AI advisory for Australian SMEs · Melbourne

Find out what AI can actually do for your business — before you spend a dollar building it.

Every vendor is selling AI right now. Most of it won't pay for itself. Our fixed-price AI Readiness Assessment finds the two or three processes in your business where AI genuinely earns its keep — with a costed plan to prove it.

Fixed price. No lock-in. Built by engineers who run AI in production — not a slide deck shop.

AI Readiness Scorecard SAMPLE · v2.4
Data6.2
Processes7.8
Security4.5
People5.5
Systems7.0
Top opportunity Quote preparation: ~14 hrs/week of manual work. Automatable within 6 weeks. Est. payback: 4 months.
13× AWS CERTIFIED PRODUCTION AI SYSTEMS AT ENTERPRISE SCALE SECURITY & COMPLIANCE FIRST MELBOURNE-BASED, AUSTRALIA-WIDE
The entry point

The AI Readiness Assessment

A two-week, fixed-price engagement. You get a straight answer on where AI fits your business, where it doesn't, and what it will cost — in writing.

What you walk away with

We sit with your team, map how work actually flows through your business, and score five dimensions of readiness. Then we tell you the truth — including if the answer is "not yet."

  • A scored readiness report across data, processes, security, people and systems
  • Your top 3 AI opportunities, ranked by payback period — not by hype
  • A costed 90-day implementation roadmap you can execute with us or anyone else
  • A privacy and security review, so you know what customer data can and can't touch AI tools
  • A one-hour briefing for your leadership team, in plain English
Fixed price · Quoted upfront
One price. No surprises.

Scoped and quoted before we start, in writing — never billed by the hour. Two weeks, start to finish. If we find nothing worth automating, we'll say so, and the roadmap is yours to keep either way.

Check availability
The full suite

Everything a mid-size business needs to adopt AI — in one place

From first honest advice to systems running in production, we cover the whole journey. Start anywhere, but most clients start with the assessment — it tells us both where your money is best spent.

Advise

Stage 1

Know exactly where AI pays off in your business — and where it doesn't.

Fixed price · 2 weeks

AI Readiness Assessment

Our flagship entry point. A scored readiness report, your top opportunities ranked by payback, and a costed 90-day roadmap you own outright — whoever builds it.

Most popular starting point
Monthly retainer

Fractional AI & Technology Leadership

A senior AI architect in your leadership meetings without the executive salary. Vendor selection, roadmap ownership, board-level reporting, and someone accountable when suppliers say "just trust us."

For companies without a CTO

Build

Stage 2

Working systems delivered against the numbers we promised — not proofs of concept that die in a folder.

4–8 weeks

AI Pilot & Custom Development

Your highest-value use case built as a working system: document processing, quote generation, customer email triage, knowledge search over your own files. Secure, tested against real work, measured against real numbers.

Scoped per process

Process Automation & Integration

The repetitive work drowning your admin team — invoices, compliance paperwork, reporting, re-keying between systems — automated end-to-end, with humans reviewing where it matters.

Foundation work

Data Foundations

AI is only as good as the data underneath it. We clean up, connect and secure the spreadsheets, systems and file shares your business runs on, so every AI investment after it actually works.

Run

Stage 3

AI isn't install-and-forget. We keep it accurate, safe and paying for itself.

Monthly plans

Managed AI & Cloud Operations

Ongoing monitoring, accuracy testing, cost control and support for the AI systems and cloud infrastructure we build — or the ones you already have. You get a monthly report in plain English, not a dashboard you'll never open.

Ongoing partnership
Workshops + policy

AI Enablement & Guardrails

Your team is already using ChatGPT — probably with your customer data. We set up safe, approved tools, a usage policy that satisfies your insurer and your lawyers, and hands-on training for your people.

As you grow

Cloud Architecture & Optimisation

The AWS muscle Astella was built on: architecture reviews, migrations, security hardening and cost optimisation — the platform layer every serious AI system stands on.

How an engagement runs

From first call to working system

WEEK 0

20-minute call

You tell us where the pain is. We tell you honestly whether an assessment is worth your money. No pitch deck.

WEEKS 1–2

Assessment

We map your workflows, score your readiness, and rank opportunities by payback. You get the report and roadmap.

WEEKS 3–10

Pilot build

If you choose to proceed, we build the top opportunity as a working system, measured against the numbers we promised.

ONGOING

Handover or support

We train your team to run it, or run it for you. Our goal is reducing your dependency on us — not renting it back to you.

Why Astella

Advice from people who build, not just recommend

Most AI consultants have never run an AI system with real users and real consequences. We have — inside large Australian enterprises. We bring that discipline to businesses your size, at a price that makes sense.

Production experience, not theory

We've designed and operated AI systems handling real documents, real customers and real compliance obligations at enterprise scale. We know what breaks — so your pilot won't be our learning exercise.

Security is the starting point

Deep background in cloud security, identity and compliance. We treat your customer data the way your regulator, your insurer and your customers expect — before a single AI tool is switched on.

Honest by design

Fixed prices, written deliverables, and a roadmap you own outright. If AI isn't right for a problem, we'll tell you and save you the money. That honesty is why clients come back.

13×AWS certifications held
15+years engineering & architecture
100%fixed-price engagements
AUowned and operated

Not sure which service you need?

That's what the assessment is for. Two weeks, fixed price, and you'll know exactly which of these services is worth your money — in what order, and what each will return.

Start with the assessment
Straight answers

Questions owners actually ask us

Is my business too small for AI?

Probably not — but parts of it might be. If your team spends hours each week on repetitive document, email or data work, there's usually a case. If there isn't, the assessment will say so — a small, fixed cost to avoid a six-figure mistake on the wrong thing.

Will our customer data end up training someone's AI model?

Not on our watch. We only deploy AI configurations where your data stays yours, and the assessment includes a plain-English review of what data can safely touch which tools. This is the question we wish more businesses asked.

Can't we just use ChatGPT ourselves?

For some things, yes — and we'll show your team how to do that safely. But copy-pasting into a chatbot doesn't automate a process. The value is in systems connected to your actual workflows, running reliably without a human retyping everything.

What if we already have an IT provider?

We work alongside them. Your MSP keeps the lights on; we design and build the AI capability. The roadmap we hand over is written so any competent provider can execute it — including them.

Do you only work with Melbourne businesses?

We're Melbourne-based and work Australia-wide. Assessments run mostly remote with an on-site workshop where it helps.

Get started

Book a 20-minute call

Tell us where the friction is in your business. We'll tell you — honestly — whether AI can remove it, and what that would take.

  • Emailinfo@astella.com.au
  • BasedMelbourne, Victoria — serving all of Australia
  • HoursMonday–Friday, 9am–5:30pm AEST

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