Background
Centerprise International (CI) is a leading UK-based IT solutions provider with a legacy of more than 30 years. Headquartered in Basingstoke, Centerprise has built a strong reputation for delivering large-scale IT projects across the Corporate, Education, Government and Reseller sectors.
Originally recognised for manufacturing high-quality bespoke desktop PCs, notebooks and servers, the company has since evolved into a full-service provider, offering Total Service Provision, System Integration and Fully Managed Services. Today, Centerprise is both a trusted supplier of Tier 1 products and an innovative technology partner driving digital transformation for its customers.
Chris Hunt, Group Quality and Health & Safety Manager, leads the organisation’s approach to governance and excellence. With decades of experience in quality assurance, compliance and risk management – including quality management roles in the Royal Navy – Chris oversees the development and maintenance of Centerprise’s Business Management Systems.
Quality underpins every aspect of operations at Centerprise. Chris manages 11 ISO-certified Business Management Systems, drives continuous improvement, supervises internal audits and ensures ongoing compliance with regulatory and contractual requirements.
For more than three decades, Centerprise has supported public and private sector organisations with secure infrastructure, cloud services, cybersecurity and system integration – delivering tailored solutions that enable digital transformation, resilience and long-term partnership.
The Challenge
As AI adoption accelerated across the business, Centerprise recognised the need for a structured, ethical and transparent approach to managing AI. The organisation wanted to go beyond ad-hoc tool usage and put in place a formal framework to govern how AI is used, measured and controlled.
Their interest in ISO/IEC 42001:2023, the world’s first international standard for Artificial Intelligence Management Systems (AIMS), was driven by three key needs:
- To understand where and how AI was being used across the organisation
- To set clear boundaries and acceptable use for AI tools and applications
- To demonstrate robust, ethical AI governance to customers and stakeholders
ISOQAR approached Centerprise to participate in early certification to the new standard. With AI tools already in use across functions and plans underway to develop an AI-powered service for customers, the timing was ideal. Having long relied on standards such as ISO 9001 to underpin operational quality, Centerprise viewed ISO/IEC 42001 as a natural extension of its existing governance framework.
One of the most complex challenges was mapping AI usage across the organisation.
This required:
- Identifying all AI use cases
- Defining acceptable and unacceptable use
- Ensuring alignment with ethical, security and quality requirements
Alongside this, embedding responsible AI practices required a cultural shift. Teams needed to understand the implications of AI governance, risk and transparency. This included implementing strict controls on who could use AI tools, how outputs would be validated and how risks would be managed.
The Solution
Working closely with ISOQAR’s audit team, Centerprise embarked on its ISO/IEC 42001 journey with a clear, structured approach. The first step was to document existing AI use cases and integrate them into its established Integrated Management System (IMS), already shaped by certifications such as ISO 27001.
ISOQAR provided:
- Frameworks and guidance to structure AI governance
- Gap analysis and readiness checks to identify areas for improvement
- Expert audit support focused on AI risk, transparency and accountability
This partnership enabled Centerprise to align AI initiatives with global best practice and emerging regulatory expectations, while reinforcing trust and confidence among stakeholders and customers.
Centerprise adopted a proof-of-concept approach, applying AI in a controlled part of the business to better understand operational, security and ethical impacts. This allowed the organisation to:
- Define clear boundaries of acceptable AI use
- Build a framework to control and guide AI adoption
- Ensure AI support processes were robust before scaling
Within four months, Centerprise progressed through both Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits. Defining the Scope in a way that accurately reflected AI usage throughout the organisation was the most significant challenge – and a crucial factor in making the certification meaningful and practical.
Throughout the process, ISOQAR’s audit team was described as flexible, consultative and inquisitive, creating a collaborative environment that supported learning and continuous improvement rather than simply “checking the box”.
The Outcome
Achieving ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification has given Centerprise:
- A clearer, organisation-wide understanding of how AI is used
- Confidence to explore new AI opportunities without compromising security, ethics or quality
- Stronger internal clarity on acceptable AI use, decision-making and risk management
The customer response has been highly positive with many of Centerprise’s clients facing similar questions around responsible AI adoption, and they have shown strong interest in the company’s approach.
In a climate where supply chain assurance is critical, ISO/IEC 42001 provides an additional layer of confidence beyond existing standards such as ISO 27001, complementing without replacing them.
Although gaining a competitive edge was not the primary goal, the certification has already done the following:
- Enhanced operational efficiency
- Strengthened customer trust
- Positioned Centerprise for future AI-driven opportunities
The Future
With a solid AI governance baseline now in place, Centerprise is moving into the next phase of its AI journey: expanding AI usage across the organisation and exploring the development of an AI product in partnership with a third party, supported by a research grant.
Over the next 3–5 years, Centerprise expects AI to play an increasingly important role in both operational efficiency and product innovation. ISO/IEC 42001 will remain a cornerstone of this strategy – guiding growth, ensuring compliance and supporting the ethical deployment of emerging technologies.
Conclusion
“ISO/IEC 42001 enhanced our understanding, guided the development of our processes and controls, and now allows us to leverage AI with confidence.”
For Centerprise International, ISO/IEC 42001 is more than a certification – it is a statement of intent. It affirms their commitment to responsible innovation and positions them as a leader in ethical and secure AI adoption, supported by ISOQAR as their certification partner.
