The opportunity at a glance
The New Zealand Automobile Association (the AA) embarked on a journey to embrace Microsoft AI in a way that delivers practical value for day-to-day work while maintaining strong security and governance. Arinco partnered with the AA to strengthen its Microsoft 365 foundations and deliver a structured Microsoft 365 Copilot program focused on high-value use cases, adoption enablement, and early agent scenarios. Within just four weeks of enablement, the AA recorded more than 8,600 Copilot actions, nearly 500 Copilot-assisted hours and adoption across almost all licensed users, providing a clear roadmap to scale AI responsibly across the organisation.
About the AA
The New Zealand Automobile Association (the AA) is one of New Zealand’s most trusted member organisations, supporting millions of members and customers through mobility, insurance and home services. The organisation operates across a diverse workforce of employees, contractors, and partners who rely on secure, efficient access to systems and information to deliver critical services to members and customers nationwide.
Business challenge
The AA had made a strong investment in Microsoft 365 E5 but needed to strengthen its foundations to fully realise value and confidently prepare for AI adoption.
External access governance relied heavily on manual processes, with limited lifecycle controls and some complexity in governing third-party user access to the AA systems. At the same time, information readiness and security required consideration to ensure organisational content could be accessed safely and confidently in Microsoft 365 Copilot scenarios. This was essential to supporting responsible AI use while maintaining appropriate controls over sensitive information.
“AI presents and incredible opportunity to better manage our information and knowledge systems, and extract even more value out of Microsoft 365.”
Alongside these foundational requirements, the AA wanted to demonstrate early, practical value from Copilot while establishing a structured and repeatable approach to adoption and change that could scale across the organisation.
“We were looking for a partner that could help us get better value and unlock capabilities for our people. We needed that partner to support us to accelerate through innovation.”
Solution
Arinco delivered an integrated program that combined secure Microsoft 365 capabilities with practical Copilot enablement and early agent scenarios, tailored to the AA’s operational needs.
Secure foundations for responsible AI
Arinco strengthened the AA’s Microsoft 365 environment to ensure Copilot and future agent scenarios could be adopted with confidence. This included establishing Microsoft Purview Information Protection foundations, with information taxonomies, automatic classification and container-based protection to support safe AI use. Arinco also uplifted SharePoint information architecture to improve discoverability and governance of unstructured content, ensuring Copilot interactions were based on well-managed information.
Identity lifecycle management and external access governance were enhanced to improve control over third-party access while reducing manual effort. Zero Trust-aligned improvements using extended Entra ID capabilities further strengthened application and device security across the environment.
Demonstrating Copilot value and driving adoption
To prove value quickly, Arinco ran a Microsoft 365 Copilot proof of value engagement focused on real operational needs. This included Copilot immersion sessions, role-based training and a half-day executive workshop that enabled the AA’s leadership team to explore practical AI use cases and lead organisational change.
Advanced analytics were implemented to track usage, adoption and productivity impacts, providing data-driven insights to guide future rollout phases. Arinco’s hands-on sessions helped staff apply Copilot confidently in their day-to-day work, while visible executive participation reinforced organisational ownership of change.
Improving access to knowledge with Copilot agents
Arinco worked with the AA to design and validate early Copilot agent use cases aligned to real operational challenges. These initial use cases focused on improving access to information and supporting staff in their day-to-day work, while informing future agent design and governance.
Scenarios included an HR leadership coaching agent to help staff quickly find relevant policies and procedures, and a roadside assistance agent concept designed to enhance access to technical and service information. Both scenarios provided practical insight into requirements, data sources, and user experience considerations, helping the AA refine its approach to agent-based solutions.
Turning Copilot usage into actionable insights
Arinco enabled the AA to use advanced Microsoft 365 Copilot analytics to understand usage patterns and inform the next phase of adoption and investment. These insights provided clear visibility into engagement and productivity trends, helping the AA prioritise future rollout phases and make informed decisions about scaling Copilot across the organisation.
“Arinco helped us sort through a number of privacy and security features in our platform. Their technical capability has enabled us to quickly roll out the capabilities we have within the Microsoft ecosystem. They’ve improved our approaches, educating and uplifting capability, and working alongside us in a pragmatic way. We value the strategic partnership that Arinco brings. They’re proactive, engaging, and always curious about the business outcomes we’re trying to achieve.”
Outcomes
The engagement delivered strong early adoption of Microsoft 365 Copilot, validated high-value use cases, and established the secure foundations required for responsible AI adoption at scale across the AA.
- Strong early adoption: Within a four-week reporting period, the AA recorded 8,656 Copilot actions, 488 Copilot-assisted hours, and a lift to over 90% active licence usage, demonstrating immediate engagement and practical value.
- Clear AI adoption path: The AA and Arinco defined priority Copilot and agent use cases, supported by a structured adoption plan and roadmap to guide ongoing rollout and investment.
- Validated agent use cases: Early Copilot agent scenarios confirmed how agent-based experiences can improve access to policies, procedures and operational knowledge, informing future design and governance decisions.
- Improved security and governance readiness: Enhanced information protection, identity governance and Zero Trust controls strengthened the AA’s ability to extend AI capabilities safely across the organisation.
- Data-driven decision making: Usage and adoption analytics established a clear baseline for continuous improvement, enabling informed decisions on scaling Copilot and future AI initiatives.
- Confidence to scale into the future: With strong foundations in place, the AA now has the confidence to expand Microsoft AI adoption to new audiences and scenarios as priorities evolve.
“As we worked together to drive our AI adoption Arinco bought proactive ideas to the table. This included getting our Executive team together to use the platform to build their own Agents and to get more confident and energised about the opportunity. Having the top-down support for our AI ambition and role modelling usage means we are well placed to continue to adopt and adapt.”
What’s next
Arinco and the AA’s joint AI roadmap provides a clear path for scaling Copilot and agent adoption while maturing governance over time. Building on strong foundations, the partnership will focus on prioritising high-value scenarios, strengthening lifecycle controls for agent solutions, and expanding Microsoft AI use across the organisation.
Informed by usage insights and early adopter feedback, the AA is preparing to deploy ‘hero’ agents aligned to key operational needs, extend access to frontline and mobile users and embed AI into everyday processes. With a clear roadmap in place, the AA is ready to scale responsible, secure AI innovation for its people and members.
