Introduction
The hype around generic AI assistants is undeniable. However, for critical business processes, these "one-size-fits-all" tools quickly show their limits: lack of specific context, privacy risks, and absence of control over the models used.
At houle, we believe in a different approach: custom AI. It is integrated directly into your daily tools via Office Add-ins and powered by autonomous agents hosted in your own Azure Foundry environment.
The limits of generic assistants
Consumer solutions or even "turnkey" enterprise assistants often suffer from several flaws for advanced uses. Data opacity makes it difficult to know exactly how your data transits or if it is used to improve the global service. Furthermore, a generalist assistant lacks specialization; it can write a poem, but might struggle to validate an invoice according to the specific Swiss accounting rules of your sector. Finally, hidden costs like per-user licenses can quickly become prohibitive for large-scale deployment.
The houle alternative: Add-ins and Foundry
Our approach combines the flexibility of Office Add-ins (in Outlook, Word, Excel) with the power of Microsoft Azure Foundry (formerly Azure AI Studio).
Your own models, your own rules
Using Azure Foundry, we deploy models (GPT-4, Llama 3, or lighter SLM models) that are dedicated to you. You keep control over grounding, as your corporate data (RAG) is indexed securely without ever leaking outside. You also master moderation with strict content filters adapted to your corporate policy, and the lifecycle, deciding when to update the model to avoid unexpected behavior changes.
Seamless integration
The user does not need to learn a new tool because AI is where they work. In Outlook, a side panel analyzes attachments and proposes a response based on your internal knowledge base. In Excel, a custom function queries your agent to classify thousands of rows in a few seconds. In Word, a drafting assistant generates contract clauses validated by your legal department.
Security and sovereignty
Unlike shared SaaS solutions, our "single-tenant" architecture ensures that your data and models remain in your Azure subscription. For our Swiss clients, this means everything can remain confined in the Switzerland North or West regions, ensuring full compliance with FADP and GDPR.
Conclusion
Don't let your AI strategy depend on a "black box". With houle's custom AI solutions, you regain control. You offer your employees powerful, secure tools perfectly adapted to their job, while mastering your costs and data.