The Professional Firm's Guide to Safe AI
How Australian firms use artificial intelligence without sending client data offshore
1. The shadow AI problem
Across Australia, staff paste client contracts, engineering drawings, and financial statements into ChatGPT and Copilot. They're trying to work faster — but that data leaves your building and enters US-hosted infrastructure you don't control.
| Risk | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Confidentiality breach | Client details in third-party logs |
| Professional indemnity | Insurer questions unapproved AI use |
| IP leakage | Designs and methods exposed |
| No audit trail | Can't prove who used what, when |
The false choice: ban AI (fall behind) or allow cloud AI (accept risk). Third option: approved private AI on hardware you own.
2. What private AI means
- Inference on your LAN — GPUs in your rack answer queries
- Documents stay local — RAG indexes files on your NAS, not public training
- Session scoping — each matter/project has its own workspace
- You control retention — delete a session, data is gone
- Full audit logs — who asked, which model, which docs retrieved
3. Session workspaces
Law example: Session "Smith v Jones" → upload pleadings → ask "Summarise defendant's limitation argument" → answer uses only those files.
Engineering example: Session "Tender 2024-089" → upload specs + past capability statements → draft executive summary grounded in your firm's actual work.
4. Seven-question checklist
Three or more "yes" = evaluate private AI this quarter.
| # | Question |
|---|---|
| 1 | Do staff use ChatGPT/Copilot for work? |
| 2 | Do you handle confidential client/project data daily? |
| 3 | Would an AI data breach concern your PI insurer? |
| 4 | Do 5–25 people need AI on a typical day? |
| 5 | Do you need audit logs for compliance? |
| 6 | Would CAD, large docs, or tender drafting help? |
| 7 | Must Australian data stay in Australia? |
5. Packages (inc GST, installed)
| Package | Price | Users | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | $52,800 | 5 | Chat + documents |
| Professional ★ | $98,500 | 10 | Full suite + CAD + agents |
| Enterprise | $168,000 | 25 | Redundant GPU + CAD seats |
Annual support from $9,600/yr. Lead times: 4–12 weeks depending on tier.
6. Order to go-live
| Phase | Activity |
|---|---|
| Week 0 | Discovery, site survey, formal quote |
| Week 1 | Deposit, hardware ordered |
| Weeks 2–4 | Lab staging — models, RAG, portal |
| Weeks 5–7 | On-site install, SSO, network |
| Weeks 8–10 | Training, UAT, handover |
7. Your next step
Book a 45-minute strategy call — see it live with your use case.
sovereigndesk.com.au/funnel/book.html
Reserve your install slot — 10% deposit locks your queue:
| Package | Deposit (10%) |
|---|---|
| Essential | $5,280 |
| Professional | $9,850 |
| Enterprise | $16,800 |
sovereigndesk.com.au/funnel/reserve.html
SovereignDesk · Perth, Western Australia · hello@sovereigndesk.com.au
AI power. Your walls. Your data.
© SovereignDesk. Informational only — not legal or insurance advice. Pricing subject to formal quote.