What does an AI agent implementation partner do?

An AI agent implementation partner scopes a business workflow, builds an AI agent that works inside the company's existing systems, tests it against defined acceptance criteria, and either hands it to the internal team or operates it after launch.

How do I choose between an AI consultancy, a platform vendor, and an implementation firm?

Match the partner to the problem. Large consultancies fit company-wide transformation. Platform vendors fit buyers already standardized on their platform. Agent development boutiques fit custom AI products. Implementation firms like CloudNSite fit buyers with specific workflows that need agents running in their current systems.

How much does it cost to start with CloudNSite?

CloudNSite starts with the $999 Current State Assessment, for US organizations with fewer than 250 employees and one workflow. If you build with us, the full $999 Current State Assessment fee is credited toward the implementation build. Build pricing is set in a written proposal.

A compass set in a stone floor, representing a buyer choosing a direction.

HomeChoosing an AI implementation partner

Buyer's guide

How to choose an AI agent implementation partner

Large consultancies, platform vendors, agent development boutiques, and hands-on implementation teams all sell AI agents. They fit different buyers. This guide shows how to tell which kind fits your situation, including the cases where CloudNSite is not the right choice.

Compare the four types

The four types of partner

Most firms fall into one of these four groups. None is better in general. Each one is built for a different buyer.

	Large consultancy	Platform vendor	Agent development boutique	Implement and operate (CloudNSite)
Best when	You need company-wide transformation with many stakeholders and a large budget.	You have already standardized on one platform for RPA, IT service management, or CRM.	You need a custom AI product or application built from scratch.	You have specific workflows and need agents running inside the systems you already use.
Typical first step	A strategy engagement, often priced in six figures.	A license, then implementation by the vendor or a certified partner.	A discovery sprint.	The $999 Current State Assessment for one workflow, or an AI Initiatives Review, scoped and priced to your situation, for companies with 250 or more employees.
Who does the work	Mixed teams. Strategy and delivery are often separate groups.	The vendor or a certified partner.	A product engineering team.	The engineers who scoped the workflow also build it.
Lock-in risk	Low to medium.	High. The work is tied to the platform.	Medium. Depends on the stack they choose.	Low. The agent works in your current stack, and you keep your business data and the workflow documentation.
After launch	Usually a new engagement.	Vendor support under the license.	Varies by contract.	Handoff to your team, or a managed service after launch.

When CloudNSite is not the right fit

You want a company-wide transformation program across many business units at once. A large consultancy is built for that.
You have already bought an automation platform and want it configured. That platform's certified partner is usually the faster path.
You are building an AI product to sell to your own customers. A product engineering boutique fits better.
You do not yet have a workflow with a clear owner. Start with the free AI Strategy Call, and expect us to say so if it is too early.

Ten questions to ask any partner

Ask every firm on your shortlist the same questions, including us. The answers separate firms that ship production systems from firms that ship decks.

01Who exactly writes the code, and will we meet them before we sign?
02Which of our systems will the agent connect to, and through what access?
03Where does a human approve, and who responds when the agent hits an exception?
04How will you test it before launch? Show us the acceptance test.
05What will it cost to run each month after launch, including model usage?
06What happens to our data and prompts, and who can see them?
07Which security frameworks do you design against, such as the NIST AI RMF or the OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications?
08What do we keep if we stop working with you?
09What is a realistic first workflow and timeline for us?
10When would you tell us not to build this?

How CloudNSite answers them

Our answers to the same ten questions, so you can compare them with other firms' answers.

Who exactly writes the code, and will we meet them before we sign?: The engineers who scope the workflow build it. You meet them on the AI Strategy Call and in the Current State Assessment.
Which of our systems will the agent connect to, and through what access?: Your existing CRM, ERP, EHR, document, and approval systems, through access you approve in writing during scoping.
Where does a human approve, and who responds when the agent hits an exception?: Every production workflow names the decisions a human approves and where exceptions go.
How will you test it before launch? Show us the acceptance test.: Every build has a defined acceptance test. Operations-scale builds add an evaluation and regression suite.
What will it cost to run each month after launch, including model usage?: Builds are priced once, in a written proposal. Managed service is priced separately. Cloud and model usage are billed at cost and estimated in the proposal.
What happens to our data and prompts, and who can see them?: Data access is limited to what the workflow needs. Private model deployment is available for regulated data.
Which security frameworks do you design against, such as the NIST AI RMF or the OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications?: We design against the NIST AI RMF and the OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications. See our AI governance page.
What do we keep if we stop working with you?: Your business data and the workflow documentation we produce. Code ownership is set in the agreement before build work begins.
What is a realistic first workflow and timeline for us?: One contained workflow, built quickly after the Current State Assessment. The proposal sets the schedule.
When would you tell us not to build this?: When the workflow lacks an owner, the volume does not justify the cost, or a simpler tool solves it. The Current State Assessment can end in a no-go recommendation.

Read how we govern the agents we build

Ask us the ten questions

Book a free 30-minute AI Strategy Call and put these questions to the engineers who would do the work.

Book an AI Strategy Call