At our recent Techshop, we explored a critical question facing Australian businesses today: how can you harness the power of AI whilst maintaining security and control over your data? If you missed the session, here’s a wrapup of our presentation focusing on understanding AI tools and preparing your organisation for the AI revolution.
Before diving into AI implementation, it’s essential to understand where your business data lives. Think of your IT infrastructure as a hub and spoke system: your hub stores your core data (like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or your ERP system), whilst your spokes handle transactions and specific tasks.
This distinction matters because embedded AI tools with hub access are fundamentally different from standalone AI tools. Embedded tools like Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini can access your organisation’s data directly, providing contextualised responses without you manually inputting sensitive information. Meanwhile, standalone tools like ChatGPT or Claude require you to provide all context, and once you input that data, you lose control over where it goes.
Embedded AI tools shine for tasks requiring business context:
The key advantage? Your data stays within your controlled ecosystem, and your IT provider can implement security measures and oversight.
Standalone tools work brilliantly for:
The crucial difference is that standalone tools force you to manually input context, potentially exposing sensitive data to unknown third parties, and leaving you with no oversight of how your team uses these tools.
Before implementing AI, rationalise your software ecosystem. The more scattered your tools across different platforms (Asana, Slack, Dropbox, Zoom), the harder it becomes for AI to access and utilise your data effectively. Consolidating within Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace not only saves on subscription costs but also tightens security and simplifies employee onboarding.
Map out your organisation’s workflow step by step. Identify which tasks could benefit from AI assistance. From qualifying leads to drafting proposals, write it all out. Once documented, you can start writing prompts for specific work tasks, treating AI as your assistant rather than a replacement.
Think of AI like a helpful assistant (or even a toddler). The clearer your instructions, the better the outcome. Effective prompts should include:
For example: “I’m the Head of Business Development at a Managed IT company. I need to write an executive summary for a Sales Proposal. Here’s the client’s requirements. Make it professional, under 200 words, and address their specific needs.”
If your team will use AI (and they will, whether you provide it or not), you absolutely must have an AI policy. Make embedded AI tools available to your team! If you don’t, they’ll use standalone tools anyway, potentially exposing your data without proper security measures.
Once you’ve mapped your workflows and consolidated your tech stack, you can explore AI agents. AI agents are autonomous software systems that can streamline entire workflows. Imagine an AI agent that automatically qualifies leads, drafts proposals, schedules meetings, and sends follow-up emails, all whilst maintaining your brand voice and accessing your business context securely.
The AI revolution isn’t coming, it’s already here. Australian businesses that prepare now will gain a significant competitive advantage. Start by:
Ready to dive deeper into AI implementation for your business? Join us at our next Techshop where we break down complex technology into practical, actionable insights. We’re committed to ensuring Newcastle, Maitland, and Central Coast businesses feel confident and in control of their IT systems. We’re tired of seeing organisations get taken advantage of simply because they don’t understand best practices.
Book your spot at our next Techshop or contact our team to discuss how the FLEX Managed Service Agreement can help you get your technical foundations right so that you are ready for the safe and secure implementation of AI.
We offer a sense of partnership that goes beyond the typical IT experience. Our value starts where the scope of a traditional managed service ends. Contact us to book a no-obligation discovery meeting.
We’re not just another faceless IT company. We are all about old school professionalism, which means rather than hiding behind our screens, we’d like to meet you face to face (or virtually if required!).
Let’s organise an initial in-person or online meeting to scope if we’d be a good fit for you.
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