Who owns your technology and AI decisions?
In a lot of growing Australian businesses, nobody does. The CEO makes the calls between meetings and the vendors fill the gaps. InnovateX Solutions gives you a senior technology and AI leader who has built secure platforms for Queensland Government, then delivers the work that leader recommends.
Can your board explain how the business uses AI?
If AI is used anywhere in the business, directors need to understand it well enough to oversee it. InnovateX Solutions helps any board check its own literacy, set AI direction and get plain reporting on risk and progress.
Need engineering capacity without a tender?
Queensland Government departments and councils engage InnovateX Solutions directly through ICTSS.2403 and Local Buy LB308 and LB334, for enterprise architecture, cloud engineering, security uplift and specialist contractors.
Need senior backing for the technology roadmap?
InnovateX Solutions works alongside internal IT teams and providers as a fractional CIO, CTO or Chief AI Officer, then builds the automation, cloud and data work the roadmap calls for, to the same security standards we apply in government.
Which AI tools are staff already using with client data?
Where should the next $50k of technology budget go?
Is our Microsoft 365 tenant set up safely?
Who reports AI risk to the board?
Is the board's own AI literacy good enough?
Which AI initiatives have delivered anything?
Who will design the PROTECTED landing zone?
Can six projects share one secure platform?
How do we bring in specialists quickly?
Who signs off the AI tools staff keep asking for?
Which roadmap items get budget this year?
Who builds the automation the business wants?
- SMB1001 Gold certified
- Queensland Government ICTSS.2403
- Local Buy LB308
- Local Buy LB334
- Queensland Labour Hire Licence
- Brisbane-based, working Australia-wide
- Practitioner-led
Why does security come first in our AI work?
We have engineered Azure platforms that handle PROTECTED Queensland Government information. The same guardrails, data boundaries and testing go into our AI engagements, whatever the size of the business.
Most AI advice starts with tools. Ours starts with what your data can touch and who checks the output, then moves fast once that's agreed. It's the first step of the 6S method, and it's why government agencies and owner-led businesses trust the same practitioner.
What happens when nobody owns technology decisions?
The effects build up over months. These are the patterns we see most often.
- 01
Decisions queue behind one person
Technology choices wait until the busiest person in the business has a free hour, so they get made in a rush or not at all.
- 02
Vendors set the direction
When no one inside owns the roadmap, the next licence, platform or upgrade is chosen by whoever is selling it.
- 03
AI use runs ahead of policy
Staff adopt AI tools to save time before anyone has decided what data those tools can see or who checks the output.
- 04
Knowledge sits with one person
How everything is set up lives in one person's head or inbox. That becomes a business risk the day they leave.
Where should you start?
Answer five quick questions and we'll point you to the right starting point. Already know your situation? Jump straight to it.
Next Move
Five questions. About two minutes.
Answer as things are today and we'll point you to the right place to start. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Who makes most technology and AI decisions today?
How is your team using AI right now?
What would help most in the next 90 days?
Roughly how big is the organisation?
How involved can your people be?
Your recommended starting point
AI Implementation Partnership
A fractional Chief AI Officer sets priorities with your leadership team, trains and coaches your people with the 6S method, and works alongside them to put AI into practice safely.
- Monthly leadership sessions and a rolling 90 day roadmap
- Role-specific training and ongoing champion coaching
- Hands-on help to configure, test and adopt agreed improvements
Built for businesses with A$10m to A$200m in annual revenue that can provide a sponsor and a process owner.
Your recommended starting point
Fractional CIO and CTO
Senior technology leadership on a monthly retainer. One accountable person owns your roadmap, vendors and technology risk, without a full-time executive salary.
- A documented technology roadmap specific to your business
- Vendor and budget oversight with plain-English trade-offs
- Board and executive reporting from the Partner tier
Usually a fit for Australian businesses with around 20 to 200 staff and no in-house technology executive.
Your recommended starting point
Automation, apps, cloud and data
Delivery work scoped and built by the practitioners who would lead it, to the same security standards we apply in government. Everything is documented so your team can run it after handover.
- Automation and AI agents, including Microsoft 365 Copilot readiness
- Custom web, mobile and Power Platform applications
- Azure cloud engineering, data platforms and Power BI reporting
Works best when you have a defined problem and someone in the business ready to make decisions.
Your recommended starting point
Government and public sector ICT
Engage InnovateX directly through Queensland Government and Local Buy panels for architecture, cloud engineering, security uplift and specialist contractors.
- Queensland Government ICTSS.2403 ICT Professional Services panel
- Local Buy LB308 and LB334 for councils and eligible bodies
- Statement of work, time and materials or embedded resource models
For Queensland Government departments, councils, statutory bodies and other eligible public sector buyers.
How do we put AI into practice?
The 6S method, the same six steps taught in our AI masterclass. Safeguards come first, so nothing reaches your people or data before the guardrails are agreed.
- 01
Safeguard
Set the guardrails before anything else. Agree which data AI tools can see, which tools are approved and where a person checks the output.
- 02
Spot
Find the opportunities in the work your team already does, then rank them by value and readiness on an opportunity matrix.
- 03
Select
Choose the platform and tools against clear criteria, starting with what you already pay for.
- 04
Shape
Give AI the business context it needs, from approved documents and templates to a simple company brain.
- 05
Systemise
Pilot before you automate. Test with real work, record the results and only then turn it into a repeatable process.
- 06
Scale
Roll out to the wider team once the pilot meets the agreed conditions, then repeat the cycle on the next process.
How does an engagement with InnovateX work?
Your fractional leader sets the priorities with you, and the same Australian-based team builds what the roadmap calls for.
- 1
Talk it through
Book a 30-minute Microsoft Teams call and bring the decision that has waited longest. You'll leave with a recommended next step, even when that step is a referral.
- 2
Set the direction
Your fractional leader agrees priorities with your leadership team and keeps a rolling 90 day roadmap with owners and measures.
- 3
Deliver the work
The practitioners who set the strategy build what the roadmap calls for, from automation and AI to cloud platforms and data.
- 4
Hand over
We document as we go and coach your people so your team can run what we leave behind. There are no offboarding fees.
Which AI tools are staff already using with client data?
Where should the next $50k of technology budget go?
Is our Microsoft 365 tenant set up safely?
Who reports AI risk to the board?
Is the board's own AI literacy good enough?
Which AI initiatives have delivered anything?
Who will design the PROTECTED landing zone?
Can six projects share one secure platform?
How do we bring in specialists quickly?
Who signs off the AI tools staff keep asking for?
Which roadmap items get budget this year?
Who builds the automation the business wants?
What do clients say and see?
“Speaks founder’s language, makes it simple to understand and did an awesome job.”
“I strongly recommend Todd's masterclass to those seeking to enhance their AI capabilities.”
“This masterclass is amazing, based on the content being taught, there should be over 200 people in this room learning from you right now!”
How does fractional AI leadership compare with a full-time hire?
The InnovateX AI Implementation Partnership is A$14,500 a month with no annual commitment. A full-time Chief AI Officer’s medium base salary in Australia is A$330,000 a year before super and employment costs.
Excluding GST. Billed monthly, no annual commitment.
Medium base salary benchmark. Super and other employment costs are extra.
Source Pearson Carter 2026 Data and AI salary guide, Australia, checked 8 October 2026. This is a cost benchmark, not a promised saving or equivalent full-time staffing.
Which panels can you engage us through?
Eligible agencies and councils can engage InnovateX under pre-agreed panel terms, using a statement of work, time and materials or an embedded resource.
Government servicesHow can you start working with us?
Start as small as you like. Each step stands on its own, and you can stop at any of them.
- 1Learn
Read, watch or join a masterclass
Practical articles on AI, Microsoft 365 and governance, and full-day AI masterclasses through InnovateX Academy.
Free articles. Masterclass pricing on Academy.
- 2Check
See where you stand
Next Move for owners, the Board AI Literacy Index for directors and an AI readiness assessment for IT teams.
Free
- 3Talk
Book a 30-minute call
Bring the decision that has waited longest. You'll leave with a recommended next step, even if it's a referral.
Free, Microsoft Teams
- 4Lead
Put a senior leader on it
Fractional CIO, CTO or Chief AI Officer retainers, or the AI Implementation Partnership when you want leadership, training and delivery support together.
From A$2,500 a month
Who will you work with?
Senior practitioners who have run technology and AI for government and growing businesses, led by our founder, Todd Johnson. One senior lead is accountable for your engagement from the first call.
InnovateX provides fractional CIO, CTO and Chief AI Officer leadership for Australian businesses, government and not-for-profits. Our practitioners architect and build production systems, and our architecture work follows the XAF Connected Architecture framework Todd wrote. Watch Todd present “AI Ready from Day One” at the Start a New Business Expo in Brisbane, March 2026.
What can you expect from us?
Our engagements run on these rules, and the people who wrote them are the people doing the work.
Practitioner-led
Our founder still architects, codes and delivers production work. The person who scopes your engagement is the person accountable for it.
No offshore handoffs
Your work is delivered by the same Australian-based team you talk to, with no tier-one filter and no timezone gap.
Prices you can see
Our retainer and partnership prices are on this site, so you know the numbers before the first call.
Vendor-honest
We don't take vendor referral commissions or push licence upgrades for margin. If you don't need it, we'll say so.
Handover to your team
We document, mentor and hand over the keys when your team is ready to run things itself.
Security standards we work to
InnovateX is SMB1001 Gold certified and works to ASD Essential Eight. We apply the standards we use with government agencies to your business.
Questions people ask before they call
What does InnovateX Solutions do?
InnovateX Solutions is a Brisbane-based ICT consultancy. It provides fractional CIO, CTO and Chief AI Officer leadership, an AI Implementation Partnership, and delivery work in automation and AI, application development, cloud engineering and data. It also works with Queensland Government agencies and councils through approved procurement panels.
What makes InnovateX different from other AI consultancies?
InnovateX has engineered secure Azure platforms for Queensland Government information classified PROTECTED. InnovateX brings the same guardrails, data boundaries and testing to AI work for businesses, and it publishes its prices before you call.
What is a fractional CIO or CTO?
A fractional CIO or CTO is a senior technology executive who works with your business part-time on a monthly retainer. You get strategy, governance, vendor oversight and board reporting from an experienced leader without the cost of a full-time hire. Some providers call it a virtual CIO or vCIO.
How much does it cost?
Fractional CIO, CTO and Chief AI Officer retainers start from A$2,500 a month for about four hours of senior time, with Partner from A$4,500 and Embedded from A$8,500. The AI Implementation Partnership is A$14,500 per month. All prices exclude GST. Retainers roll monthly with 30 days’ notice, and project work is quoted before you commit.
Can government agencies engage you without a tender?
Yes. InnovateX is an approved supplier on the Queensland Government ICTSS.2403 ICT Professional Services panel and on Local Buy LB308 and LB334. Eligible agencies and councils can engage it under the pre-agreed panel terms.
Why does this page change when I pick an option at the top?
The page reorders what you see to match the role you pick, or the link you arrived from. Your choice stays in your own browser, and we don't look up who you are. Every option shows the same services and prices.
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Book a 30-minute call with InnovateX
Bring the technology or AI decision that has waited longest. You'll leave with a recommended next step, even if that step is a referral to someone better suited.