Games Global saves over 22,000 hours per year with Microsoft Power Platform and Copilot Studio

From classic favorites to new, genre-defining titles, Games Global is setting the stage for the next generation of online gaming. Bringing together 1,300+ proprietary games from 40+ independent studios, Games Global is driving innovation in the industry with diversity, quality, and creativity.

Breaking free from manual bottlenecks

“Our vision is ‘to be the One,’ and in the context of IT, this is about helping teams leverage the latest tools to make their jobs and lives easier; enabling them to focus on work that drives success for the company,” shares Jen Cohen, Chief Information Officer at Games Global. When she joined Games Global, Cohen brought with her a deep understanding of AI and the recognition of automation’s potential to drive meaningful impact. She set out to embed automation into the DNA of the company through empowering workshops, opening the way for higher value tasks and improved client services.

To kick-start its automation journey, the company partnered with Microsoft to train teams on Microsoft Power Automate and Microsoft Copilot Studio. The approach was simple: bring employees together in a room, train them, give them the tools, and then let them figure out what they could automate. Two multi-day workshops called IT Invest Week, held several months apart, brought together cross-functional groups from various departments to do just that.

Cohen explains the workshop flow: “On day one, the teams are trained by Microsoft on Power Automate. On day two, they learn about Copilot Studio. On day three, they build amazing things.”

Following the first event, the team calculated an impressive annual saving of 5,434 hours. This achievement swiftly earned management's trust and full support for the second workshop.

Automation in action: Solving everyday challenges

The teams participating in the IT Invest Week workshops came up with innovative solutions. A big focus was improving documentation and communication. Employees used Copilot to generate FAQs and knowledge-based articles. Human Resources (HR) also introduced a chatbot, built using Copilot Studio to handle frequent employee inquiries.

“The IT team streamlined the workflow for employees joining, leaving, or changing roles,” explains Duncan Clark, Senior Manager for IT Innovation and Emerging Tech at Games Global. For systems that didn’t support automatic account updates, the company used Power Automate to deactivate accounts as soon as someone left the company. “This removed the need for manual intervention and eliminated security risks, resulting in around 20 hours saved per month,” Clark adds. The team was able to reclaim unused software licenses—resulting in €163,000 in cost savings. Similarly, when a new employee joins, application access is automatically assigned based on their business unit, department, and role.

Games Global employees also automated approval processes. Standby approvals, for example, were previously facilitated through Excel spreadsheets that were submitted via email. These requests had to pass through multiple managers, and approvals were buried in email threads. In HR, one process required filling out, printing, signing, and scanning Word documents. Now, both are managed through a combination of Power Apps and Microsoft Teams, where managers review and approve requests in one place, with a clear audit trail. “Everything is easy to access and harder to overlook, which reduces delays and inefficiencies,” says Cohen.

Another major improvement was replacing spreadsheets with a Power App integrated with Power Automate. This allowed teams to transition from manual data entry and scattered email approvals to a structured, automated workflow.

Previously, auditing and compliance for ISO and SOX—key security and financial standards—were automated to replace time-consuming, error-prone manual processes. Now, workflows for access reviews, approval tracking, and audit reporting are automated, ensuring compliance tasks run smoothly while maintaining a clear, verifiable audit trail. “This was a big win for our team, saving us hundreds of hours every month,” adds Clark.

Quarterly cloud security reports and monthly CDN reports—once labor-intensive tasks—are now generated automatically, providing accurate and timely insights. Automating the impact analysis for production issues has also enabled teams to respond faster when something goes wrong.

Cohen herself experienced the benefits of AI-powered communications. “I recently had to write a tough cybersecurity email,” she recalls. “It had to be firm but engaging—Copilot wrote it better than I ever could.”

Massive time saved for higher-value work

Games Global carefully measured how much time each automation would save to make sure that every automation had a real impact. Teams first mapped out each manual workflow, detailing every step, how long it took, and how often it was repeated. This provided a clear estimate of potential time savings before automation. Once the automation was implemented, the IT team audited the results and adjusted their original estimates as needed. “We want to make sure that we can speak confidently about our success, so we’re meticulous about how we calculate it,” shares Cohen.

The results exceeded all expectations, revealing the true scale of the impact across the business. The first workshop alone saved Games Global 5,434 annual hours. “We saved 22,370 hours per year through the automated workflows we built in our two workshops. Thanks to Microsoft Power Platform and Copilot Studio, we can dedicate more effort to innovation, customer engagement, and strategic projects,” adds Cohen. “Removing unnecessary friction internally allows us to deliver better services externally. That’s where the real value lies.”

A culture of possibility established

IT Invest Week participants walked away dazzled. “People who had never touched automation tools in their lives said they had their most exciting day in the last 20 years,” shares Cohen. In fact, some employees mentioned that they felt ‘hooked’ on automation and were eager to find more opportunities to streamline their work and eliminate tedious tasks.

Company executives were equally impressed. “You know an automation initiative is working when your Finance Director goes home, and by the weekend, he’s using Power Automate to build something for his wife’s business,” shares Cohen. “Leadership is fully on board. Everyone wants a seat at the table.”

For Cohen, the biggest win has been the shift in culture. “It’s about changing how people think. Once they see what’s possible, they start looking for automation opportunities everywhere,” she shares. “We’re building muscle memory at the user level, training people to think digitally from the beginning.”

A journey fueled by collaboration

Cohen appreciates the role Microsoft played throughout the process. “The Microsoft team has been phenomenal, always supportive and immediately helping us troubleshoot issues. They’re actively engaged and see where our teams need the most support. While other partnerships often feel transactional, Microsoft has really gone the extra mile. I don’t think we would be where we are today without them.”

IT Invest Week is now planned as a quarterly initiative. For 2025, Cohen aims to have 700 employees trained in Power Automate and Copilot. “If you go in trying to boil the ocean, you’ll get overwhelmed and never finish. But if you chip away at small inefficiencies, train your teams, and gain momentum, before you know it, you’re tackling the bigger challenges with much more confidence,” she affirms. “When the entire company starts speaking the same language of automation and efficiency, we’ll have a better chance of being the One.”

With this transformative experience under her belt, Cohen shares key advice for other companies. “People often think automation is difficult. But the hard part isn’t the technical side—it’s making the time to do it. So, make the time. I know most people think they’re too busy, but that’s a myth. Once you automate, you earn it back tenfold.”

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