Cobalt

More than just your typical tech company.

When you partner with a managed service provider, you shouldn't just get reactive ticket-fixing. You need a dedicated extension of your team that looks out for your business and your team.

From proactive cyber defence to seamless workplace comms, we keep your business moving forward without the usual headaches.

We're Cobalt, it's what we do.

The biggest mistake with AI? Forcing it into places it doesn't belong.

Because of the hype, so many businesses feel pressured to adopt AI out of fear of getting left behind. However, this just results in implementing complex tools for problems that don't actually exist in their workflow.

As Ian puts it, stop looking for ways to use AI. Instead, find a genuine operational pain point (a task that takes way too long, a manual process your team dreads, or a resource bottleneck) and use AI to solve that.

Fix the problem, don't just follow the trend.

AI has massive potential to save your team hours, but without a clear focus, it’s easy to fall down a rabbit hole.

Ian's trick to getting actual ROI isn't trying to use AI for everything, it’s about targeting the areas that will benefit most from it.

Pick the repetitive, time-consuming tasks your team dislikes doing or the processes that chew up unnecessary resources and then work backwards to see how AI can solve that specific headache.

When you focus on the outcome first, AI shifts from being a shiny distraction to a genuine productivity booster.

If you think turning on Multi-Factor Authentication means your business is bulletproof, it’s time to rethink your strategy.

As Ian explains, while MFA is a critical baseline, modern cyber threats have evolved to bypass it. Technical controls are essential, but the most powerful asset in your security strategy is human awareness - shifting your mindset from 'if' to 'when'.

Building multiple layers of defense is crucial, but knowing how your team and your IT partner respond when a threat tests those boundaries is what truly makes the difference.

That’s where good support stops, and great support steps in.

It'll come as no surprise that AI has easily been the biggest shift in cybersecurity over the last year.

It lets us automate tasks, solve problems faster and work more efficiently. But as Ian points out, AI doesn't inherently understand intent, it just executes instructions. Ask it to perform a task wrapped in the right prompt and it will do it without realising whether it's helping a legitimate user or facilitating a breach.

While AI is an incredible assistant, robust human oversight and smart security policies are still essential to keep your network safe.

What happens when you put the team on the spot with a bunch of good old 'would you rathers'?

Safe to say, we learned a lot. Maybe don't start a boy band though.

Thanks Jake, Ash and Tommy for being great sports as always.