Secure AI
Independent advice on which AI use cases are worth your time, scored on value and risk, and a sequenced plan to deliver them.
In short
AI consulting helps you decide where AI is worth using in your business and how to adopt it without putting data at unnecessary risk. Catharsis is a Sydney cyber security company certified to ISO/IEC 27001:2022. Every engagement starts with a data and security review, then moves to use cases, a roadmap and practical advice on what to build or buy.
01Who it's for
It suits organisations that want a clear, independent view of where AI fits, with data and security checked before any tool is chosen.
02What's included
Assess readiness
A structured look at your data, systems, skills and policies, with a short report that shows how ready each area is for AI.
Before any use case is chosen, we check where your sensitive data lives, who can reach it and how it would flow into AI tools. This is step one in every engagement, because it decides what is safe to do.
Ongoing advice
Regular sessions with a subject-matter expert to review new tools, vendor proposals and staff requests, so AI decisions keep going through a consistent, security-aware process.
Plan & prioritise
A facilitated session with your team to list the tasks where AI could help, then score each one on value, effort, data sensitivity and risk. You leave with a shortlist worth pursuing.
For each shortlisted use case, we compare using AI already in your software, buying a dedicated product or building something custom, including the cost, effort and data trade-offs of each option.
A sequenced plan covering quick wins, larger projects, the governance you need in place and the skills your staff will need, written so leadership can approve it and IT can deliver it.
Secure AI
We ask your team which repetitive work slows them down before discussing any product. That keeps the conversation on outcomes you can measure and away from buying licences nobody uses.
03In detail
An AI consultant helps you work out where AI can save time or improve a service, which tools to use and how to adopt them without creating new risks. We focus on use cases you can act on, not a long list of ideas.
Good starting points are tasks that are repetitive, text-heavy and currently take someone real time. Typical examples by function:
In the use-case workshop, we score each idea on four factors so the shortlist is based on more than enthusiasm. For example:
| Use case | Value | Effort | Data sensitivity | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ticket triage and draft replies | High | Low | Low | Start here |
| Invoice processing | High | Medium | Medium | Second wave |
| Automated credit decisions | Medium | High | High | Not yet |
Almost every AI use case depends on data: documents, emails, customer records or financial information. If that data is poorly organised, overshared or stored in the wrong place, AI makes those problems more visible and more costly. That is why the review decides which use cases are safe to shortlist.
We align your plan with the National AI Centre’s Guidance for AI Adoption, the current Australian guidance, which supersedes its predecessor, Australia’s Voluntary AI Safety Standard. Our AI security and governance page explains how it fits with the other AI frameworks.
There are three broad paths, and the right one depends on the task.
| Option | Suits | Main question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Use AI in software you already have | Common office tasks, drafting, summarising | Are your permissions and data settings ready? |
| Buy a dedicated AI product | A specific function, such as customer support | Where does the vendor store and use your data? |
| Build a custom solution | Unique workflows or sensitive data | Who maintains it, and has it been tested? |
If you use Microsoft 365, Copilot readiness is often a practical first step. For custom workflows, our AI automation team builds and secures them. If your data must stay on your own systems, local AI runs models privately.
04The process
We interview key staff, review your systems and data, and report what is ready, what isn't and what must be fixed first.
We run the workshop with your team and score each idea on value, effort and risk.
We turn the shortlist into a sequenced roadmap with build or buy advice, governance steps and cost drivers.
We help you deliver the first projects, either directly through our automation, Copilot or local AI services, or by overseeing your chosen vendor.
05Frameworks
Useful for your auditor, board or procurement team. The mapping shows where this service supports each framework. It doesn't replace a formal assessment.
| Control | ASD Essentials | ISO/IEC 27001 | NIST CSF | ISO/IEC 42001 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI readiness and data review | Governance and culture | A.5.9, A.5.12 | Identify (ID.AM-07) | A.7.4 |
| Use-case value and risk scoring | Executive artificial intelligence accountability | Not applicable | Identify (ID.RA-05) | A.5.2 |
| Build, buy or partner assessment | Not applicable | A.5.19, A.5.20 | Govern (GV.SC-06) | A.10.3 |
06Pricing
Pricing*
Scoped after a strategy call
What changes the price
Price depends on the number of business units involved, the systems in scope and whether you want a full roadmap or ongoing advisory.
Not included: AI policy, risk registers and security testing. Those sit in our AI security and governance service.
07FAQ
Can't see your question? Ask a specialist and get a straight answer.
Ask a specialistAI consulting is quoted after a short strategy call, and you get a written quote before any work starts. Most clients begin with an AI readiness assessment. The price depends on the number of teams and systems involved, how sensitive your data is and whether you want a roadmap, a use-case workshop or ongoing advisory as well.
Start by finding out how staff already use AI, then write a short acceptable use policy and pick approved tools. After that, choose one task that takes real time each week and uses low-sensitivity data, and try AI on it properly. Starting small builds confidence, shows real benefits and avoids the risk of putting sensitive data into a tool nobody has checked.
Because many of the hardest questions about AI are data and security questions: what is safe to put into a tool, who can see the results and whether a vendor handles your data properly. Those questions are our security team's everyday work. We help you use AI where it makes sense, with the safeguards built in from the start.
We recommend what fits your situation, and we tell you why. Often the most practical option is AI already included in software you pay for, such as Microsoft 365 Copilot. Sometimes a dedicated product or a custom build is the better fit. We compare options on usefulness, cost, data handling and security, and we say so when a tool isn't worth it.
An AI readiness assessment checks whether your organisation is in a position to use AI safely and usefully. It looks at your data quality and location, your access controls, your policies, your systems and your staff skills. The result is a readiness rating for each area and a list of what to fix first, so your first AI project doesn't stall on avoidable problems.
Talk to our team
No obligation. You talk to the people who do the work.
