Australian IT industry leader and AI strategist Mani Padisetti has launched a new business venture called Emerging Tech Armoury (ETA).

The company provides AI consulting, governance and training services to help Australian businesses navigate confusion and leverage sound, strategic and safe AI.  

Padisetti has spent more than two decades as co-founder and COO of IT managed services business Digital Armour and saw an opportunity after witnessing how organisations struggled to adopt new technologies. 

“Technology is moving at a pace we’ve never experienced and this rate of change hinders an organisation’s decision-making,” Padisetti said. 

“Emerging Tech Armoury’s services help them get ahead of the curve, harness AI’s transformative power and realise its limitless use cases and benefits, from the boardroom to the call centre.

“It’s about cutting through the noise and being that trusted guide and a voice of reason so they can make confident strategic decisions based on facts.”

Padisetti noted the particular challenge in AI, where the pace of change can confuse and overwhelm even the most tech-savvy leaders.

“Recognising the need for clear, expert guidance in this chaotic landscape, we founded ETA to serve to guide and to provide clarity and strategic direction, helping businesses utilise the transformative power of AI without the common pitfalls of rapid technological adoption,” he said. 

Padisetti said his vision with ETA was to help equip, educate and encourage businesses to discover new possibilities through AI. 

The initial focus will be on sectors that stand to gain significantly from AI integration, such as healthcare, finance, retail, engineering and government services. 

“These industries often deal with vast amounts of data and complex decision-making environments where AI can bring substantial improvements in efficiency, accuracy and innovation,” he said. 

“The opportunity for ETA is immense and transformative. We live in an era where AI is not just a tool, but a revolution. 

“At ETA, we demystify AI, making it accessible and strategically impactful for our customers. Unlike broader IT services, we focus exclusively on maximising AI’s strategic benefits, aligning every insight and tool with our customers’ core objectives to drive unprecedented success.”

At launch, ETA will operate as a tight-knit team of five specialists with each member carefully selected for their expertise in AI, governance and strategic implementation. 

“As we grow and expand our market reach, we plan to scale our team to meet the increasing demand for specialised AI consulting and training services,” he said. 

“Our consulting services help businesses articulate and execute clear AI strategies, while our governance expertise ensures that AI implementations are ethical and compliant with relevant regulations. 

“Our training programs are designed to elevate teams’ AI literacy, empowering them to manage and innovate with AI technologies effectively.” 

Padisetti noted one of the main challenges in the market is the gap between AI’s potential and its practical, effective implementation. 

“Many businesses are caught up in the AI hype without a clear path to leveraging AI technologies in ways that truly benefit their operations,” he added. “ETA aims to bridge this gap by offering tailored AI strategies, robust governance frameworks and comprehensive training to ensure that AI solutions are both innovative and sustainable.”