AI Implementation & Business Automation
AI and automation built into everyday work, from finding the right use case to a working, well-governed workflow.
Learn moreSecure AI Implementation
Secure AI implementation for Australian businesses
AI tools are only as safe as the data and permissions behind them. Without preparation, an AI assistant can surface information to people who shouldn't see it, staff may paste sensitive data into public tools, and no one is quite sure who is accountable for what AI produces.
ETCON helps you implement AI securely: preparing your data and permissions, choosing appropriate tools, setting clear rules for their use, and building human oversight into the workflows that matter.
Sound familiar?
Signs it's time to act
- Staff already using public AI tools, with no guidance on what's appropriate
- Concern that an AI assistant could expose sensitive files
- File and folder permissions that have become too broad over the years
- No policy covering AI use, data handling or accountability
- Pressure to adopt AI quickly, without a clear view of the risks
- Uncertainty about privacy obligations when using AI
What changes
How we help
Access under control
AI tools only reach information each person should see, because permissions are reviewed and tightened first.
Clear rules for everyone
A practical AI use policy that staff understand, covering which tools to use and what data can go into them.
People stay accountable
Human review is built into workflows where AI outputs affect customers, money or compliance.
In detail
What to know
- Secure AI starts with your data
- Privacy and your obligations
- Governance that fits your size
- Keeping people in charge
Secure AI starts with your data
Workplace AI assistants generally work with whatever information a person can already access. That's sensible, but it exposes a common problem: over years, file shares, sites and folders accumulate permissions that are far broader than anyone intended. An assistant can surface that information instantly, where before it was effectively hidden.
So before AI is switched on, we review how information is shared and who can reach it, tighten what's too open, and agree how sensitive information should be labelled and protected.
- Review sharing links, broad access groups and sensitive locations
- Tighten permissions before AI is enabled
- Classify and label sensitive information
- Agree what data can and can't be used with AI tools
Privacy and your obligations
If personal information is used with AI tools, Australian privacy obligations still apply. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner has published guidance on using commercially available AI products, and it's worth understanding before personal information goes anywhere near an AI tool.
We design AI solutions with these obligations in mind: what data enters each tool, where it's processed and stored, how long it's kept, and how people are informed. We're not lawyers, so for legal advice we work alongside your legal adviser.
Governance that fits your size
AI governance doesn't have to mean bureaucracy. For most businesses it means knowing which AI tools are in use and for what, who is accountable, which uses need approval, and how outputs are checked. We help you put in place a level of governance proportionate to your size and risk.
- A register of approved AI tools and uses
- Clear ownership for each AI-supported process
- An approval step for new, higher-risk uses
- A simple way to report and fix problems
Keeping people in charge
AI is good at drafting, summarising and extracting information, but it can be confidently wrong. Where an AI output affects a customer, a payment or a compliance decision, we design workflows so a person reviews it before it's acted on, with a record of what was checked.
What we deliver
What's included
- AI readiness and risk assessment
- Data and permissions review, including Microsoft 365 sharing and access
- Data classification and sensitivity labelling approach
- AI tool selection and secure configuration
- AI acceptable use policy and staff guidance
- A proportionate governance framework: ownership, approvals and review
- Human-in-the-loop workflow design
- Staff training on safe and effective AI use
- Pilot, evaluation and staged rollout
How engagements work
Secure AI engagements usually begin with a fixed-scope readiness and risk assessment, followed by a staged implementation project.
Where we deliver
Secure AI work is delivered remotely for organisations across Australia, with onsite workshops where they help.
Service areasOur approach
Five clear steps
- 01
Discover
Understand your objectives, users, systems, risks and constraints.
- 02
Design
Map the process and define a practical solution and scope.
- 03
Build
Configure, develop or procure the agreed components.
- 04
Deploy
Integrate, test, document and train your team.
- 05
Support
Maintain, monitor and improve under agreed support arrangements.
FAQs
Common questions
Is it safe to use Microsoft 365 Copilot or ChatGPT at work?
It can be, with the right preparation. Business versions of AI tools offer controls that consumer versions don't, and assistants that work across your files depend on your permissions being right. We review your data and access first, configure the tools appropriately and give staff clear rules.
What is AI governance, and does a small business need it?
AI governance is how you decide which AI tools are used, for what, by whom, and how their outputs are checked. Small businesses don't need anything elaborate, but a simple, proportionate version prevents most of the common problems.
Could an AI assistant give staff access to files they shouldn't see?
AI assistants usually respect existing permissions, so the risk is permissions that are already too broad. That's why we review and tighten access before AI is rolled out.
Do you provide legal advice on AI and privacy?
No. We design AI solutions with privacy and other obligations in mind, and work alongside your legal adviser where legal advice is needed.
Where do we start?
With a readiness and risk assessment. It shows where your data and permissions stand, which AI uses are worth pursuing, and what needs to be in place before rollout.
Next step
Adopt AI with confidence
Tell us which AI tools you're using or considering. We'll help you understand the risks and the practical steps to adopt them securely.
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