Posts by steve@pdxittech.com
Shadow AI in Small Business: How to Find It and Fix It in 2026
Shadow AI is the AI your team already uses without IT knowing: personal ChatGPT accounts, free notetakers, and AI browser extensions. Here is how a Portland-area small business can find it without a witch hunt, give people a safer option, and lock down the risky parts in 30 days.
Read MoreRestaurant QR Code Scams: How a Fake Menu Sticker Steals Your Card
At a lot of Portland restaurants these days, there’s no paper menu. You get a little QR code on a table tent, you scan it, and you order. It’s convenient, and I get why restaurants switched. But I run an IT company, and I worry about a simple trick that turns that little square into…
Read MoreHacked? What Portland CPAs, Financial Advisors, and Medical Offices Must Report After a Data Breach (and the Fines If You Don’t)
If you run a CPA firm, tax practice, financial advisory office, or medical clinic anywhere from Hillsboro to Gresham or Wilsonville to Vancouver, WA, a breach starts several reporting clocks at once, and some of them run in days, not months. This guide covers the data breach reporting requirements for small and mid-size offices in…
Read MoreAI for Law Firms in 2026: A Portland Guide to Using AI Without Risking Client Confidentiality
A practical guide to AI for law firms in the Portland metro: where generative AI saves time, what the ethics rules expect, why fake citations and client confidentiality are the real risks, and the IT guardrails a small firm needs before rolling out Copilot or ChatGPT.
Read MoreWhat a BAA Means When You Hire an IT Provider for a Medical, Dental or Therapy Office
A plain-English look at the Business Associate Agreement (BAA) for IT providers: why an IT company that touches patient data is usually a business associate, what the agreement should cover, what it does not do, and what to ask before you sign. For Portland-area medical, dental and therapy offices.
Read MoreAI for Construction Companies in 2026: Jobsite Productivity Without Leaking Bids or Plans
Practical AI for construction companies in the Portland metro: where AI helps (estimating drafts, RFIs, scheduling), what never leaves the job trailer (bids, plans, owner data), and how managed IT keeps field phones from becoming shadow AI.
Read MoreAI Acceptable Use Policy for Small Business: A Practical Template for 2026
A practical AI acceptable use policy for Portland metro SMBs: what to approve and ban, never-paste rules, shadow AI, human review, rollout and training, plus a one-page template your team will actually follow.
Read MoreWhat to Look for in Managed IT Services: A Portland Buyer’s Checklist
2026 buyer’s checklist for managed IT services in Portland: monitoring, help desk, on-site coverage, security, backups, pricing clarity, and exit terms.
Read MoreHIPAA Security Risk Analysis for Small Clinics: A Plain-English Walkthrough
A plain-English walkthrough of the HIPAA security risk analysis for small Portland-area clinics: what the rule requires, seven practical steps, the free HHS SRA Tool, Oregon breach notice rules, and common mistakes.
Read MoreAI and HIPAA for Portland Healthcare Practices: What Clinics Must Get Right in 2026
AI is showing up in Portland clinics faster than policies. This guide covers ePHI, BAAs, shadow AI, Copilot in clinical settings, INKY email defenses, training, and a 30-day checklist for small healthcare practices.
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