There's a lot of excitement about artificial intelligence (AI) right now, and for good reason. Tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot are popping up everywhere. Houston, TX businesses across manufacturing, legal, accounting, and oil & gas industries are using them to create content, respond to customers, write e-mails, summarize meetings and even assist with coding or spreadsheets.
AI can be a huge time-saver and productivity booster. But, like any powerful tool, if misused, it can open the door to serious problems – especially when it comes to your company's data security.
Even small businesses are at risk.
Here's The Problem
The issue isn't the technology itself. It's how people are using it. When employees copy and paste sensitive data into public AI tools, that information may be stored, analyzed or even used to train future models. That means confidential or regulated data could be exposed, without anyone realizing it.
In 2023, engineers at Samsung accidentally leaked internal source code into ChatGPT. It became such a significant privacy issue that the company banned the use of public AI tools altogether, as reported by Tom's Hardware.
Now picture the same thing happening in your Houston office. An employee in your accounting practice pastes client financial data into ChatGPT to "get help summarizing," or a legal firm employee uploads case documents for review assistance, not knowing the risks. In seconds, private information that should remain protected under IT compliance standards is exposed.
For manufacturing companies with proprietary processes or oil & gas operations with sensitive infrastructure data, the risks are even more severe.
A New Threat: Prompt Injection
Beyond accidental leaks, hackers are now exploiting a more sophisticated technique called prompt injection. They hide malicious instructions inside e-mails, transcripts, PDFs or even YouTube captions. When an AI tool is asked to process that content, it can be tricked into giving up sensitive data or doing something it shouldn't.
In short, the AI helps the attacker – without knowing it's being manipulated.
This is where managed IT services and comprehensive cybersecurity services become critical for detecting and preventing these advanced threats.
Why Small Businesses Are Vulnerable
Most small businesses aren't monitoring AI use internally. Employees adopt new tools on their own, often with good intentions but without clear guidance from help desk services or IT support teams. Many assume AI tools are just smarter versions of Google. They don't realize that what they paste could be stored permanently or seen by someone else.
And few companies have policies in place to manage AI usage or to train employees on what's safe to share – policies that should be part of comprehensive managed IT support.
What You Can Do Right Now
You don't need to ban AI from your business, but you do need to take control through proper managed IT services.
Here are four steps to get started:
Create an AI usage policy. Define which tools are approved, what types of data should never be shared and who to go to with questions. Our IT support team can help develop policies specific to your industry – whether that's protecting client confidentiality for legal practices, safeguarding financial data for accounting firms, or securing proprietary information for manufacturing and oil & gas operations.
Educate your team. Help your staff understand the risks of using public AI tools and how threats like prompt injection work. This training should be part of your overall cybersecurity services program.
Use secure platforms. Encourage employees to stick with business-grade tools like Microsoft Copilot through managed Office 365 services, which offer more control over data privacy and IT compliance requirements.
Monitor AI use. Track which tools are being used through network security services and consider blocking public AI platforms on company devices if needed. Remote IT support can help implement and monitor these restrictions.
Comprehensive AI Security Strategy
Beyond basic policies, businesses need:
- Data Backup and Recovery Services: Protecting against AI-related data breaches
- Cloud Services: Secure, compliant AI platforms that meet industry standards
- VoIP Services: Ensuring AI tools used in communications are properly secured
- Co-managed IT Services: Working with your existing team to implement AI governance
- IT Compliance Services: Ensuring AI usage meets data protection standards for legal firms, financial data security for accounting practices, and cybersecurity standards for manufacturing and oil & gas operations
Whether you need full managed IT services or co-managed IT support, proper AI governance is becoming essential for Houston-area businesses handling sensitive information.
The Bottom Line
AI is here to stay. Businesses that learn how to use it safely will benefit, but those that ignore the risks are asking for trouble. A few careless keystrokes can expose your business to hackers, compliance violations, or worse.
For Houston businesses in manufacturing, legal, accounting, and oil & gas industries where data security is paramount, professional IT guidance isn't optional – it's essential.
Let's have a quick conversation to make sure your AI usage isn't putting your company at risk.
We'll help you build a smart, secure AI policy and show you how to protect your data without slowing your team down. Our cybersecurity services include AI risk assessment and policy development specifically for Houston-area businesses. Book your call now.
