AI governance and workplace AI visibility
Understand which tools are already in use and where policy, oversight, and accountability need to catch up.
CISSP-led cybersecurity and AI governance for Canadian SMBs
AI, Cybersecurity & Governance for Canadian SMBs
Senior security expertise. Practical scope. Clear recommendations. Understand exposure, strengthen Microsoft 365, adopt AI responsibly, and get ongoing security leadership without building a full internal team.
Principal-led from scoping through findings and recommendations.
Assess. Prioritize. Improve. Lead.
Practical assessments and ongoing security leadership for the decisions Canadian SMBs face now.
AI governance
Practical
External exposure
Assessed
Microsoft 365
Reviewed
Findings
Prioritized
Built for confidence
Clear answers across AI, cybersecurity, and Microsoft 365.
Practical readiness assessments
Get a plain-English view of your AI, security, and governance gaps without overbuilt consulting programs.
Canadian business context
Guidance shaped for Canadian SMBs dealing with client expectations, privacy obligations, insurers, and security reviews.
Executive-friendly reporting
Clear next steps for leaders who need direction on Copilot, ChatGPT, vendor questionnaires, and audit preparedness.
Workplace AI is already here
Workplace AI Is Already Here - Is Your Business Ready?
Your team may already be using ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, Claude, AI note-taking tools, or AI-enabled SaaS platforms. The question is not whether AI is being used. It is whether your business has the right visibility, policies, security controls, and governance in place.
Shadow AI visibility
See where informal use is already happening.
Acceptable use guardrails
Define what can and cannot be shared with workplace AI tools.
Readiness for scrutiny
Prepare for customer, insurer, auditor, and regulator questions before they arrive.
Built for Canadian SMBs
Right-sized AI and cybersecurity guidance for growing businesses.
NorthSecure AI focuses on practical, right-sized AI and cybersecurity guidance for Canadian small and mid-sized businesses. No overbuilt enterprise frameworks. No buzzword soup. Just clear, actionable steps to reduce risk and build confidence.
Where to start
Choose the assessment that fits your next decision.
From a narrow external snapshot to a broader risk review, every engagement has an agreed scope, analyst-reviewed findings, and practical next steps.
Starting at $995 CAD
External Security QuickCheck
A limited-scope snapshot for micro-SMBs. Up to one primary public domain, safe external checks, TLS, basic web configuration, and WordPress checks where relevant.
Compare external assessmentsStarting at $1,995 CAD
Microsoft 365 Security Assessment
A read-only review of identity, sharing, email, devices, and domain protection. Tiered by tenant size; the entry tier covers up to 25 users.
View Microsoft 365 tiersStarting at $5,500 CAD
Cybersecurity Risk Assessment
Not sure where to start? Review governance, people, external exposure, Microsoft 365, vendors, and incident readiness together.
Explore the risk assessmentStarting at $3,500 CAD
AI Governance Starter
Inventory workplace AI, review shadow AI, establish an acceptable-use policy, and build a practical governance roadmap.
Explore AI governanceFrom $2,000 CAD/month
Fractional Security Leadership
Senior security ownership, risk prioritization, and executive communication without a full-time security hire.
Compare advisory tiersStarting at $4,950 CAD
Complete Security & AI Readiness Assessment
A scoped, smaller-environment engagement spanning external security, Microsoft 365, and AI governance. Standard engagements start at $7,500 CAD.
See scope and pricingStarting prices are in CAD. Final scope and fees depend on your environment. Assessments require explicit authorization and are not penetration tests or formal audits.
View All ServicesAI Governance & Readiness
Two clear paths to responsible workplace AI.
AI governance remains a core NorthSecure service. Choose a starting framework or a deeper review of AI security and governance in an active environment.
AI Governance Starter
From $3,500 CAD. An AI inventory, shadow AI review, acceptable-use policy, initial risk register, and leadership roadmap.
AI Security & Governance Assessment
From $6,500 CAD. A deeper review of data, permissions, vendors, policy gaps, controls, and AI risk for teams already using workplace AI.
AI Acceptable Use Policy
Included in AI Governance Starter or available as a focused standalone engagement from $1,750 CAD.
Workplace AI readiness
Before Copilot or ChatGPT scales, check the foundations.
Review who has access, what information can be used, which tools are approved, and who owns the decisions. The Microsoft Copilot & ChatGPT Readiness Assessment turns those questions into a practical plan.
Explore Copilot & ChatGPT ReadinessSee the kind of output you can use.
Our illustrative assessment report shows how findings and priorities can be presented to leadership. It is a fictional example, not client work.
Free download
Free Download: The Canadian SMB AI Readiness Checklist (2026)
A practical checklist to help Canadian SMBs assess AI visibility, data protection, governance, technical security, policy readiness, and vendor compliance preparedness.
- Identify shadow AI and workplace AI usage risks
- Assess governance, privacy, and security gaps
- Prepare for customer, insurer, and audit questions
- Build practical AI guardrails before problems happen
PDF lead magnet
Free Download: The Canadian SMB AI Readiness Checklist (2026)
Use the checklist as a starting point for AI visibility, policy decisions, and readiness planning.
How it works
Assess. Prioritize. Improve. Lead.
A defined assessment leads to decisions, a practical roadmap, and support to carry it forward.
Assess
We agree the scope and review authorized systems, controls, people, and governance.
Prioritize
Analyst-reviewed findings become a risk-based list of the issues worth addressing first.
Improve
Receive a plain-language report and 30/60/90-day roadmap where the engagement calls for one.
Lead
Keep momentum with fractional security leadership when your team needs ongoing ownership.
Why NorthSecure AI
Senior judgment, without unnecessary overhead.
NorthSecure focuses independently on security risk and governance rather than operating your IT infrastructure. We bring direct senior-practitioner access and business context to findings that automated tools alone cannot explain.
The senior person you speak with is directly involved in the work. Engagements are principal-led from scoping through recommendations. We do not perform formal audits or issue certifications.
Analyst-reviewed findings
Risks are contextualized before they reach your leadership team.
Practical priorities
Clear business language and remediation steps matched to SMB reality.
Ongoing ownership when needed
Move from assessment to roadmap execution without immediately hiring a full-time security executive.
Ongoing security leadership
A security lead for the work after the assessment.
Not every growing business needs a full-time CISO. Someone still needs to own security risk, priorities, AI governance, and executive communication.
Explore Fractional Security LeadershipThree right-sized levels
- Security Advisor: $2,000 CAD/month
- Security & AI Lead: $3,500 CAD/month
- Fractional Security Executive: $5,500 CAD/month
Defined monthly capacity and a three-month initial commitment. Specialist incident response is separate.
Founder & Principal Cybersecurity Advisor, CISSP
Built for practical security and AI readiness.
NorthSecure AI was built to help organizations adopt AI in a way that is practical, secure, and aligned with real business needs. We focus on helping businesses understand where they stand, what risks matter, and what actions to take next.
Engagements are led directly by a CISSP-certified cybersecurity leader. The goal is to make AI adoption safer while giving Canadian SMBs clear security priorities and a practical path forward.
Who it's for
For Canadian SMBs that need a clearer view of security and AI risk.
SMBs using AI for the first time
Start with visibility, acceptable use guidance, and a practical understanding of workplace AI risk.
Teams preparing for client or insurer scrutiny
Get ready to answer questions about Copilot, ChatGPT, data handling, policies, and governance practices.
Leaders who need policy and control clarity
Turn security, governance, and AI adoption questions into clear next steps the business can actually implement.
Organizations heading toward compliance or audit readiness
Strengthen evidence, documentation, and security credibility without slowing the business unnecessarily.
In Practice
A practical example of AI readiness work.
Illustrative scenario
A growing Canadian professional services firm
The Situation
Employees are using ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot to draft client communications, summarize documents, and speed up internal work without clear guidance on appropriate sharing or data handling.
Leadership has no complete tool inventory or acceptable-use policy and needs to decide where to start.
What We Did
A readiness engagement could map active AI use, review data handling, identify governance gaps, and prioritize the most relevant risks for leadership.
The Outcome
The intended output is a plain-language acceptable-use policy, prioritized action plan, and shared understanding of AI risk. Actual scope and outcomes depend on the organization.
Latest from Insights
Recent guidance for Canadian business leaders.
Microsoft Secure Score vs. a Human Security Assessment
Use the score as a starting signal, then decide what matters in your own environment.
Assessment, Scan, or Penetration Test?
Know what each approach answers before choosing the work to buy.
Start with clarity
Know what matters, then move it forward.
Talk with NorthSecure about a scoped assessment or ongoing security leadership. We will help identify the right first step.