AI adoption is accelerating across businesses, but as I’m sure you’re telling your clients, so is the risk profile.
In my conversations with partners and through my reading on industry trends, I’m seeing some interesting patterns emerge. I wanted to share what I’m hearing, just to plant some seeds as you evolve your own stacks for 2026.
From the early days of on-premises servers to cloud migration, and now to the AI revolution, I know that business owners (your clients) tend to oscillate between two emotions: FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and just plain fear.
They want the productivity of tools like Copilot and ChatGPT, but they are, or should be, terrified of their proprietary data walking out the door.
The opportunity I see for you isn’t just in reselling AI licenses; it’s in selling the safety architecture that makes AI possible. The shift seems to be moving from the “Wild West” of experimental AI to a disciplined, “Defense-in-Depth” approach.
I’ve come across two different architectural philosophies that might be worth considering. Again, you know your tools best, but here is how some in the industry are framing it:
Layer 1: The Foundation (Locking the Doors)
The consensus seems to be that before you turn on Copilot, the “House” needs to be clean. If permissions are messy, Copilot might expose sensitive data more quickly.
- The “Automation” Approach: I hear good things about tools like Inforcer or Nerdio for those who prioritize speed. The idea is to apply a “Gold Standard” security baseline instantly. I’m told their Drift Detection is a key feature for catching accidental security holes.
- The “Microsoft Native” Approach: If cost is the driver, using Microsoft 365 Lighthouse combined with SharePoint Advanced Management (SAM) seems to be the play. SAM helps you find and reduce oversharing and, with features like Restricted Access Control and Restricted Content Discovery, can keep sensitive sites like “Executive Comp” out of tenant-wide search and Copilot results while you review and fix permissions.
Layer 2: The Data Guardians (Stopping the “Copy-Paste” Breach)
We all know employees love to paste things into ChatGPT to “clean it up.”
- The “Browser Guard” Approach: Tools like Nightfall AI or Polymer seem to act as sanitizers right in the browser. They redact sensitive info (like credit cards) in real-time, so the AI gets the context without the secrets leaving the laptop.
- The “Microsoft Native” Approach: For those deep in the Microsoft ecosystem, Purview appears to be the standard. By labeling documents and setting Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies, you can theoretically govern or block (often via ‘block with override’ or alerts) sensitive content being pasted into unapproved apps, depending on configuration and browser support.
Layer 3: The Watchtower (Shadow AI Visibility)
You can’t secure what you can’t see, and “Shadow AI” is growing.
- The “Network” Approach: Platforms like Zscaler or CrowdStrike are obviously heavy hitters here for monitoring and blocking traffic to risky AI sites.
- The “Microsoft Native” Approach: I’ve read that Defender for Cloud Apps now has a specific “Generative AI” filter that can discover thousands of AI apps running in an environment, allowing you to block the dangerous ones.
The Net at Work Perspective
My background is in ERP and line-of-business applications, so I look at this through the lens of data integrity.
AI is a powerful engine, but you provide the chassis, brakes, and steering wheel. By implementing these types of security layers, you aren’t just “securing” your clients; you are giving them the confidence to innovate. It transforms AI from a risky gamble into a reliable business asset.
I’d love to hear your take on this—are you leaning more toward third-party tools or sticking with the Microsoft native stack?
Note: The insights shared above reflect general industry observations and partner conversations. They are not official Net at Work recommendations or endorsements of specific tools or configurations. Please evaluate all solutions based on your clients’ unique requirements and consult vendor documentation for implementation details.
