AvePoint’s AI Journey: Expanding Multi-Cloud Innovation with Google Gemini

At AvePoint, we believe in leading by example, especially regarding AI innovation. As organizations explore how to adopt AI responsibly, we’ve embedded it into our daily operations through tools like Microsoft Copilot, our Azure-based assistant ChatAVPT, and now, Google Gemini.

This hands-on approach shapes how we build, deploy, and support solutions — reflecting our commitment to flexibility, best-in-class tools, and operational readiness. Discover how our multi-cloud strategy, now strengthened by Gemini, drives real innovation and impact across the company.

The Evolution of AvePoint’s AI Strategy

AvePoint’s AI journey began with Microsoft 365 Copilot, where we quickly learned that success hinges on more than just access to powerful tools — it requires data readiness, governance, and strategic enablement. As John Peluso, our Chief Product Officer, stated,

Hopefully this is beginning to tell a story around why we’re doubling down on the investments and investing in (AI)... This is a really unique opportunity for us as a company.

Learning from Microsoft Copilot Adoption

Our early experience with Copilot has been a significant learning curve, shaped by both internal experimentation and the best practices we’ve discovered.

Data Readiness Is Foundational

Clean, well-governed data is essential for generative AI (genAI). We removed outdated files, enforced robust role-based access controls (RBAC) and multi-factor authentication (MFA), and used internal tools to ensure data accuracy and minimize risk. These steps were all part of our comprehensive data governance strategy.

In addition, we used analytical solutions to monitor Copilot usage and engagement and gain insight into adoption trends. Personalized workspace tools and governance workflows further supported this by improving information access and automating policy enforcement across Microsoft 365.

Tailored Training and Employee Buy-In Accelerate Adoption

We realized that one-size-fits-all training wouldn’t cut it. We developed department-specific sessions aligned with real workflows, hosted role-based office hours, and offered personalized coaching. This approach helped our employees quickly see the value and significantly reduced learning curves, building genuine excitement for the AI’s rollout. By showcasing practical benefits, we overcame AI fatigue and fostered sustainable adoption.

Governance and Compliance Are Non-Negotiable

Ethical and regulatory implications of AI are critical. We introduced human checkpoints for AI-generated outputs, maintained clear segregation of duties, and meticulously documented AI actions to align with regulatory standards like the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX).

Analytics Inform Strategy

What gets measured gets managed. We relentlessly tracked usage patterns and engagement, identified adoption bottlenecks, and refined our rollout strategy based on real-time data. This helped us measure productivity gains while continuously improving.

Productivity Gains Are Tangible

The investment truly paid off. Our teams experienced noticeable benefits, saving anywhere from one to three hours per user per week. This shift allowed them to focus on more strategic planning, creative content generation, and impactful collaboration, ultimately improving consistency and speed in communication across the board.

Our Copilot journey demonstrates the tangible impact of its adoption, with 95% of employees across the organization utilizing it at least once a week. These insights have been crucial in refining our approach to AI adoption, keeping us focused on readiness, governance, and business impact.

Innovating with ChatAVPT

Innovation doesn’t stop at third-party tools. We’ve developed ChatAVPT, a custom Azure-based AI assistant tailored to AvePoint’s internal needs. This tool showcases our agility and foresight and reflects our commitment to building intelligent systems tailored to our unique internal needs.

Expanding Horizons with Google Gemini

Building on our strong foundation with Copilot, we’ve expanded our AI strategy by integrating Google Gemini. This powerful, multimodal tool enhances specific tasks like real-time research, structured thinking, and seamless collaboration within Google Workspace. Its ability to process and synthesize diverse inputs, from text to images and audio, significantly strengthens our internal AI capabilities.

Why Multi-Cloud Matters for AI Innovation

Embracing a multi-cloud AI strategy allows AvePoint to stay agile and effective across business environments. By leveraging platforms like Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure, we address varied internal needs and better support customers operating in mixed ecosystems.

Integrating AI from multiple providers enhances workflows and impact by drawing on each tool’s strengths. This approach aligns with our mission as a multi-cloud security and data management leader, deepening our understanding of real-world challenges and opportunities.

AvePointers Embracing Gemini

Google Gemini is already empowering teams across disciplines at AvePoint by driving productivity and fostering new working methods. Here’s how our colleagues are experiencing its impact:

Transforming Product Development Workflows

“Gemini has been a game-changer for me! I feed it all my core requirements and raw ideas for new product features, and it instantly transforms them into a complete, perfectly structured feature story,” Alyssa Blackburn, Global Program Manager for Information Management, shares.

She also credits Gemini with helping her overcome “blank page paralysis,” replacing initial anxiety with momentum and confidence by providing instant, structured drafts from her raw ideas.

Enhancing Product Ideation and Coaching

Jeremy Thake, Senior Vice President for Platform AI Innovation, leverages Gemini Pro with Chrome for real-time deep research during product idea discussions, noting, “Using Chrome with Gemini Pro running, I talk out loud and discuss potential product ideas and it does deep research in real time.”

He also uses NotebookLM, a Gemini-powered Google product, to enhance coaching. “I also create NotebookLMs for each team member, storing transcripts and strategy docs. I can then ask Gemini questions in scope of that person, and it helps me coach them during our 1 on 1s,” he mentions.

Accelerating Code and Shaping Future AI Collaboration

One of AvePoint’s Senior Growth Designers shares how he primarily utilizes Gemini Code Assist plugin to accelerate his code writing and prompt engineering work. “My primary use for it is to write code for new components much faster. I can describe a feature I need, and Gemini generates the starting code for me,” he states.

While he finds the latest Gemini models, available within Google AI Studio, excellent for writing new code, he notes its current limitation: “It’s still learning how to fix complex bugs.” To enhance its effectiveness and tackle such issues, he employs it within a multi-agent system to solve complex, code-related matters. He also shares his excitement about having multiple AIs work together — one to write the code and another to check it for errors automatically.

Scaling AI Innovation with Unified Multi-Cloud Data Governance

The success of any AI initiative, regardless of the tools employed, ultimately hinges on a robust data governance strategy. At AvePoint, we continue to explore and integrate advanced AI in our operations, allowing us to focus on ensuring data integrity, security, compliance, and optimized performance across all environments. This empowers our organization to leverage AI with confidence.

Establish Robust AI Data Security Across Multi-Cloud Environments. Robust security and comprehensive governance are non-negotiable across our multi-cloud environments for all AI-driven processes. While internal guardrails provide a baseline, we continuously enhance our workspace data security to support new AI capabilities like Gemini in Google Workspace.

Drive Efficiency Through AI Data Optimization Initiatives. Balancing efficient data management and cost optimization is vital in an AI-ready, multi-cloud setup. We optimize Google Cloud storage and data flows to ensure our enterprise AI initiatives are scalable and cost-effective.
Govern Enterprise AI for Future Readiness. AvePoint is evolving its AI strategy to support next-generation innovations like Gemini and agentic AI for unified enterprise AI governance at scale. Our hands-on experience with the multi-cloud AI ecosystem, including Google’s, directly informs our ability to help customers adopt AI securely and effectively.

As you build out your AI innovation with unified multi-cloud data governance, proactive risk management for advanced tools like Gemini is essential. Discover key strategies for securing your Gemini data by joining our webinar, “Securing Gemini Data: Proactive Risk Management.”