Inside the First Focus + Integris Partnership: Building a Global Managed AI & IT Provider for SMBs

ASIC vs FIIG: The Critical Cybersecurity Controls You Might Be Missing

A $2.5 million cybersecurity penalty has changed the conversation around cyber risk in Australia. In this episode, we unpack the ASIC vs FIIG case, what actually happened during the cyber attack, and why regulators are now holding businesses accountable for cybersecurity preparedness. We discuss: * What led to the FIIG data breach * Why ASIC imposed such a significant penalty * The cybersecurity controls FIIG allegedly lacked * Why incident response planning matters * What Australian SMEs should do now * How cyber governance expectations are changing If your business handles sensitive customer data, this conversation is essential viewing. 💬 What’s your biggest cybersecurity concern right now? Let us know in the comments. 🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe for more conversations on cybersecurity, business risk, compliance, and technology strategy. Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction to the ASIC vs FIIG Case 01:10 – What Happened During the Cyber Attack 03:20 – How Malware Entered the Organisation 05:05 – Why ASIC Imposed a $2.5M Penalty 08:10 – Missing Cybersecurity Controls Explained 11:40 – The Importance of Incident Response Planning 15:30 – What Australian Businesses Must Do Next

Inside the First Focus + Integris Partnership: Building a Global Managed AI & IT Provider for SMBs

A week ago, the news broke that First Focus and Integris are joining forces to build the global managed AI and IT services provider for small and mid-sized businesses. In this conversation, recorded in Chicago, First Focus CEO Ross Sardi sits down with Integris CEO Rashaad Bajwa to go behind the press release.If you are a First Focus client, the takeaway is short. You keep the local team you already work with. You gain a much deeper bench of specialists, round-the-clock security cover from people who are awake when you are asleep, and faster access to AI use cases proven across a global SMB customer base. Nothing is being taken away. A lot is being added.In this episode, we cover: * Why First Focus and Integris are the right fit, after years of running parallel playbooks on opposite sides of the world * How the integration will actually work, and why local teams stay local * Why scale matters more than ever in the age of AI, and how the combined business will run experiments across both markets * Ross's new role as Chief Innovation Officer with global responsibility for AI product * What changes immediately for clients in Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines * Why the New Zealand market in particular stands to benefit * A get-to-know-you segment with Ross and Rashaad The partnership is pending regulatory approval. More on growth plans, active acquisitions and what comes next is covered in the second half of the conversation.Subscribe for more conversations on managed services, cybersecurity and how AI is reshaping the way SMBs work.Chapters:00:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CuE871kiOQ] News of the partnership and what we are covering00:38 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CuE871kiOQ&t=38s] Meet Rashaad Bajwa and the Integris story03:01 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CuE871kiOQ&t=181s] Why First Focus and why Australia and New Zealand06:22 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CuE871kiOQ&t=382s] What the partnership will actually look like09:15 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CuE871kiOQ&t=555s] Pending regulatory approval and the planning window10:31 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CuE871kiOQ&t=631s] AI is a big part of this conversation13:33 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CuE871kiOQ&t=813s] Ross's new role as Chief Innovation Officer16:25 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CuE871kiOQ&t=985s] Why MSP owners are joining rather than going alone19:31 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CuE871kiOQ&t=1171s] What ANZ and Philippines customers gain23:09 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CuE871kiOQ&t=1389s] What this means for the New Zealand market24:50 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CuE871kiOQ&t=1490s] Staying innovative as the business scales30:42 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CuE871kiOQ&t=1842s] Get to know Rashaad: rapid-fire questions35:14 Get to know Ross: rapid-fire questions42:12 Closing thoughts: only upside

How BCQ Improved Productivity and ROI with AI-Powered Reporting

In this episode, we sit down with Phil McCaw from Business Chamber Queensland to unpack how AI is being used to solve a very real executive problem: time lost in governance reporting. As part of an AI Investment Fund initiative, Business Chamber Queensland is building a solution to automate and enhance monthly reporting processes—freeing up leadership time while improving the quality and depth of insights. We explore how AI can connect data across teams, reduce manual effort, and ultimately drive better decision-making across an organisation. If you're thinking about AI in your business, this is a practical, real-world example of where it delivers measurable impact. Key takeaways: * AI can save weeks of executive time by automating governance reporting processes * Centralising data across Excel, Word, and other tools enables better visibility and consistency * Understanding variance vs plan is critical to maintaining control of business performance * AI helps uncover hidden relationships and insights across departments that humans often miss * The goal isn’t reducing headcount—it’s freeing time to improve KPIs and team performance * Outputs from AI should always be validated by subject matter experts (AI is ~80% accurate baseline) * Strong governance, security, and training are essential foundations before scaling AI * AI adoption can become a competitive advantage and inspiration for members/customers Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction to the AI Investment Fund 00:24 – What Business Chamber Queensland Does 01:30 – The Problem: Time-Heavy Executive Reporting 03:19 – Quantifying the Time & Cost Impact 04:47 – How AI Will Solve the Problem 05:03 – The Importance of Variance Analysis 06:04 – The AI-Powered Reporting Experience 07:36 – Seamless Adoption Across Teams 09:45 – Defining Success & ROI 12:41 – Turning Time Savings into Business Impact 14:11 – Supporting Members Through AI Leadership 15:36 – Governance, Security & AI Readiness 16:50 – What Happens Next (Roadmap & Rollout)

How Pengana Capital Is Using AI to Free Up Its Client Service Team

Pengana Capital Group manages roughly $4 billion across six to seven countries. Their Head of Client Service noticed a pattern. During capital raises, the same questions kept coming in, and his team was spending hours on replies that could be templated.In this episode, we sit down with Gupta from Pengana to talk through the AI project he pitched internally, what it will actually look like in practice, and where he sees it going. The idea starts with automating standard email responses (think forms, common investor queries, campaign FAQs) and builds toward AI-assisted management reporting and fund flow analysis.We cover the real numbers behind the project, including a $20K build cost against an estimated $125K in annual benefit, plus the practical considerations around data management, ASIC regulations, and why Pengana chose an internal email workflow over a public-facing chatbot.Key Takeaways✓ Start with the repetitive stuff. If your team is answering the same questions again and again, that is the clearest signal that AI can help. Pengana's first target is standard client emails like form requests and campaign queries.✓ You don't need a chatbot to get value from AI. Pengana considered a chatbot but opted for an internal email processing workflow instead, partly due to ASIC's closer monitoring of chatbots on financial services websites.✓ Guardrails matter more than capability. By telling the AI what not to do (don't add information beyond the approved template), Pengana can actually get more consistent responses than a busy human might produce.✓ Free up time for the work that matters. The goal is not to replace the team. It is to stop them spending ten minutes a day on form requests so they can spend that time building relationships with high-net-worth clients and advisors.✓ The economics stack up quickly. A $20K build cost against $125K in estimated annual benefit, with a 4 to 6 week build and test timeline. The data sets already exist, so there is nothing extra to purchase.✓ Think bigger once the proof of concept works. Pengana's longer-term vision includes AI-assisted management reporting, fund flow analysis, and identifying client retention risks from quarterly data.✓ Market cycles create volume spikes you can prepare for. In funds management, capital raises and market movements drive predictable surges in client queries. Having AI ready to handle the standard ones means the team can focus on the conversations that need a personal touch.⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 Introduction00:12 About Pengana Capital Group02:02 The problem with repetitive client queries03:34 Expanding the project scope05:06 How the email automation works06:04 Why not a chatbot? ASIC's role08:09 Impact on costs and revenue08:49 Scaling without adding headcount11:19 Future vision: AI-powered reporting14:21 What the proof of concept needs to prove16:03 The numbers: $20K build, $125K annual benefitCheck out the full episode here:

First Focus Is Now an Official OpenAI SMB Channel Partner

First Focus has been selected as an SMB channel partner with OpenAI, joining a small group of experts trusted to help mid-market businesses get real returns from AI. In this episode, we break down what the partnership means, why adoption matters more than licenses, and how to make sure your business isn't falling behind. Why this matters for you Most businesses are already using ChatGPT in some form. Executives are paying for personal licenses. Teams are copying and pasting company data into free tools. The problem? None of that is structured, governed, or delivering a measurable return. OpenAI knows this. They also know they can't reach every 50 to 200 seat business in Australia themselves. So they've built a channel partner program, selecting a small number of trusted providers to sell, implement, and support ChatGPT Business for the mid-market. First Focus is one of those partners. This isn't a badge we bought. It's recognition of the work we've already done, the AI and automation projects we've delivered, and the investment we've made in getting ahead of where our clients are in this space. Key takeaways ✓ First Focus is now an official SMB channel partner with OpenAI, selected for our track record delivering AI and automation projects for mid-market businesses. ✓ ChatGPT Business is available on a month-to-month basis. No long lock-in required. You can turn it on and trial it with your team. ✓ Buying a license is just the start. The return comes from adoption, tailoring, integration, and ongoing education, which is exactly what our Core service is built for. ✓ Your AI platform needs governance. A managed rollout gives you data controls at the business level and reduces the risk of staff using unapproved tools. ✓ Adoption is the leading indicator of ROI. If people aren't using it, dig into why. Relaunch and iterate. ✓ Start capturing clean data now. Even if you're not ready to build automations today, the data you collect now is what will power them later. ✓ Think ecosystem, not just model. The best AI platform is the one that connects to the tools your team already uses. Timestamps 00:00 Big news: First Focus is an OpenAI SMB channel partner 00:36 How OpenAI changed the way businesses work 02:37 The gap between personal use and enterprise AI 04:05 Licenses vs real ROI 05:02 What changes for First Focus clients now 06:23 ChatGPT Business alongside Microsoft Copilot 07:24 Why every business needs to act on AI now 09:01 What partner access means for our team 10:07 The OpenAI ecosystem and integrations 12:02 What makes an MSP an AI expert 14:09 AI governance and security risks 17:00 Employee experience and the right tools 19:23 Adoption as the metric that matters 22:47 Is AI foundational for SMBs? 23:40 AI vs automation: understanding the difference 25:37 Why your data strategy matters now 26:44 Choosing your AI ecosystem About Core Core is the future of managed services at First Focus. It's a productivity-as-a-service offering that ensures your team has the support, education, and ongoing iteration needed to make AI and automation a real part of how your business operates. If you're investing in ChatGPT Business or exploring AI more broadly, Core is how you make sure that investment delivers. Want to talk about what this partnership means for your business? Get in touch with your Technical Account Manager, or reach out to our team to learn more about Core here: https://www.firstfocus.com.au/services/core/chatgpt/