Canon Business Services has launched an AI and security advisory for Australian organizations as businesses become increasingly concerned about how employees use artificial intelligence tools in the workplace.
This advisory is aimed at companies that deploy AI faster than they can control it. This includes AI readiness assessments, employee literacy programs, and governance frameworks designed to reduce security risks associated with the everyday use of public AI tools.
This announcement reflects a broader market shift as companies move from experimenting with AI to considering the operational and security implications of using AI at scale. In particular, companies are grappling with how to handle customer data, financial records, and intellectual property when employees use third-party AI services.
Research cited by RMIT Online found that while most Australian workers are using AI, fewer than one in 10 have advanced skills. Canon Business Services argues that the gap between adoption and understanding leaves organizations exposed to avoidable risks.
preparation gap
One of the central issues is the use of publicly available AI tools without internal oversight. Employees can use these systems to increase productivity, but in doing so they may upload sensitive information beyond the view of the company’s technology and security teams.
This creates new blind spots in data processing and governance. Canon Business Services also points to research from Mimecast showing that up to 95% of cyber security breaches involve human error, highlighting how staff behavior can strongly shape an organization’s security profile.
All AI integrations have the potential to impact existing security policies by introducing new data pathways and links between systems. This advisory is designed to help clients identify these points early and set rules for acceptable use, data visibility, and governance.
Rajith (Raji) Haththotuwegama, National Solutions Advisor for AI, Apps and Data at Canon Business Services, says the conversation around AI has changed.
“The honeymoon phase with AI is officially over. We are entering a great reset period for AI, where organizations are moving beyond pilots and asking tougher questions about cost, risk, and real-world value. The question is no longer whether to deploy AI. “This gap in preparedness is the single biggest barrier to successful AI adoption in Australia today,” Haththotuwegama said.
Focus on security
Canon Business Services positions this recommendation on the idea that security should be addressed at the beginning of an AI project, rather than after implementation. This approach reflects a common concern among large organizations that AI adoption is often driven by business teams and individual staff before governance structures are updated.
For employers, the question is not just whether workers are using AI, but whether their organizations have the policies, training, and technical controls in place to manage those tools. This advisory aims to give organizations a clear understanding of where their data is moving and what new risks are being introduced as AI tools become part of daily workflows.
The launch is also part of a broader repositioning of Canon Business Services, which is expanding its focus across cloud, managed IT, cybersecurity, data, AI and application modernization. The company operates in Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines and is part of the Canon Oceania group.
Luke Clark, CEO of Canon Business Services, said customers are looking for help linking AI decision-making to security planning.
“Our clients trust us to see the big picture and navigate complex technology changes together. This advisory capability is a direct response to what enterprises are looking for: a partner who can connect the dots between AI innovation and security resiliency. We are investing in this capability to give our clients the confidence to deploy new technologies securely and strategically,” Clark said.
The announcement comes as boards and management teams face pressure to prove they can extract value from AI without creating new operational risks. For many Australian organizations, this has turned a technological experiment into a management challenge centered around governance, training and accountability.
RMIT Online’s findings suggest that the rift is not around access to AI tools, but the judgment and technical literacy required to use them responsibly. Employers must therefore balance the encouragement of experimentation with the need to limit exposure from unapproved use.
Canon Business Services says the recommendations aim to address that gap by combining assessment, training and policy work into a single service. Its view is that AI adoption now depends less on enthusiasm for the technology and more on companies’ ability to control how AI is used.
Mimecast estimates that up to 95% of cybersecurity breaches involve human error, a stark indicator of the challenges employers face as AI permeates the workplace.
