How to turn your business’ AI interest into practical, secure results

How to turn your business’ AI interest into practical, secure results

19 hours ago

Sept. 22, 2026

This piece is sponsored by Direct Companies

For many businesses, the first use of artificial intelligence has been simple: rewriting an email, summarizing a document, formatting notes or testing a free version of ChatGPT to see what it can do

The next stage of AI adoption can be much more powerful: It’s when AI begins to complete tasks, connect systems, analyze data, support customer service, improve reporting, strengthen decision-making and help employees work more efficiently

It’s also the time when additional risks, complexities and missed opportunities can arise — unless you have the right partner

That’s where Sioux Falls-based Direct and Workplace by Direct are expanding their work

Rather than approaching AI as another subscription or stand-alone tool, Direct is helping businesses understand where artificial intelligence and business process automation can create practical, measurable value, as well as where a more traditional automation solution might be the better fit

“Our belief is AI where you need it, not just AI to check the box,” CEO Paul Zweifel said

“We help clients determine when AI is the right solution and when traditional business automation is the better fit, ensuring they get the right technology without paying for AI when they don’t need it.”

The expanded service reflects the combined expertise across Direct, including business technology, data management, industrial automation, security, systems integration and managed IT services

It also builds on work Direct has been doing for years

“Direct and Workplace by Direct have a long history of using automation both within our own business and to support our clients,” Zweifel said. “In the industrial market, AI and advanced automation have been part of our work since Direct was founded. In our managed services business, we have also used automated workflows for many years.”

What has changed is how quickly AI is moving into everyday business operations

Large language models, custom GPTs and AI embedded into applications, search engines and business software have created opportunities for companies of all sizes. But they also have created questions about security, governance, employee training, data privacy, implementation and monitoring

For the past couple of years, Direct has been building its capabilities around those needs

“We have been developing our security offerings, AI policies, training, tools, help desk components and staffing to support our clients from end to end with AI,” Zweifel said. “We have a really comprehensive solution, and we’re not just checking a box with AI.”

Discovering the opportunity

For many businesses, the first step is simply understanding where they are

Brad Bell, business development analyst for Direct, works with clients to identify how they are using AI now, where they want to go and what business processes might be improved

“Right now, clients are trying to figure out what step one is,” Bell said. “A lot of people are using free versions of ChatGPT and other models to dump stuff in and try to have it reorganize it — reformat, make it look pretty, draft emails, make sure they’re in the right context. That’s AI today that people are playing with. The future is: Where is AI going to get the job done and actually do the tasks on my behalf?”

For small and midsized businesses, that can require stepping back from the daily workflow long enough to ask whether a process should still be done manually

“In most small to medium-sized businesses, people wake up every day doing their job, clicking the things they do, going through the motions without maybe asking the question: Should I have to do this all the time?” Bell said. “They need someone like us to do some discovery, ask the questions, talk about what could be automated and show how that can save time and re

Sometimes, the opportunity is obvious only when someone new asks why a process exists

“When new team members start and begin asking questions, that’s the most important person to listen to,” Bell said. “If they’re asking why things are the way they are, it’s really about what’s not right in our system that they have to do that function. Nobody has ever questioned it — they just do it.”

A common example might be copying and pasting the same information into multiple places or moving data from a customer relationship management system into accounting software. That might not require AI at all — it might be better solved through workflow automation

But AI can take automation further when context, interpretation or decision support is needed

“AI is a solution to business automation,” Bell said. “Business automation has been around forever, and Direct has been doing automation a long time. AI can listen, interpret what you want done, confirm with you — which we call human in the loop, which is very important these days — and then the human approves the actions.”

That “human in the loop” approach is important because AI is not perfect, he added

For customer-facing uses such as voice or chat agents, companies need to be especially careful that the experience is accurate and easy to navigate

“The customer should only have to ask for a person or human one time,” Bell said. “No more pressing zero 17 times.”

Setting the example

Direct already is using AI internally in ways that show what is possible

For sales research, the company built an AI agent that can research a prospective customer, identify key stakeholders, pull information from for the salesperson

Sales staff previously could spend an hour to 90 minutes just trying to understand a prospective customer before outreach

“We took that research out of their hands,” Bell said. “That’s where a job got done for the salesperson, and I didn’t realize how much time they were spending until a couple months ago.”

On the data management and software side, AI also is changing how quickly work can be completed

Dan Buresh, director of data management, works across integration, software, automation and AI. He said recent changes in AI-assisted software development have been dramatic

“Our front-end development and quality assurance testing are all done through AI,” Buresh said. “Developers who might have needed five people to put out a million lines of code, we’re putting that out with one developer in a month.”

AI also is creating opportunities in lead generation, lead enrichment and sales support. Direct can take large lead lists, enrich them with additional information, identify decision-makers and use AI-supported calling or screening to narrow the list to the most promising opportunities

“It helps fill gaps and do what we do, but do it better,” he said

Industry applications

The applications extend far beyond office work

Direct works with manufacturers and processors across a wide range of industries, including ethanol, food and beverage, water and wastewater, oil and gas, and other industrial environments where large volumes of operational data flow through production systems

Historically, analyzing that data to identify patterns, trends or rn computing power allow that analysis to happen more efficiently and, increasingly, in real time

“With the power of AI and data centers, we can look at data in real time and do pattern tracking and be more proactive rather than reactive to identify issues before they’re happening,” Buresh said. “Now with AI, it definitely broadens our horizon in regard to how we can apply it to large data sets and what information we can get from it.”

The goal is not to eliminate jobs, he added, but to redirect people toward higher-value work

“It comes down to efficiency,” Buresh said. “It’s not about job elimination but redirection — making people more efficient to focus on what they need to focus on. Now, we’re making decisions based on data versus gut feelings and what we had done in the past.”

Before companies move too far into AI, though, they need a foundation

Governance and policy come first, Buresh said. Organizations need to define how employees can use AI, what tools are approved, what data can be entered and what guardrails are needed based on industry risk

For example, a healthcare organization requires higher levels of data control to ensure patient information is not submitted into an uncontained AI solution

“With uncontained AI, they can take the data and use it to train their model,” Buresh said. “Contained means anything you upload is private to you, and it protects your data.”

From there, Direct helps with training, monitoring and management

Employees need to understand the guardrails, why AI matters and the security risks involved. Leaders need to understand cost, liability and organizational risk. And users need training on how to prompt effectively and avoid costly or unproductive AI use

“If you prompt AI the wrong way, it can go down a road that creates a lot of cost with very little results,” Buresh said

Monitoring also matters. Once policies are in place and employees are trained, organizations need to know if someone is attempting to use an unapproved tool or if AI use is creating risk

“That establishes a foundation for introducing AI into your organization,” Buresh said

Internal workforce development

Direct is investing in talent and training to support that work. The company has added highly trained staff with doctoral-level expertise to develop systems and processes, and it has supported university training and certifications for team members. It also launched Direct University to provide internal mini-trainings that help employees continue growing their skills

“It is important to ensure we are highly trained in what we provide our customers,” Zweifel said

A major differentiator, Buresh said, is the breadth of Direct’s technology expertise

The team can look across business processes, manufacturing equipment, camera systems, software, managed IT, security, access control, data and automation rather than approaching AI from a single discipline

“What sets us apart from other providers is that we cover such a broad scope in technology that we can look at your company holistically and help implement solutions across not just your business processes but your manufacturing equipment, your camera systems and multifaceted software,” Buresh said. “We have the experts and can provide a solution that covers the company across its entirety.”

That can include advanced uses such as camera-based recognition tools, facility security applications, business process automation, reporting, integrations, AI agents and operational data analysis

For businesses, the entry point does not have to be a massive transformation

It might start with discovery: watching how work is done, identifying repetitive tasks, determining where employees are spending time and deciding whether automation or AI can help

From there, Direct can support implementation, analysis, security, ongoing monitoring and support

“We’re one team now that can bring solutions from a lot of different facets,” Bell said

For Zweifel, that’s the long-term value Direct is positioned to provide as AI becomes more embedded in everyday business tools

“Responsible use of AI is imperative because there are so many consequences if you don’t provide the policy, training, guardrails, monitoring and refinement as line-of-business apps grow and embed AI,” he said

“AI and business automation are the future, and they will help our clients do quicker, better and more complete tasks than they have done in the past. We want to be the partner that helps them get there but ultimately helps them stay stable and secure in terms of IT and data.”

To begin learning how Direct and Workplace by Direct can support your organization’s AI journey, call to schedule your AI readiness conversation today at 605-800-4010 or click here to learn more about business automation and AI

Tags:  DirectWorkplace by Direct

Source: siouxfalls.business