PwC Australia launches AI-powered cyber managed services

PwC Australia has launched Cyber Managed Services, an AI-powered cyber security offering that delivers around-the-clock monitoring, threat detection and response through a fixed-fee subscription model.

The service is designed for private and mid-market organisations, particularly those in highly regulated sectors, and combines Google SecOps technology with PwC's global threat intelligence and AI-powered investigation agents to identify, investigate and respond to cyber threats continuously.

It is the second offering in PwC Australia's agentic managed services portfolio, following the earlier launch of Finance Managed Services. The firm said further managed services are planned across financial crime, legal services, payroll, customer management, third-party risk and operational resilience.

For mid-market organisations, the service is intended to address the cost and scarcity of maintaining a dedicated 24/7 cyber operations capability and accessing specialist talent at scale.

When suspicious activity is detected, AI agents gather information across cloud, identity, application and endpoint environments to assess whether it represents a genuine threat. PwC cyber specialists then review findings and determine the response, with all decisions affecting client environments requiring human authorisation.

PwC Australia advisory leader Ro Antao said the launch reflected a broader shift in client expectations.

"Increasingly, organisations are looking for partners that can help define the answer, implement the solution and remain accountable for operating outcomes over time," Antao said.

"We believe the market is shifting from advice-only engagements towards models that combine advice, implementation and ongoing operation, and Cyber Managed Services is the latest example of how we're responding to that change."

Michael Cerny, PwC Australia's managed services leader, said AI had materially changed the speed and scale of threat investigation. 

"In one client environment, investigation time fell from about 20 minutes to 60 seconds," he said.

"In another, the client was able to analyse twice as much security data for half the cost, which allowed them to reinvest further in better coverage.”

Client data is kept segregated, agent activity is logged and reviewable, and the service operates within PwC Australia's governance, security and risk management frameworks, the firm said.