# What Is FDE On-Site Enablement?

> Forward Deployed Engineers work on-site to deploy marketing agents, train in-house AI operators, and drive measurable business results.

Source: https://www.starbox.work/en/insights/ai-adoption/what-is-fde/ (Starbox AI Insights, updated 2026-10-17)

## What Is an FDE?

FDE stands for **Forward Deployed Engineer**. The model was pioneered by Palantir: deploy technical experts directly on-site with clients to take responsibility for business outcomes, rather than simply installing software and walking away.

In recent years, enterprise AI companies have adopted this approach to help organizations truly embed AI into day-to-day operations.

## How Starbox AI Approaches the FDE Model

Starbox AI FDEs come from frontline marketing backgrounds. Their mission is not just moving existing manual workflows into software or replacing junior staff. Their job is to **encode director-level business judgment into AI agents**.

Starbox AI combines proprietary software platforms—such as Starbox Starbox!, Starbox Content Factory, and Starbox GEO—with dedicated implementation teams. Many technology vendors build platforms but lack hands-on operational support, while traditional service agencies have consulting experience but lack proprietary AI tools.

## The Seven-Step Delivery Framework

1. **Enterprise Diagnostics and Strategy**: Assess the current state of your business model, customer acquisition channels, and team capabilities.
2. **Workflow Discovery**: Identify the highest-leverage processes to automate with AI first.
3. **SOP Optimization**: Streamline and standardize workflows before deploying agents.
4. **Agent Deployment**: Configure marketing agents and integrate internal enterprise knowledge bases.
5. **In-House AI Operator Enablement**: Train your team members and certify qualified operators.
6. **Monthly Review and Optimization**: Track performance data and adjust systems continuously.
7. **Cross-Department Expansion**: Scale successful frameworks into customer service, sales development, operations, HR, and legal teams.

## Why Start with Marketing?

Marketing teams are the ideal starting point for AI adoption for four reasons: the operational bottlenecks are acute, results are quantifiable, implementation barriers are low, and successful workflows are easy to replicate. Proving ROI in marketing first creates organizational momentum, making expansion into other departments much smoother.

Learn more about our approach to [FDE on-site enablement](/en/fde/).