentic web."
— Satya Nadella, CEO van Microsoft
Source: VentureBeat

From static models to dynamic agents

The rise of agentic AI

The next wave of AI isn't just reactive; it's goal driven. Agentic AI shifts the focus from responding to prompts to achieving outcomes autonomously.

Perceive

Observe their environment and gather relevant data

Plan

Define strategies and multi-step approaches

Act

Execute tasks across systems and platforms

Learn

Adapt based on outcomes and feedback

Agentic AI turns copilots into operational partners that can:

Proactively monitor for risks and opportunities
Trigger automated actions across SAP, Microsoft, and custom systems
Collaborate with users to resolve exceptions in real time
Learn and improve based on business feedback and outcomes

Data as the lifeblood of connected AI

In the age of AI, data is the engine of competitive advantage

Just as blood keeps the body alive, data keeps a digital enterprise running. It fuels insight, action, and decision-making. But in most organizations, data is fragmented—locked in silos or delayed by outdated pipelines.

Source Systems

ERP, HR, Communication, Service

→

MCP Integration

Universal data connector

→

Connected AI

Real-time intelligent insights

Microsoft Fabric + SAP Business Technology Platform

Microsoft Fabric

Unifies and prepares data across sources for AI use

SAP Business Technology Platform

Delivers structured operational data from core business processes

Industry impact: tailored Business AI

Sector-specific solutions for maximum impact

AI creates the most impact when it's tailored to the specific context of an industry. At Ctac, we understand that every sector has its own dynamics, challenges, and systems.

Retail

Predictive stock optimization for fashion retailers

Example: SAP Joule alerts when stock will run low: "You will be 35% understocked on Men's Casual Shorts by May 15. Recommend ordering now."

Manufacturing

Operational excellence through intelligent automation

Example: Automated quality validation of supplier Certificates of Analysis (CoAs) with real-time blocking of non-conforming materials.

Wholesale & Distribution

Synchronized and smart supply chains

Example: Supply planners use Copilot to identify delivery risks across carriers and dynamically reroute high-priority orders.

Professional Services

AI-powered productivity and insights

Example: Microsoft Copilot auto-generates project briefs by combining Teams notes and SAP resource data.

Government

Secure, responsible, and transparent AI

Example: Caseworkers use Microsoft Copilot to summarize citizen files across social care, tax, and housing systems.

Real Estate

Insight-driven asset optimization

Example: Property managers ask Copilot for lease expiration overviews and contract renegotiation opportunities.

Controlled Innovation

Ctac's methodology for responsible AI adoption

The adoption of AI can feel overwhelming. The technology is evolving rapidly, while the impact on your organization is significant. At Ctac, we believe that success requires more than just technology. It requires structure, clarity, and control.

1
Start small, scale smart

Begin with high-impact use cases where AI copilots can quickly deliver value.

2
Connect AI with real business data

MCP ensures that copilots don't work in isolation but are connected to reliable, live data.

3
Secure by design

From day one, every interaction is protected with access controls and compliance frameworks.

Approach

People

Architecture

Process

Agnostic

Technology

Eline Schoonen
"We don't use AI to replace what makes us human. We use it to reclaim it. The true promise of AI isn't just speed or scale — it's the chance to let people do more of what only people can: connect, imagine, decide. Controlled Innovation gives us the structure to stay grounded, and the freedom to aim higher."
— Eline Schoonen, AI-Champion at Ctac
Source: Ctac AI Champion

The time to act is now

Relevance in the coming years

2024

From experimentation to execution

Organizations test no more, but scale AI responsibly.

2025

Platform thinking is past

SAP and Microsoft converge through shared copilots and architecture.

2026

Data becomes the new UX

The best interface is no interface - data quality makes the difference.

2027

Prompting becomes a core skill

Asking the right questions becomes as important as doing the right things.

Business AI Canvas

Your strategic framework for AI transformation

Navigate your AI journey with our comprehensive Business AI Canvas. This strategic framework helps you map out your AI transformation from vision to execution, ensuring every initiative aligns with your business objectives.

Strategic Alignment

Map AI initiatives to business outcomes

Impact Assessment

Prioritize projects by effort and impact

Risk Management

Identify and mitigate potential challenges

Ready to start your AI transformation?

Download our Business AI Canvas template and begin mapping your strategic AI journey today.

Download het Business AI Canvas
Gerben Moerland
"Technology alone won't shape the future. Vision does. AI gives us the tools — but it's our leadership, our courage, and our clarity of purpose that makes the difference. The next 12 months won't be about experimenting. They'll be about executing — with control, with direction, and with people at the center."
— Gerben Moerland, CEO of Ctac
Source: Ctac CEO

Ready to transform?

At Ctac, we help you innovate without losing control. With our Controlled Innovation approach, deep sector knowledge, and partnerships with SAP and Microsoft, we guide you forward, with confidence.

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