AI Adoption, ROI & High Value Use Cases | Ask Me Anything with Jack Behrns

AI Adoption, ROI & High Value Use Cases | Ask Me Anything with Jack Behrns

In this AI AMA webinar, First Focus AI Strategy Lead Jack and host Brendan Ritchie answer some of the most common questions business leaders are asking right now, including: ✅ How to prepare your business for AI adoption ✅ Data governance and AI security best practices ✅ Reducing AI tool sprawl and shadow AI ✅ Measuring AI ROI and identifying quick wins ✅ Real-world AI case studies delivering results ✅ AI agents, automation and productivity gains ✅ Copilot vs ChatGPT – which is right for your business? The discussion draws on First Focus' own AI journey, lessons learned from internal deployments, and practical experience helping organisations implement AI successfully. Whether you're just starting your AI journey or looking to scale existing initiatives, this session provides practical guidance on governance, adoption, security, and measurable business outcomes. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Welcome & Webinar Overview 01:04 – How First Focus Adopted AI Internally & Lessons Learned 03:53 – What Does an AI Strategy Lead Actually Do? 07:44 – Why the Traditional MSP Model Is Changing in the AI Era 13:35 – AI Readiness: Data Governance, Security & Preparation 20:33 – Managing AI Risk, Shadow AI & Tool Sprawl 33:34 – Measuring AI ROI & Finding High-Impact Use Cases 43:28 – Real-World AI Case Studies, AI Agents, Automation & Copilot vs ChatGPT 🎯 KEY TAKEAWAYS • AI success starts with clear business problems, not technology selection. • Data governance remains the foundation of effective AI adoption. • Shadow AI is often reduced by providing employees with secure, approved AI tools. • Quick wins and iterative improvements drive stronger adoption than large transformation projects. • Organisations should target measurable ROI and focus on practical productivity gains. • Internal knowledge assistants are among the most common and impactful AI use cases. • AI champions within teams accelerate adoption and innovation. • Security, governance, and user enablement are just as important as the AI platform itself. • Copilot, ChatGPT, and other AI platforms each have strengths depending on business requirements. • AI initiatives should be assessed based on outcomes, scalability, and business value rather than hype.

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: