By Julius Ewudo, Cyber Era NG ASEAN Region Representative
Australian mid-sized businesses are spending heavily on AI tools, but many are struggling to convert that investment into measurable productivity gains.
An Australian managed service provider serving organisations with 50 to 200 staff, First Focus, says the issue is not the technology itself but the operating model around it. The company has launched a new service, CORE, designed to shift IT support away from reactive maintenance and toward structured AI adoption, data governance, and workflow redesign.
For more than two decades, managed service providers have focused primarily on keeping infrastructure stable: patching systems, resolving outages, and maintaining networks. That model remains necessary, but according to First Focus CEO Ross Sardi, it is no longer sufficient.
“Most leadership teams have experimented with AI tools such as ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot,” Sardi said. “But experimentation does not equal transformation. Without structured rollout, training built around real workflows, and clean data underneath, AI subscriptions become another line item rather than a driver of productivity.”
Global research suggests the challenge is widespread. Boston Consulting Group’s AI at Work 2025 report, based on a survey of more than 10,600 workers across 11 countries, found that only 36 per cent of employees felt their AI training was adequate. Regular usage was significantly higher among employees who received at least five hours of structured, in-person training.
Australian mid-market firms are simultaneously facing rising cyber insurance requirements, tighter compliance expectations, and continued pressure to operate with leaner teams. In that environment, Sardi argues, technology providers must move beyond infrastructure reliability to measurable business enablement.
CORE operates on a monthly engagement model in which a dedicated Technical Account Manager works with business leaders to identify and prioritise high-value workflow improvements. The service combines AI implementation and training, cybersecurity aligned to the Australian Cyber Security Centre’s Essential Eight framework, data governance, and ongoing IT support.
Success, the company says, is measured not by how many licences are deployed but by adoption rates and workflow change. Monthly reviews are designed to identify underutilised tools early and adjust training or use cases before costs accumulate without return.
Sardi said the shift reflects a broader change in executive expectations.
“Boards and executive teams are no longer asking whether systems are online. They expect technology to lift productivity and reduce risk,” he said. “That requires ongoing capability building, not just maintenance.”
