EVENT: The law firm of the future: Setting the platform for digital transformation LONDON
18.07.25Top Data and AI takeaways from Elevate
More than 50 IT leaders and data enthusiasts descended on King Street Townhouse in Manchester in July for what was the biggest and best LIMA Elevate to date.
Westcoast Cloud’s Partner CTO Steve Miles took the audience on a deep dive through data strategy and how Microsoft Fabric can support data management and analysis.
The message coming through loud and clear is that having a clear data strategy is essential before even thinking about AI projects, and products like Microsoft Fabric are simplifying that journey.
LIMA CTO Martin Ingham also took the audience through specific use cases from LIMA’s own journey to AI adoption, and the lessons learned.
If you missed out, or want a recap, we’ve rounded up five key takeaways from the range of talks and panels on offer at Elevate.
1. Data strategy is at the heart of AI, and every AI project is fundamentally a data project
Westcoast Cloud’s Steve Miles told the audience that the phrase “garbage in – garbage out” has never been truer than in the case of Generative AI. If your data management and governance isn’t in shape, you’ll get poor results. The first step to successful implementation of AI is data governance.
2. Only 1% of risk leaders feel prepared for AI
The risks of shadow AI (employees using unregulated or unmanaged AI tools) include exposing the personal data your business holds. If someone uploads a spreadsheet into any of the plethora of AI tools your IT doesn’t manage and provision, you risk being fined for breaches of compliance. There’s also a risk that the information these tools spit out is not trained on your own frameworks or the rules and regulations of your geographical region, and you end up with inaccurate outputs that increase errors and put your business at risk.
3. Many organisations are starting from a low bar
It’s common for organisations to work with a complex, organically evolved data estate that isn’t perfectly organised. This state often leads to data duplication. The goal is a unified view of data across all your systems and all your teams, with one view. Microsoft Fabric helps you to achieve that.
4. Fabric doesn’t mean moving your data anywhere
Fabric doesn’t require costly data migrations. It can be overlaid to any data source, whether that’s in Azure, AWS, private cloud or on-prem, and provides a mirrored, unified view of that data allowing for powerful data insights or AI activities. Data becomes directly accessible by all the analytical engines without needing any import/export.
5. When it comes to AI projects, don’t be afraid to start small
In his talk on practical use cases of AI, LIMA CTO Martin Ingham urged the audience to consider starting small when it comes to AI strategy. Build something that’s deliverable, realistic and appropriate to your business and the skills you have access to, whether they’re in-house or within your partner network. Identify simple use cases that have a quick impact. Use these as a test case you can get out of the door quickly, then once you’ve proved some value you can develop your strategy further and create more value.
Unsure where to start with Microsoft Fabric and your Data and AI strategy? Get in touch today to speak to an expert.
Contact LIMA at 0345 345 1110 or enquiries@lima.co.uk.