Digital Neighborhood Launches AI Arm, Appoints Aki Antman as Head of Copilot and AI

 The Digital Neighborhood, a growing community of 13 independent tech companies specializing in Microsoft Cloud and AI services, announces the establishment of its Artificial Intelligence (AI) Arm. Leading this initiative is Aki Antman, Founder and CEO of Sulava*, The Digital Neighborhood’s Finnish brand renowned for its AI and Copilot expertise and proficiency in Microsoft Cloud solutions. Sulava has been Microsoft’s Finish Partner of the Year for Modern Work for four consequtive years (2020-2023).

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With an unwavering commitment to redefine how organizations operate,The Digital Neighborhood makes a significant move and investment to empower its 2,400 customers. The company’s dedication to innovation and excellence has forged a dynamic partnership with Microsoft, cementing its position as the go-to-market leader in Northern European deployments of Microsoft’s Copilot.

Jean-Yves Charlier, CEO of The Digital Neighborhood, says, “Our venture into Artificial Intelligence embodies The Digital Neighborhood’s dedication to cutting-edge technology and customer-centric solutions, and our partnership with Microsoft is at the core of the technological advancements we are delivering to our customers.”

“As pioneers in Microsoft Cloud and AI technologies, we are committed to redefining the way people work and we are proud to collaborate with Microsoft to deliver AI technology and services that are transforming the business landscape,” concludes Charlier.

Aki Antman, now at the helm of The Digital Neighborhood’s AI Arm, brings a wealth of experience and vision to this role. He remarks, “Our journey into AI is anchored in innovation and our focus on harnessing Microsoft Cloud and AI capabilities. We have already assisted over 40 of our valued customers in improving their productivity, efficiency, and innovation with Copilot solutions, many, prior to its public market launch on 1st November this year. We are excited to now extend these unmatched benefits to all our enterprise customers across The Digital Neighborhood.”

Aki emphasizes the role of training and adoption of new ways of working in the era of AI: ‘As a global Microsoft Training Partner, we know that both our own employees and all our customers need to be trained in a new way of working. As generative AI and Copilots improve productivity by double-digit percentages, we are making a fundamental shift from information work to thinking work.”

The City of Helsinki is one of Sulava’s most progressive AI customers. Commenting on its roll out of AI with Sulava and The Digital Neighborhood, it said, ” We’re on an AI learning journey, identifying the best use cases, learning with Copilot in IT management, and planning our next steps for change. We’re focused on enhancing the user experience across our organization, ensuring everyone knows how to harness AI in their work effectively. In administration, efficient information discovery and integration are key benefits of AI. Working with Sulava on our AI journey as been a 5-star experience.”

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As Aki takes on his new role as the Head of AI for The Digital Neighborhood, alongside his existing position as Sulava CEO, he will be passing on the day-to-day operations of Sulava to industry veteran Mika Sarhimaa. Mika joins Sulava on as COO, bringing with him extensive experience in Microsoft technologies and enterprise customer engagement. Mika has held numerous senior leadership roles at Microsoft and HP. The Digital Neighborhood warmly welcomes Mika to the group and looks forward to benefiting from the depth of industry knowledge and experience he brings.

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