If you’re responsible for IT in a small or mid-sized business, you’ve probably noticed that Microsoft has been busy. One of the most significant recent developments is Azure AI Foundry—a new way to discover, evaluate, and deploy models to help your team automate tasks, improve workflows, and get more value from your data.

But here’s the thing: just because something is new doesn’t mean it’s useful. And just because it’s powerful doesn’t mean it’s practical—especially for small IT teams already stretched thin.

That’s why we’ve taken a closer look at Foundry, not from a marketing perspective, but from the lens of: “What does this mean for the average IT leader trying to support a growing business?”

Here’s a quick preview of what we found:

  • Foundry gives you access to over 1,900 models, including Microsoft-hosted options that are secure, supported, and integrated with Azure—and third-party models from providers like Meta, Hugging Face, and Cohere that offer more variety but require more oversight.
  • You can compare models side-by-side using your data. This helps you make informed decisions before you commit to anything.
  • You can deploy models in two ways: standard (API-based, easier to start) or managed compute (more control, but more setup). Each has trade-offs, and we break them down clearly.
  • Foundry now connects with Power Platform, so you can use these models in Power Automate flows, Copilot agents, and Power Apps—if you know how to set it up securely.

We haven’t built production apps with Foundry yet as it’s still new, but we’re learning it, testing it, and helping our clients understand what’s possible. That strategic advisory role is where we shine.

If you’re curious about what Foundry can do, how it fits into your Microsoft environment, and whether it’s worth exploring, we’ve compiled an evaluation guide for IT leaders like you.

Read the full article here

Or reach out—we’d love to help you figure out what fits.

 

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