deepdives.eu

Transforming Your Business with Azure OpenAI

Deepdives.eu

Johannes Verwijnen

Principal Instructor, Microsoft Certified Trainer

Understand the basics of how Generative AI is working.

Generative AI Basics

Understand what Microsoft's OpenAI offering is and how to leverage that in your business.

Microsoft Azure OpenAI offering

Understand how to protect your business from the new AI-induced risks.

Risks and problems with AI

We’re living through one of the most transformative periods in the history of computing — and Generative AI is at the heart of it. From content creation and personalized customer support to autonomous decision-making and intelligent search, GenAI is rapidly redefining how businesses operate, how knowledge is accessed, and how software is built. This course is roughly divided in two parts: 1. No Code tools for building AI Agents2. Low code approaches for building more complex Agents You've likely experienced this firsthand: vendors promising AI solutions that will transform your business overnight, countless products with overlapping capabilities, and the nagging question: "Which of these actually solves our unique problems?" Our startup has worked with organizations across fintech, supply chain, consulting, and manufacturing sectors, and we've consistently encountered the same challenge: businesses know AI matters, but struggle to identify concrete use cases that deliver measurable ROI. This course addresses precisely that gap—helping you cut through the noise to identify, build, and deploy GenAI applications that create actual business value. Building GenAI Agents for Enterprise Use is designed to give you a laser-focused and in-depth view of real-world GenAI applications. Designed for Business Leaders, Not DevelopersWhat sets this course apart is our relentless focus on the "what" rather than just the "how." While many courses dive directly into technical implementation, we prioritize use case identification, business value assessment, and strategic deployment considerations that matter to non-technical leaders. You don't need a programming background to succeed here. For business professionals who want to understand the capabilities without getting lost in the code, we've designed an experience that emphasizes concepts, applications, and outcomes. This course is one of the top-rated Gen AI Course on Maven, with over 1000 professionals trained from companies across tech, finance, government, and healthcare. It has been successfully offered at Stanford Continuing Studies and the UCLA Anderson School of Management for their Master’s in Business Analytics programs. Designed for Executive leaders, Data Scientists, Machine learning engineers, and Product Managers, the course demystifies the Gen AI landscape by blending deep technical concepts with practical enterprise deployment strategies. This is not another LangChain how-to or framework tour. Instead, this course teaches you to build modern GenAI systems from first principles, grounded in real-world constraints like scale, guardrails, multi-agent workflows, and domain-specific adaptation. 👤 Who This Course is For This course is designed for: - Product Managers looking to integrate GenAI into their roadmaps with clarity and confidence - Technical Leaders and Architects who want to build scalable and safe GenAI systems - Startup Founders &amp; Innovation Teams aiming to create competitive GenAI-powered products - Data Scientists &amp; ML Engineers who want to go beyond notebooks and deploy impactful GenAI apps - Consultants &amp; Enterprise Strategists exploring GenAI adoption and implementation strategies for clientsAnyone who wants to learn how Gen AI can be used 📚 Course ModulesModule 1: The World of Generative AI — Why Leaders Must Understand ItUnderstand the GenAI revolution and what it means for industries, infrastructure, teams, and the future of software. We break down the LLM ecosystem, the commoditization of models, and the real moats: data and architecture. Module 2: Building Blocks of no Code AgentsWhy do most enterprise search and Agentic solutions disappoint users? Discover the fundamental components that transform basic document search into contextual intelligence systems. Get hands-on with embeddings, chunking strategies, and the architecture of RAG systems that actually return relevant information. Connect RAG to Agents to interact with end users Module 3: Enterprise RAG with Guardrails—Moving Beyond PrototypesWhy do systems that work in demos fail in production? Learn how to transform proof-of-concepts into enterprise-grade solutions with semantic caching, optimized inference, and essential safety controls. Implement trustworthy systems that match your organization's risk tolerance and compliance requirements. Module 4: Agents and Their Ecosystem — Vertical AI AgentsWhat are agents really? Go beyond CrewAI and Autogen to build your own agent orchestration framework using AgentPro. Focus on vertical agents like Data Analyst Bots, Research Assistants, and more. Module 5: Teaching LLMs Your Organization's Language Through Fine-TuningWhy do generalist models struggle with your industry's terminology? Learn practical approaches to adapting models to your domain's vocabulary, processes, and knowledge structures. Implement LoRA fine-tuning and knowledge graph integration techniques that ground AI in your organizational context. Module 6: Capstone Discussion WeekWorkshop your final project ideas, get peer and instructor feedback, and finalize your architecture and approach for your custom RAG or Agent system. Module 7: Demo DayPresent your fully built, working system to the cohort. From agent demos to enterprise RAG deployments — this is where theory meets execution. Why This Course Is Different?The GenAI landscape is cluttered with tools, frameworks, and platforms—each promising to be the silver bullet. Our approach isn't about teaching you specific tools that will be outdated in six months. Instead, we focus on the enduring principles of identifying high-value use cases and building solutions that address actual business needs. Our startup has guided organizations through the process of moving from AI curiosity to deployment, and we've distilled those lessons into this course. You'll learn to look beyond the marketing hype to determine which problems in your organization are genuinely suited for Gen AI solutions. This Course Delivers Results Where Others Don'tUnlike theoretical courses that leave you wondering how to apply concepts, or technical deep-dives that ignore business realities, this program bridges the gap between possibility and practicality.We've designed every session to answer the question: "How do I use this to create actual value in my organization?" Whether you're looking to enhance customer experiences, streamline operations, or unlock insights from unstructured data, you'll complete this course with concrete tools to transform GenAI from a buzzword into a business advantage. ✅ What You'll Get (Outcomes, Action-Oriented) By the end of this course, you’ll be able to: 🧠 Understand the GenAI Landscape: Cut through the noise and get a clear grasp of how LLMs, RAG, and Agents fit into real-world enterprise workflows. 🛠️ Build Production-Ready AI Agents: Learn how to design and deploy AI Agents that go beyond simple Python scripts — handling reasoning, memory, retrieval, and tool use. 💼 Deliver Business Impact: Map Agent use-cases to measurable ROI — from automating internal knowledge retrieval to customer service, market analysis, and more. 🧪 Customize &amp; Scale Your Solutions: Fine-tune domain-specific models, design feedback loops, and deploy with guardrails. 🚀 Capstone + Demo Day: Work on a real-world Agent project and showcase it to a private network of peers, builders, and mentors.

What can Agents do for me?

Course syllabus

If you haven't written code before, no worries at all. We will provide you with everything you need to get started.

Just be willing to learn, we will take of the rest

We will go through each module during this class

Wednesday: Module Teaching

Students will spend time building projects with their team members or individually

Weekly projects

Course schedule

Product Managers looking to integrate GenAI into their roadmaps with clarity and confidenceYou want to cut through the jargons and actually

Technical Leaders and Architects who want to build scalable and safe GenAI systems

Startup Founders &amp; Innovation Teams aiming to create competitive GenAI-powered products

Data Scientists &amp; ML Engineers who want to go beyond notebooks and deploy impactful GenAI apps

Who is this course for

Actionable Business Value, Not Just Technical Knowledge Outcome

Develop a structured approach to evaluate which business problems in your organization are genuinely suited for GenAI solutions. Stop wasting resources on use cases that look good in demos but fail to deliver ROI.

A Framework for AI Use Case Identification

Create actual, functioning GenAI applications using our provided code templates and step-by-step guidance. You'll build and deploy real systems—not just learn concepts.

Practical Experience Building Working Systems

Connect with professionals facing similar challenges across diverse sectors. Previous cohorts have formed lasting relationships that continue to provide value long after the course ends.

A Network of Cross-Industry Peers

Develop the ability to assess AI vendor claims and capabilities objectively. Learn which questions to ask and what metrics actually matter when evaluating solutions.

Vendor-Neutral Evaluation Skills

Build a clear, phased approach to GenAI implementation for your organization that aligns with business objectives and accounts for technical constraints.

Strategic Implementation Roadmap

Master the what, why, and how of Generative AI by building Enterprise-Grade Agents that go beyond the basics and actually move the needle

Cohort-2025-01

Hamza Farooq

Founder | Ex-Google |
Instructor Stanford Continuing Studies & Adjunct UCLA

Self-paced cohort

2025-01

In an AI-first world, standing still means risking irrelevance. Products built on old assumptions may quickly be outpaced by new, AI-native competitors. This course helps you stay ahead, not by adding AI as a feature, but by rethinking what your product should fundamentally become. In the post-LLM era, many of the assumptions behind existing products no longer hold. GenAI makes new types of user interactions possible. The products we design need to reflect that. In other words, to truly enhance user experience with AI, we need to start by mapping the user journey, identifying the key pain points, and imagining how users could achieve their goals with no obstacles at all. This requires stepping back from your current product and rethinking the ideal, frictionless path In this fast-paced, interactive workshop, you'll learn how to define what your product should become in this new world. We'll begin by helping you understand what GenAI can do (and cannot do). Then, you'll learn how to use that knowledge to rethink the customer journey your product could deliver, whether you're starting from scratch or reinventing something that already exists. Using ChatGPT, Custom GPTs, Veo 3, and v0 (from Vercel), you'll learn how to express your vision clearly and convincingly using AI-enhanced storyboards, concept videos, and interactive prototypes. Teams can build faster than ever. You don’t even need a designer or front-end engineer to launch a prototype. But insight and customer vision can not be automated. We need to have both. This lab is for people who want to have both: a product that customers love and a product that leverages the powers of AI to deliver results fast.

Learn to visualize, prototype, & plan AI-powered products with hands-on AI tools


Monday


November 4, 2024


Product Leaders who want to leverage AI to effectively align and communicate where the product should be going.

Start-up/Scale-up founders who have grown to the stage where they need to align their team to create momentum

Innovation PMs&nbsp;who need to conceptualize and champion entirely new product directions fit for the post-AI era.

Learn how to use GenAI to storyboard, prototype, and create strategic execution plans for your ideas.


Craft vivid, detailed storyboards using ChatGPT's image generation capabilities and concept videos created with Veo 3 to show how your customers will interact with your product in the future. This helps you pinpoint the biggest pain points where AI can drive value.

Visualize future customer journeys with AI-enhanced storyboards and videos


Learn to use v0 to build interactive prototypes that bring your ideas to life and accelerate internal buy-in. These prototypes will help illustrate future digital interfaces touch points.

Prototype AI-native experiences quickly and effectively


Gain clarity on GenAI’s real capabilities so you can distinguish hype from real opportunity, and spot moments where AI-native design will unlock entirely new value.

Understand what GenAI can (and cannot) do for your product


Discover how a strong product vision helps teams make better decisions, focus their efforts, and stay aligned.

Discover the power of a clear product vision to drive results


Understand how to frame your vision in a way that aligns stakeholders and motivates teams, and ensure it is grounded in real user pain points.

Define and communicate a compelling product vision


From new ideas to product revamps, use GenAI tools to turn AI product concepts into clear, shareable visions that bring people on board.


Janet Bumpas

Cesc Vilanova

Baptiste Jacquemet

Cohort 3

Cohort 4

Stay relevant. Stay valuable. Build the skills that today’s AI-driven businesses need. AI is reshaping the world of work. Roles are evolving. New tools are transforming how decisions are made. Automation is shifting responsibilities. Cloud costs are driving tough priorities. Security risks are accelerating. Businesses across industries are adapting fast, and they need professionals who can grow with this change. If you are unsure how to stay ahead or where your skills fit next, you are not alone. You already have valuable experience, and this course connects that experience to what businesses need today. Built on the proven 10 Dimensions of Enterprise AI Readiness, this program gives you a clear understanding of how AI is driving change in business IT and provides a direct path to strengthen your value and career potential in this new environment. What You’ll Get From This Course ⦿&nbsp;A Clear Understanding of How AI is Changing Business ITYou will experience a practical breakdown of how AI, automation, cloud, and modern IT practices are transforming business, and how it connects to what you already know. ⦿&nbsp;A Roadmap to Stay Relevant and In-DemandYou will stop chasing trends and start seeing where your experience fits, where you can add the most value, and how to target your growth. You will leave with a clear, personal roadmap to guide your next steps. ⦿&nbsp;Skills That Move You ForwardModern business IT is not just about new tools, it is about adaptability, insight, and contribution. You will build confidence to engage with AI-enabled teams, lead smarter conversations, and make decisions that matter. ⦿&nbsp;Grounding in the 10 Dimensions of Enterprise AI ReadinessThis is not a generic trends course. It is built around a proven framework that organizations are using to drive real AI adoption. You will learn how to connect your skills to these dimensions, so you can contribute where businesses need it most. ⦿&nbsp;Learn With a Supportive CommunityYou are not doing this alone. Through live sessions, real-world examples, and hands-on exercises, you will learn alongside professionals who are on the same journey. Together, you will build clarity, confidence, and community. By the end of this course, you will know how to stay valuable, stay relevant, and take charge of your career in an AI-driven future.

Future-Proof Your Career with AI Readiness for Professionals


Join interactive, instructor-led sessions where we break down key concepts, discuss real-world applications, and work through challenges together. Expect a mix of guided learning, open Q&amp;A, and hands-on exercises to help you apply what you’ve learned.

Live Sessions

Drop in for live office hours to get personalized guidance, ask questions, and connect with peers.

Office Hours

Apply what you learn through hands-on projects, case studies, and skill-building exercises designed to help you gain confidence and real-world experience.

Get lifetime access to all future course material updates. Stay current, even as Business IT continues to evolve in the years to come.

Updated Course Materials

Join the class Discord server for continued access to instructors and community members, even after the class has ended.

Join the Community

Mid-career professionals adapting to AI-driven business environments

Managers and team leads needing to understand modern IT and AI to lead well

Individuals entering or re-entering the workforce seeking up-to-date AI readiness

What you’ll get out of this course

Gain clear, practical insights into how these forces are reshaping the way businesses operate and compete.

Understand how AI, IT automation, DevOps, FinOps, cybersecurity, and data analytics are transforming modern Business IT


Identify your strengths and growth areas, and create a personalized roadmap aligned to today’s Business IT needs.

Assess your current skills and build a focused upskilling plan


See how companies are using AI, automation, and cloud strategies to drive results, and learn how to apply these insights in your own work.

Apply real-world case studies to connect trends to business outcomes


Learn how modern Business IT connects across IT, finance, security, and operations, and build the skills to lead and contribute in these integrated environments.

Develop cross-discipline collaboration skills


Ground your learning in a proven framework that businesses use to guide AI adoption, giving you a strategic edge in your career development.

Leverage the 10 Dimensions of Enterprise AI Readiness


#1 Rated Enterprise AI Course. AI Readiness for Professionals is a hands-on, cohort helping professionals lead in a competive job market.


John Tanner

Founder & Chief Strategist @ C4G Enterprises Inc.

Upskilling for the Future of Business IT: Spring 1

July Start

The ChallengeYour days are filled with:🗓️ back-to-back meetings,🚀 sky-high customer or investor expectations,⏱️ wishes that your team could move faster sooner,🔥 wishes that you could move even faster and work on what really matters instead of fighting fires. You start each day with the best intentions, but somehow find yourself constantly reacting instead of leading.&nbsp;Sure, it would be nice to focus on your own goals, but you care about those other people (or at least some of them 😁). They’re colleagues and customers, family and friends... How can you collaborate with them responsively without forsaking your goals and becoming just a (re-)Actor in their story? 🎬 ✨ You wonder if AI can help, you wonder how other leaders are using AI to manage it all and manage their teams--but honestly, who's got the time to figure that out? ⏳ You have a constant, lurking anxiety about what’s falling through the cracks or not getting done, so you work faster. As you try to move faster, people fall short of your expectations and their potential. It causes friction and frustration (even if you hide it well). It's uncomfortable to call out, so you avoid giving feedback or mention it lightly, which makes the situation more uncomfortable. Eventually, you decide to give feedback. Sometimes it goes okay. Often, you try to move through and out of the conversation as quickly as possible because it feels so awkward. Growth and improvements rarely last. You take on more work yourself to get it done. The Solution (Evidence-based. Immediately applicable.)⏱️&nbsp;EVERYTHING YOU READ BELOW WILL BE ORIENTED TO IMMEDIATE APPLICATION DURING THE COURSE ⏱️What if you could shift from reacting to the constant inputs to creating what matters most and leading your team in that direction--everyday? This course will support you, step by step, in building your Operating System to make this shift. Fancy apps aren't enough. Nor are bursts of motivation. A sustainable Operating System has 3 features:🧰 Tools (simple enough to keep using, and amplified by AI)🔁&nbsp;Habits (the tools don't use themselves...except for some of the AI ones we'll build)🧠 Mindsets (you can "productively" spend your life responding to other people's messages and requests--or build something that matters) No, "perfection" isn't possible (or even desirable). But our days--and our results--completely shift when we focus our attention systematically instead of ad-hoc and reactively. And our conversations shift when we stop trying to fix people and start inspiring them to take action and grow. We teach you how to do this by using straightforward approaches that reliably transform defensiveness and friction into self-reflection, connection, and motivation to grow. You will start to look forward to feedback conversations because you will know how to use them as powerful tools for building trust and deepening connection. You will also explore your own mindsets and beliefs around feedback, identifying your own patterns around conflict avoidance, people-pleasing, and controlling behaviors. AI is woven throughout the course, including:1️⃣ building your own Custom GPTs2️⃣&nbsp;mastering your calendar3️⃣ using AI as a practice partner for difficult conversations and coaching skills4️⃣ helping your team use AI, and so much more! Once you've shifted the way you manage yourself and lead your team conversations, applying evidence-based approaches tested with 1000s of managers and amplified with AI, the whole game becomes fun again. Bonus:📝 You will also get 5 step-by-step facilitation guides for sharing and teaching your team members everything we cover in this course. This helps establish shared language and frameworks within your team/organization, and positions you as the leader of change. 📖&nbsp;You'll also get our 20-page Offsite Playbook with step-by-step guidance on how to design and facilitate unforgettable team and company gatherings. 🚀 And you'll get to do this while in a practice lab with other high-growth leaders.

Spend your days fighting fires or each other?

Sundays (+ 1 Thursday)

Weekly Office Hours

High-Growth ManagersReady to move out of IC mode, you want to be the inspiring leader people thank for the rest of their careers.

ExecutivesYou know there's a better way than back-to-back meetings everyday. To scale your impact, you know you must scale yourself first

Startup FoundersYou're expanding your focus from building a product to building a team. And to do so, you need the team to step up fast.

You'll have the Inner and Outer Game in place:<ul><li>A systematic set of habits, tools, and mindsets to define What Matters Most each day and week</li><li>You'll be using your emotions as signals for what needs to happen next</li><li>Your mind will be at ease</li></ul>

Clear Focus & Emotional Balance

Whether you're currently intimidated by AI, curious, or all-in, you will:<ul><li>know exactly how to leverage Claude and ChatGPT to improve your skills and help you prepare for key conversations</li><li>have your own CustomGPT to do a recurring management task FOR you</li></ul>

AI As Your Ally (including your own CustomGPT)

<ul><li>Next Actions template (simplest tool possible to stay organized)</li><li>Weekly Preview Checklist (define what matters most and who should do it)</li><li>Daily Defining Checklist</li></ul>

The Operating System (feel on top of your s***)

<ul><li>Know how to decide WHAT to delegate to increase your leverage</li><li>Know HOW to delegate (to a person or AI) in ways that build confidence and follow-through</li></ul>

The Leverage Framework

<ul><li>GAIN Template for how to structure feedback conversations that inspire response-ability, action, and growth</li><li>how to use AI to prepare and practice</li></ul>

GAIN Feedback Framework

<ul><li>GROW Template for coaching conversations</li><li>The key skill to coach effectively</li><li>Know the difference between a feedback and a coaching conversation</li><li>how to use AI to practice and get feedback on a coaching conversation</li></ul>

GROW Coaching Framework

What if you felt on top of everything and your team were aligning and growing through every conversation with you?

Lightning Lessons

Transforming Your Business with Azure OpenAI