Forward deployed engineering for enterprise AI
Hire Forward Deployed Engineers to take your AI into production
A forward deployed engineer (FDE) is a senior AI engineer who works inside your organisation to build and deploy AI systems on your real data and workflows. e-KHOOL FDEs embed with your team, deploy AIRA, e-KHOOL's enterprise AI agent platform, in your environment, and stay accountable until it runs in production.
AI implementations delivered for
What does a forward deployed engineer do?
An FDE sits between your business teams and the AI platform. They find the workflows worth automating, connect AI to your systems and data, build and test the agents, and hand over a system your team can run. Unlike a consultant, an FDE writes and ships the code.
- Works on-site, remote or hybrid as part of your team
- Builds on AIRA, inside your cloud or on-premise servers
- Measured on agents running in production, not on reports
FDE vs in-house build vs AI consultant
Three common ways to get AI into production, and where each one ends.
| Compared on | In-house build | AI consultant | e-KHOOL FDE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who builds it | Your team, alongside other priorities | Nobody — advice and slides | An engineer embedded with your team |
| Platform | Assembled from separate tools | Recommended, not set up | AIRA, ready on day one |
| Where it runs | Wherever your team can host it | Not in scope | Your cloud or on-premise servers |
| AI running cost | Default settings | Estimated | Tuned for the lowest viable token cost |
| Accountability | Shared and unclear | Ends with the report | Ends when it works in production |
| Knowledge transfer | Stays with whoever built it | Documents only | Training, runbooks and handover |
What your FDE delivers
One engineer, accountable for the full path from idea to a working AI system your team can run.
Private AI deployment
Install AIRA on your cloud or on-premise servers so your data stays under your control.
AI agents for your workflows
Build agents for support, HR, sales, operations and document-heavy processes.
Data and system integration
Connect AI to your CRM, ERP, databases, document stores and identity systems.
Token cost optimisation
Tune prompts, caching and model routing so every workflow runs at the lowest viable cost.
Security and governance
Set up access control, audit trails and data rules to your GDPR and ISO 27001 requirements.
Team enablement
Train your engineers and admins, document everything and hand over a system your team owns.
What FDEs build across your business
Typical first workflows, chosen with your teams during discovery.
Customer and sales
Agents that answer, qualify and follow up.
Finance and HR
Agents that handle requests and paperwork.
Operations
Agents that move work between systems.
Knowledge and IT
Agents that find answers and act on them.
Choose how you work with your FDE
Start small and prove value, or embed engineers for a full rollout.
Launch Sprint
One FDE scopes, builds and ships your first AI workflow in production.
Best for: proving value fast
Start a sprintEmbedded FDE
An FDE joins your team to roll out AI agents across departments, scoped to your rollout.
Best for: organisation-wide rollouts
Embed an FDEDedicated FDE Pod
A lead FDE plus engineers for multi-region or multi-entity programmes.
Best for: enterprises and public sector
Plan a podPricing is tailored to scope. Connect with us for customised pricing
How hiring an FDE works
From first call to a live AI workflow in about 1 month, depending on the use case.
- 01
Scoping call
A 45-minute call to understand your goals, systems and constraints.
Week 1
- 02
Discovery in your stack
Your FDE maps workflows, data sources and security requirements.
Week 1
- 03
Build and deploy
Weekly demos as agents and integrations go live in your environment.
Weeks 2–4
- 04
Handover and support
Documentation, team training and an agreed support window.
Handover
What you keep when your FDE hands over
Everything your team needs to run, change and grow the system without us.
- AI agents running in production
- Runbooks and technical documentation
- Admin and developer training
- Monitoring and cost dashboards
- Security and access configuration
- A backlog of the next workflows to automate
Case studies from our AI implementations
How e-KHOOL engineers have deployed AI for clients across industries.
Engineers backed by a platform and a track record
Countries where e-KHOOL works with partners and clients
Lower AI workflow cost for Tria PLC after optimisation
Typical time to a first live AI workflow
Certified information security, plus ISO 9001:2015
Forward deployed engineer FAQs
What is a forward deployed engineer?
A forward deployed engineer is a software engineer who works directly inside a customer's organisation to build and deploy technology on their real data and systems, rather than from a central product team.
What is the difference between an FDE and an AI consultant?
A consultant advises and recommends. An FDE builds, deploys and stays accountable for the system in production.
Where does an e-KHOOL FDE work?
On-site, remote or hybrid, agreed with you during the scoping call.
Can our data stay on our own servers?
Yes. Your FDE can deploy AIRA privately on your servers or your own cloud account.
Do FDEs work with the AI models we already use?
Yes. AIRA works with widely used commercial and open-weight models, plus e-KHOOL's own models.
How much does it cost to hire an FDE?
It depends on the engagement model and scope. We give a customised quote after the scoping call.
How quickly can an FDE start?
Usually within one week of the scoping call.
What happens after handover?
You get an agreed support window and can extend your FDE or move to a Dedicated FDE Pod at any time.
Hire a forward deployed engineer
Tell us what you want to build. A solutions lead will reply within 1 business day to book your scoping call.
- No obligation scoping call
- Customised pricing for your scope
- Or email sales@ekhool.com
Put an engineer on your AI roadmap this month
Your FDE brings AIRA, private deployment and cost optimisation into one accountable engagement.