From prototypes to production systems that last.
I build secure, production-grade AI systems that integrate with the tools companies already use: Teams, ServiceNow, SharePoint, and Microsoft Graph. One builder, full-stack delivery — architecture, code, infrastructure, pipelines, and documentation.
Services
Custom AI Software & Integrations
Production-grade AI features built into your existing workflows — assistants, automations, and APIs that connect to the systems you already run (Microsoft 365, ITSM, data platforms, internal tools).
AI Strategy, Architecture & Governance
Clear direction without vendor lock-in: roadmap, target architecture, security posture, evaluation approach, and operating model — designed to scale regardless of which models or platforms you choose next.
Platform Engineering & Delivery
Make it reliable: infrastructure-as-code, CI/CD, identity & secrets, monitoring, and runbooks — so AI systems are deployable, observable, and supportable in real environments.
Case studies
Project “Northstar” — Pembina Pipelines
Goal: Replace MoveWorks with an in-house Teams assistant to cut subscription cost and deliver a boutique, tailored experience.
Built: Teams bot integrated with ServiceNow, SharePoint, and Microsoft Graph. Agentic workflows using Semantic Kernel + agent patterns, with enterprise guardrails.
Outcome: Eliminated ~$200K+ annual SaaS spend and brought ownership of roadmap, data, and behavior in-house.
Project “Switchboard” — Enterprise Client (Confidential)
Goal: Give companies control over LLM usage and cost while keeping conversations fluid across models.
Built: A Blazor web app that unifies API keys and token governance across Azure AI, Gemini, and Bedrock — with the ability to swap models mid-conversation based on the question and constraints.
Outcome: Centralized spend visibility and governance, reduced vendor lock-in, and enabled “best model for the moment” workflows.
Core stack
Engineering
C# / .NET, Blazor, Python, T-SQL, JavaScript — pragmatic full-stack delivery.
Cloud + DevOps
Azure, Azure DevOps pipelines, Terraform-first infrastructure, secrets & identity, and deployment hygiene.
Data + Analytics
Power BI, SQL, Python — turning operational data into decisions and automation.
About
Austin L. Howard
AI Developer & Solutions Architect based in Calgary. I design scalable solutions, build automation that reduces cost and friction, and ship systems that are maintainable in real enterprises — with clean docs and clean handoffs.
Contact
Phone: +1 (587) 581-8951
Email: contact@austinlhoward.com
Web: austinlhoward.com • howarddigital.ca