First Focus
First Focus is an Australian managed service provider founded in 2003, serving mid-market organisations with 20-200 staff across Australia and New Zealand through a pod-based model delivering integrated IT support, cybersecurity, cloud, SharePoint, AI, and offshore staffing services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersMascot, Australia
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What First Focus does
First Focus is an Australian managed service provider (MSP) founded in 2003 and headquartered in Sydney, serving mid-market organisations with 20-200 staff across Australia and New Zealand, with additional offshore delivery from Manila, Philippines. The company operates from 10 office locations (eight across Australian states and territories, plus Auckland and Manila) and employs 300+ IT professionals supporting 35,000+ end users across 800-1,500 organisations. It is structured as a platform-plus-modules portfolio: the CORE Intelligent Managed Services platform (launched November 2025) serves as the flagship AI-powered offering integrating AI deployment, workflow automation, Essential 8 security, SharePoint management, IT support, and training, supported by dedicated service lines including F-Connect (customer portal), F-Protect (tiered managed security S1-S4), Managed Cloud (public/private/hybrid), Managed SharePoint, IT Support Services, Data Services, Cloud Backup and Disaster Recovery, Connectivity/SD-WAN, Unified Communications, Automation Services, IT Consulting, Virtual CIO, IT Procurement, and Offshore Staff Outsourcing.
The core technology combines an integrated managed services platform with proprietary tooling such as F-Connect (customer-facing portal with Microsoft Teams-based live chat, ticket tracking, and SLA dashboards), Hatz (the company's own multi-LLM aggregator providing access to 50+ models including ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok), and Smart Cloud (private cloud infrastructure positioned at roughly 30% lower cost than public cloud for stable workloads). Service delivery uses a pod-based model pairing each client with a dedicated team including a Technical Account Manager with average tenure of 5.2 years (versus an industry average of 1.8 years), supplemented by follow-the-sun 24/7 support via Manila. Pricing is per-user-per-month subscription ranging from $37 (Monitoring & Maintenance) to $275 (CORE introductory), with separate cloud subscriptions ($500-7,000/month), project-based professional services, and fixed-rate offshore staff outsourcing at 40-60% below Australian rates.
First Focus generates revenue through a sales-led, consultative go-to-market targeting mid-market businesses via direct field and inside sales with no disclosed channel partner or reseller network, supported by thought leadership marketing including podcasts, webinars, and case studies. Customer concentration appears low given the horizontal mid-market segment, per-seat pricing model, and diverse customer base spanning beverage distribution, professional associations, logistics/government, electrical distribution, hospitality, energy, and education. The business is privately held and founder-led by CEO Ross Sardi, with no disclosed external institutional or PE/VC ownership. Recent strategic activity centres on geographic and product expansion: the company acquired Optimus Systems in May 2026 and OneHQ in June 2026 to enter the New Zealand market, while launching CORE and Automation Services in late 2025 and early 2026 to broaden its AI and automation revenue lines.
First Focus firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- First Focus
- Legal name
- First Focus
- Website
- https://firstfocus.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- First Focus is an Australian managed service provider founded in 2003, serving mid-market organisations with 20-200 staff across Australia and New Zealand through a pod-based model delivering integrated IT support, cybersecurity, cloud, SharePoint, AI, and offshore staffing services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
First Focus industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Managed IT Services
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Communications Services, Nec (4899)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Strategy & IT Advisory (BPAEAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- VIP/White-Glove & Executive Support (BPAAABAL)
Keywords
Where First Focus is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mascot
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices10 records
Markets served
First Focus business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Managed IT Services: Per-user-per-month pricing for comprehensive IT support, cybersecurity, monitoring, and access to F-Connect portal. Tiered plans from basic monitoring to premium partnerships.
- CORE Intelligent Managed Services: Comprehensive AI and IT solution at $275 per user/month introductory pricing, including AI implementation, automation, security, data governance, support, and training.
- Offshore Staff Outsourcing: Fixed monthly rates for pre-vetted Manila-based professionals at 40-60% less than Australian rates. Options include direct hire, managed service, or hybrid engagement.
- Professional Services and Projects: IT infrastructure projects, cloud migration, software development, security assessments delivered as project-based engagements with fixed price guarantee.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Per seat | Monthly | Monitoring & Maintenance - Basic monitoring and patching for internal IT teams |
| Per seat | Monthly | Total Support Essentials - Remote troubleshooting and M365 support for small teams |
| Per seat | Monthly | Total Support - Complete IT management with proactive patching and account management |
| Per seat | Monthly | Total Support Plus - Premium partnership with advanced reporting and strategic IT roadmap |
| Per seat | Monthly | CORE - Intelligent Managed Services combining AI, automation, security, and IT support |
| Subscription | Monthly | Managed Cloud Services |
| Subscription | Monthly | Offshore Staff Outsourcing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
First Focus product offering
Product offeringCore offering
First Focus is a managed service provider delivering integrated IT services for mid-market organisations with 20-200 staff across Australia and New Zealand. Core offerings include managed IT support, managed cybersecurity aligned to Essential 8, managed public/private/hybrid cloud, managed SharePoint and Microsoft 365, AI and automation via the CORE platform, data services, unified communications, connectivity/SD-WAN, IT consulting, and offshore staffing from Manila. Services are delivered through a pod-based model with dedicated Technical Account Managers and the F-Connect customer portal.
Product overview
First Focus is an Australian managed service provider (MSP) offering a portfolio of integrated IT services for mid-market businesses with 20-200 staff across Australia and New Zealand. The portfolio is structured as a platform-plus-modules architecture: the CORE Intelligent Managed Services platform serves as the flagship AI-powered managed IT product, combining AI deployment (via ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, and Hatz), workflow automation, data governance, Essential 8 security, SharePoint management, IT support, and training. Supporting the CORE platform are dedicated service lines: F-Connect (customer portal), F-Protect (tiered managed security: S1 Essential, S2 Strengthened, S3+ Proactive Risk, S4 Enterprise SOC), Managed SharePoint (Guard/Elevate/Accelerate tiers), Managed Cloud (public/private/hybrid), IT Support Services (Monitoring & Maintenance, Total Support Essentials, Total Support, Total Support Plus), Data Services (warehousing, engineering, governance, visualisation), Cloud Backup and Disaster Recovery, Connectivity (SD-WAN, MPLS, internet), Unified Communications (Zoom, Teams Phone, RingCentral, Mitel), Automation Services, IT Consulting, Virtual CIO, IT Procurement, Business Continuity Planning, and Offshore Staff Outsourcing (Manila). The company also recently acquired OneHQ and Optimus Systems to expand its New Zealand operations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CORE: CORE is the company's intelligent managed services platform combining AI, automation, security, IT support, and more in one service offering.
- F-Connect
- F-Protect
Products and services
- CORE Intelligent Managed Services Flagship AI-powered managed IT platform combining AI deployment (via Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, and Hatz multi-LLM platform), workflow automation, data governance, Essential 8 security, SharePoint management, IT support, and training in one integrated service for mid-market organisations.
- F-Protect Managed Security Services Managed security service with tiered plans (S1-S4) built on ACSC Essential 8 and NIST frameworks, covering 24/7 SOC monitoring, dark web monitoring, endpoint protection, MDR for M365 and Entra, automated patching, encryption, SIEM, AI-driven anomaly detection, and compliance reporting for mid-market businesses.
- IT Support Services Managed IT support with Same Day SLA, 24/7 service desk, local engineers, proactive monitoring, and F-Connect portal access. Offered in Monitoring & Maintenance, Total Support Essentials, Total Support, and Total Support Plus tiers for organisations with 20-200 staff.
- Managed Cloud Services Managed public, private, and hybrid cloud environments with 99.9% uptime guarantee. Smart Cloud approach places each workload where it performs best and costs least, with support for Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud, managed under a single SLA.
- Managed SharePoint Services Managed Microsoft 365 data governance across SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, and Exchange with compliance monitoring, AI-readiness, and operational support. Offered in Guard, Elevate, and Accelerate tiers for mid-market businesses.
- Data Services Full-service data solutions including data warehousing, data engineering, data governance, and data visualisation. Vendor-agnostic approach working with Azure, AWS, on-premises solutions, Power BI, and Tableau using a discovery-first engagement model.
- Cloud Backup and Disaster Recovery Cloud backup using ShadowProtect and Veeam with off-site replication to Australian data centres. Disaster Recovery provides guaranteed recovery time and point objectives, server recovery to CloudCOMPUTE, and staff remote access.
- Unified Communications Vendor-agnostic UCaaS consulting and management for Microsoft Teams Phone, Zoom, RingCentral, and Mitel. Covers anywhere telephony, messaging, presence, video, and desktop sharing. First Focus is a certified Zoom partner.
- Automation Services Business process and workflow automation mapping how the business actually runs, quantifying ROI before building, and delivering automation via Power Automate, custom integrations, and RPA. ROI is measured before and after implementation.
- Connectivity Managed network and connectivity including managed internet (Fibre, Ethernet, nbn, Microwave, Mobile, ADSL), MPLS-WAN, SD-WAN, and business NBN with multi-carrier failover and diverse multi-homed pathways.
- IT Consulting IT consulting services covering IT strategy, digital transformation, Virtual CIO, Microsoft 365 migrations, SharePoint consultation, and project design and management for mid-market businesses.
- Virtual CIO Fractional CIO service providing ongoing access to senior IT executives for strategic planning, IT roadmap development, business continuity planning, and digital transformation guidance. Zero commission and vendor agnostic.
- IT Procurement Specialist IT procurement for hardware, software, and licensing across multiple vendors with vendor-agnostic approach, asset management, warranty returns, and access to wholesale pricing. Financing and Hardware-as-a-Service options available.
- Business Continuity Planning Business continuity planning service assessing business risk, identifying high-priority systems, and creating plans and processes to minimise downtime. Covers training, testing, and practice.
- Offshore Staff Outsourcing (BPO) Offshore staffing from Manila, Philippines offering pre-vetted professionals at 40-60% less than Australian rates. Covers IT help desk, customer care, finance, administration, marketing, SEO, HR, and recruitment roles for Australian businesses.
Quantifiable outcome
- 90%+ of IT issues resolved within one business day
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use First Focus
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
First Focus technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration25 records
AI capability7 records
Feature6 records
First Focus partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- ZoomcoreCertified Zoom partner providing Zoom Phone, Zoom Contact Center, and Zoom Meetings implementation and support. First Focus offers seamless integration, 24/7 onshore support backed by international team, and acts as first point of contact liaising with Zoom on behalf of clients for faster resolution.
- Microsoft (Teams Phone)coreSeamless integration of Microsoft Teams Phone within complex IT environments. Microsoft-certified experts provide 24/7 support with proactive issue management and swift resolutions. Custom configurations considering unique workflows to enhance productivity and user adoption.
- RingCentralcoreCloud-based UCaaS solution partner offering consolidated communications capabilities for organisations transitioning from on-prem PBX.
- MitelcoreOn-prem PBX upgrade solutions and Mitel phone systems integration. UCaaS specialists partnering with Mitel for hybrid transition options.
- Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC)coreACSC Partner Program member. First Focus participates in the Cyber Security Business Connect and Protect initiative, providing education, assessments, and tailored training to SMEs. Aligns security services with Essential Eight framework.
- Australian Computer Society (ACS)coreACS Trust Mark accredited in both Managed Services and Cloud categories. The ACS Trust Mark program provides independent quality assurance regarding IT service providers' internal procedures and controls.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
First Focus competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Brennan IT: Australian managed services provider with a comparable mid-market focus, offering managed IT, cloud, and security services. Brennan IT targets organisations of similar size to First Focus's 20-200 staff segment and operates via a similar pod-based service delivery model.
- Data#3: ASX-listed Australian IT solutions provider with managed services, cloud, and security offerings centred on Microsoft and hybrid-cloud technology. Comparable to First Focus on technology stack (Microsoft-heavy) and the mid-market-to-enterprise customer focus.
- Datacom: One of the largest Australia and New Zealand-based managed service providers with a deep footprint across cloud, security, and IT support. Directly comparable to First Focus in terms of mid-market and enterprise customer base, ANZ geographic focus, and breadth of IT services portfolio.
- Macquarie Technology Group: ASX-listed Australian IT services business combining managed services, cloud, and cybersecurity for mid-market and enterprise customers. Comparable to First Focus on the cloud and managed-services front, with public-market scale benchmarks for the AU MSP category.
- CyberCX: Australia's largest pure-play cybersecurity services provider, with overlapping managed security and Essential 8 Microsoft security solutions. Directly comparable to First Focus's F-Protect managed security line and ACSC-aligned offering.
Broad incumbents
- Accenture: Global IT services and consulting firm with a substantial managed services practice in Australia. Overlaps with First Focus on cloud migration, security, and IT operating model engagements, but operates at enterprise scale with a much wider service portfolio.
- Infosys: Global IT services major with presence in Australia and New Zealand offering managed services, cloud, and AI/automation. Comparable to First Focus on the offshore delivery model and managed IT services, but operates at global enterprise scale.
- Capgemini: Global IT services and consulting firm with ANZ managed services delivery. Overlaps with First Focus on cloud, security, and IT transformation, but serves primarily larger enterprise clients and operates as part of a global delivery network.
- DXC Technology: Global IT services and managed services provider with significant ANZ presence through the former CSC/HP Enterprise Services heritage. Provides overlapping managed IT, cloud, and security services but as part of a much broader global portfolio rather than a mid-market specialist.
- Insight Enterprises: Global IT solutions and managed services provider with strong Microsoft alignment and ANZ presence. Overlaps with First Focus on managed IT, cloud, and security services, but operates at a much larger global scale with hardware/software distribution as a core business.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
First Focus social profiles
Digital presenceFirst Focus compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
First Focus financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
First Focus leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
First Focus funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
First Focus M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A7 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about First Focus
What does First Focus do?
First Focus is a managed service provider delivering integrated IT services for mid-market organisations with 20-200 staff across Australia and New Zealand. Core offerings include managed IT support, managed cybersecurity aligned to Essential 8, managed public/private/hybrid cloud, managed SharePoint and Microsoft 365, AI and automation via the CORE platform, data services, unified communications, connectivity/SD-WAN, IT consulting, and offshore staffing from Manila. Services are delivered through a pod-based model with dedicated Technical Account Managers and the F-Connect customer portal.
Is First Focus a public or private company?
First Focus is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was First Focus founded?
First Focus was founded in 2003. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is First Focus based?
First Focus is headquartered in Mascot, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does First Focus make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Managed IT Services are the primary driver. The others are CORE Intelligent Managed Services, offshore Staff Outsourcing and professional Services and Projects.
Who are First Focus's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Brennan IT, Data#3, Datacom, Macquarie Technology Group and CyberCX. Broad incumbents are Accenture, Infosys, Capgemini, DXC Technology and Insight Enterprises.
Does First Focus have an API?
No public API is recorded for First Focus.
What industry is First Focus in?
First Focus's product category is Managed IT Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAAAA, Strategy & IT Advisory, with a secondary code of BPAAABAL, VIP/White-Glove & Executive Support. Its NAICS code is 54151 and its SIC code is 7370.