SoftwareOne case study

Structured AI Transformation & Adoption at Materna

Building on its stable cloud, security, and governance platform, Materna Information & Communications SE took the next decisive step in its digital evolution. Materna began the structured use of generative artificial intelligence. Rather than testing AI in isolated pilots, its goal was to establish it sustainably as an integral part of workflows, development, and decision-making.

Partnering with SoftwareOne, Materna opted for a holistic transformation that systematically connects technological readiness, governance, adoption, and change management. AI was not treated as an isolated technology project, but as an organization-wide strategic capability.

(The underlying cloud, security, and governance transformation is documented in a separate case study.)

Unified AI governance
AI is integrated with security, identity, and compliance controls across all platforms and tenants.
Time savings
Saved an average of 52 minutes per day.
Technology-agnostic AI platform architecture
Integrated for Microsoft and Google-based AI scenarios.

Client: Materna Information & Communications SE
Industry: Information technology
Platform: Microsoft Azure
Services: Microsoft 365 Copilot Readiness Assessment, Copilot Deployment & Adoption, GitHub Copilot rollout, AI envisioning workshops
Country: Germany

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For us, introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot was not only a technical change, but above all an organizational one. After a proof of concept, in which SoftwareOne supported us closely, we were able to assess early on how Copilot can be integrated securely, sensibly, and in a compliant manner into our existing Microsoft 365 environment. The key was not only to create the technical and regulatory conditions, but also to actively involve our employees in the change process from the very beginning.

Bernhard Baunok
Team Lead Front Office, Materna Information & Communications SE

Making AI usable without losing control

As generative AI technologies matured, Materna needed to integrate them effectively into everyday work. However, it was clear that an uncontrolled or purely experimental approach would not meet the company’s stringent requirements for data protection, governance, and compliance.

Key questions:

How can AI use cases be prioritized and assessed from a business perspective?
How do we ensure that data access, permissions, and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) requirements are complied with?
How do we achieve acceptable adoption across different roles—from knowledge work to software development?
How can AI value be measured?

Against this backdrop, AI was not to be introduced in isolation, but as a structured transformation program based on the existing platform and governance architecture.

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A Structured AI transformation in multiple building blocks

SoftwareOne and Materna worked together to develop a multi-stage AI transformation model that systematically connects technical safeguards, business use cases, and organizational embedding.

Strategic AI positioning & use case definition

Starting with a set of structured envisioning workshops, AI use cases were identified, evaluated, and prioritized. The focus centered on knowledge work, document creation, analysis, development support, and reporting. This ensured that AI was introduced as a business-driven initiative rather than a technology-driven one.

Technical readiness & safeguards for Microsoft 365 Copilot

Before Microsoft 365 Copilot was used in production, existing permissions and security structures were reviewed. In particular, data and access structures were analyzed to identify potential risks of oversharing. Data Loss Prevention and Information Protection policies were reviewed and adjusted to ensure secure, compliant use of Copilot.

Adoption, change & capability building

In parallel with the technical rollout, Materna established a structured adoption and change model. Role-specific training, pilot use cases, and defined KPIs ensured that AI was not only available but also effectively integrated into daily work. Tailored enablement programs, defined pilot groups, and the introduction of measurable KPIs assessed productivity and efficiency gains from using generative AI.

AI in software development: GitHub Copilot

AI was deliberately introduced into the development environment. By standardizing on GitHub Enterprise, deploying GitHub Copilot, and adding complementary security measures, Materna increased developer productivity while maintaining governance and quality standards.

Technology openness: Google Gemini in Finance

Complementing its Microsoft-based AI strategy, Materna implemented selected AI use cases in the Google ecosystem. With Gemini Enterprise, analysis and reporting processes were accelerated in finance and control. This underscored the AI transformation’s technology-agnostic approach. Materna continues to deliberately pursue a multi-AI strategy that integrates different ecosystems and optimally uses each depending on the scenario.

This is why Microsoft 365 Copilot at Materna was not simply rolled out, but deliberately integrated into everyday work. The high acceptance among users and the noticeable time savings in daily tasks clearly show that this approach was successful.

Bernhard Baunok

Team Lead Front Office, Materna Information & Communications SE

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AI sustainably embedded and future-proofed

This is written in a paragraph/s rather than bullets and is really shows the impact our work has made in helping the customer achieve its big picture vision Length: approx. 1,300 and max about 1,500 characters incl. spaces The collaboration between Materna and SoftwareOne has evolved over several years into a strategic transformation partnership. Today, AI at Materna is no longer an isolated innovation initiative, but a core component of key work, analytics, and development processes. As part of the Microsoft 365 Copilot rollout and the structured adoption measures, Materna achieved an acceptance rate of 98.2% among participating early adopters. The solution’s tangible value was equally clear. Users reported average time savings of 52 minutes per day - an outcome that powerfully highlights the effectiveness of the established governance, security, enablement, and change structures. The company has increased productivity in a targeted way while consistently meeting regulatory requirements.

Most importantly, Materna’s core team built an active Copilot community where users share questions and success stories. This community continues to provide ongoing support for Copilot users and serves as a valuable starting point for new users to unlock the potential of their licenses quickly and efficiently.

Microsoft 365 Copilot supports knowledge work and collaboration, GitHub Copilot increases efficiency in software development, and AI-driven analytics in the Google ecosystem accelerates reporting and control processes. What matters is that all AI applications fit seamlessly into the existing platform and governance architecture and are clearly embedded in processes, roles, and responsibilities.

Materna and SoftwareOne continue to collaborate in evolving the AI transformation. The focus is on expanding end-to-end AI governance and advancing information protection and Data Loss Prevention concepts. Continuing the process, additional AI scenarios are gradually integrated into business functions and development teams. Microsoft Purview plays a central role in ensuring transparency, controllability, and compliance as AI usage grows. The AI transformation is a long-term development journey. Building on a stable platform, clear governance structures, and a technology-agnostic strategy, Materna and SoftwareOne are creating the foundation to embed AI sustainably, securely, and in a future-ready way across the company.