Biz Apps Partner Podcast: Alithya’s John Scandar on AI Adoption, Data Considerations, Ecosystem Collaboration
Welcome to the “Biz Apps Partner Podcast,” a weekly video series designed to decentralize intelligence about how partners can scale their Microsoft practice by having short, to the point discussions with Microsoft leaders in product, engineering, marketing, partner management, programs, and more.
In this episode, John Siefert is joined by John Scandar, SVP, Alithya, to discuss the company’s evolution, its investment in AI, industry-specific applications, data considerations, and the importance of ecosystem collaboration to stay ahead in rapidly changing technology.
This episode is brought to you by two events: the Biz Apps Partner Preconference Workshop, taking place on October 13, at Community Summit North America 2024, and the Biz Apps Partner Summit, taking place July 23-24, 2025 in Seattle, Washington.
Key Takeaways
- Overview: John has been with Alithya for seven years and currently serves as the Senior Vice President, after having sold his previous company, RusselSmith. Alithya is a publicly traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange and have around 3,000 employees. John explains that the company has evolved from an ERP-based business applications partner to what is now “all things Microsoft,” including Azure and Copilot. An “aha moment” that John has taken from this expansion is that adapting to rapidly changing technology is crucial for partners to stay ahead and add value across the board for customers.
- Rising trends: Alithya is heavily invested in AI, acquiring Vitalist to enhance adoption. Its strategy includes focusing on M365 with Modern Work and Dynamics for Sales, Customer Service, and Finance. Internally, Alithya has implemented Copilot for hundreds of users to improve our business and apply these solutions to its customers.
- AI for industry-specific needs: Alithya is known for its expertise in process manufacturing, food, chemical, and pharma industries, and it leverages AI to improve product quality and reduce waste. Additionally, Alithya has launched a Copilot Academy to educate customers about Copilot through periodic sessions, helping them understand and utilize its capabilities.
- Data considerations: Creating data for reporting requires different expertise than preparing data for quality algorithms, as the latter involves teaching the algorithm to learn correctly. John notes that it’s crucial to ensure data is structured properly to avoid “garbage in, garbage out” and to consider security aspects specific to AI applications.
- Ecosystem collaboration: It’s always exciting to hear how different businesses are solving customer problems and exploring partnership opportunities, notes John. The real competition is external, so collaborating to improve the ecosystem is key.
Stream the audio version of this episode here:
