Welcome to the AI Copilot Podcast, analyzing the latest AI Copilot and agent developments. In this episode, John Siefert interviews Stephen James, CEO of sa.global, about the company’s transformation from a traditional systems integrator to a hybrid ISV and systems integrator. James will be taking part in the AI Copilot Summit on March 17 to 19.
Highlights
SA Global’s Evolution and Transformation (01:14)
James explains sa.global’s 34-year history, highlighting the transformation from a classic systems integrator to a hybrid ISV and systems integrator. The acquisition of Lexis One in 2019 marked a significant shift, creating a cloud solution on D365 to serve professional services organizations. The company aims to shift from a services-based model to a recurring revenue model, focusing on delivering transformational value to clients.
AI Agent & Copilot Summit is an AI-first event to define opportunities, impact, and outcomes with Microsoft Copilot and agents. Building on its 2025 success, the 2026 event takes place March 17-19 in San Diego. Get more details.
Shift Recurring Revenue Model (03:50)
James discusses the importance of AI in accelerating the vision of building a transformational platform for clients. He explains the company’s strategy to reduce the number of hours spent on client engagements by focusing on transformational value. The goal is to achieve 60% recurring revenue, currently at 50%, by delivering solutions that generate sustainable and scalable value. “The potential now is to build something which is completely new in the Dynamics ecosystem, kind of hybrid ISV/systems integrator that’s focused on transformational value, and that delivers in a very different way.”
Accelerating Transformation with AI and Copilots (08:12)
The modern approach compresses the timeframe to get clients on the platform and leverage the value of AI and copilot tools. James describes sa.global’s unique implementation approach, which involves deploying a fully configured environment and playing back how the system will work with the client’s data.
OiKO Acquisition (13:23)
sa.global acquired OiKO, which brings real-world use cases and a client base, including Heineken, Honda, and Kimberly-Clark. OiKO’s pragmatic and business-focused approach, along with its toolset and methodology, allows for quick turnaround of transformative AI services.
Transformational AI (22:50)
James discusses the importance of delivering transformational AI that goes beyond productivity improvements, emphasizing the need for deep knowledge of business processes to achieve transformational value. The conversation touches on the limitations of generic copilots and the need for industry-specific AI solutions. He highlights the role of sa.global Labs in building a semantic layer using graph technology to enhance the accuracy of AI algorithms. “What’s missing is there is that deep knowledge of how everything interconnects in your business. We know that stuff. We can teach the tool that.”
Redefining Customer Engagement (34:29)
sa.global aims to build long-term, strategic relationships with clients by delivering transformational value. The focus is on engaging with clients at a higher level, including the board and CEO, rather than just IT and operations. He emphasizes the importance of quantifiable business value and ROI in sales conversations.
Future Vision (36:40)
sa.global aims to become a strategic partner on the Microsoft industry cloud. He discusses the potential for delivering transformational AI and the importance of understanding customer requirements.
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