Get AI governance in place before a customer, regulator, or board member asks the question you can’t yet answer.
Your company is already using AI — in tools you bought, tools your team adopted on their own, and tools your vendors use on your data. Summit builds the governance program that lets you answer, credibly, that you know where and how.
As companies adopt AI faster than their governance can keep up, boards and regulators are asking harder questions about model risk, data exposure, and vendor AI tools. Summit builds AI governance into your security program instead of bolting it on after the fact.
Why AI risk advisory, now
The case for getting ahead of this instead of catching up to it.
Most companies didn’t decide to adopt AI — it arrived anyway, inside the tools your team already uses, the vendors you already pay, and the software updates that quietly added an AI feature nobody approved. That’s not a reason to panic. It’s a reason to know where it is and what it touches, which is exactly what most companies can’t yet say with confidence.
The pressure to answer that question is rising fast. Customers are adding AI-specific clauses to vendor security questionnaires. Regulators in financial services and healthcare are signaling that model risk and data governance apply to AI the same way they apply to everything else. Boards and investors are asking what “we use AI” actually means in terms of risk — and increasingly, a vague answer reads as a red flag rather than a neutral one.
This work is a natural extension of Summit’s broader security practice, not a bolt-on. It works well on its own for a company that needs a fast, credible answer, and it works as an ongoing part of a Virtual CISO engagement for a company that wants AI governance built into how security is run day to day — small and mid-sized businesses very much included, since most of this risk shows up in tools you buy, not models you build.
AI risk advisory vs. the alternatives
Most companies land here after trying one of the other three.
| No AI Governance | Ad Hoc, IT-Led Effort | Generic AI Policy Template | Summit AI Risk Advisory | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tailored to the AI tools you actually use | — | Partial, if anyone has time | No — one-size-fits-all | Built around your actual tools |
| Framework-aligned (NIST AI RMF, ISO 42001) | — | Unlikely | Referenced, rarely implemented | Mapped and implemented |
| Covers AI vendors, not just internal tools | — | Inconsistent | Not addressed | Included |
| Board-level reporting | Absent | Rarely | No | Included |
| Time to a credible answer | — | Months, if it happens at all | An afternoon of copy-paste | Typically 3–4 weeks |
What’s included
AI Use Case Inventory & Risk Tiering
We help you find and catalog the AI tools already in use across your company — sanctioned and unsanctioned — and tier them by risk so you know where to focus first.
AI Governance Frameworks
We help you adopt and adapt frameworks like the NIST AI Risk Management Framework and ISO/IEC 42001 to fit the AI tools you actually use — not a generic policy template.
AI Vendor & Tool Risk Assessments
Every AI vendor and internal tool gets evaluated for data handling, model risk, and security posture before — and after — adoption.
Data Exposure & Model Security Reviews
We assess how your data flows into and out of AI systems, and where model behavior itself could create security or compliance exposure.
AI Policy & Acceptable Use
Clear, enforceable policy for how your team can and can’t use AI tools, including public generative AI tools, written for people who aren’t security professionals.
Board-Ready AI Risk Reporting
AI risk translated into language your board and investors can act on — because “we use AI” is no longer a sufficient answer to their questions.
Built for companies at every stage
The industries Summit serves most.
Financial Services & FinTech
Model risk management expectations are rising fast in financial services — we help you get ahead of what examiners will eventually ask.
Private Equity & Portfolio Companies
Consistent AI governance across portfolio companies, and a clean answer when a buyer’s diligence team asks how AI is governed.
Healthcare & HealthTech
AI tools touching patient data raise HIPAA questions your existing compliance program probably hasn’t addressed yet.
M&A
AI risk is becoming a standard diligence item — we make sure it doesn’t surface as a surprise after close.
Professional Services
Client confidentiality and AI tool use don’t automatically coexist — we help you use AI without a client finding out the hard way.
High-Growth & Mid-Market Companies
Your team adopted AI tools faster than your policies could keep up. We help you catch up without slowing them down.
How it works
A focused build, not an open-ended project.
AI discovery
We inventory the AI tools already in use across your company — the ones IT approved and the ones nobody mentioned — and assess what data each one touches.
First 2–3 weeks.Risk assessment & framework mapping
Each AI use case is assessed for data exposure, model risk, and vendor risk, and mapped against NIST AI RMF or ISO/IEC 42001, whichever fits your situation.
Weeks 3–5.Governance & policy build
We build the policies, approval workflows, and vendor review process your team needs going forward — not a generic template, one built around the tools you actually use.
Weeks 5–7.Board reporting & ongoing oversight
AI risk becomes a standing item in your existing security reporting, so it never again requires a special, one-off answer.
Ongoing.What you receive
Concrete deliverables, not just a slide deck.
Engagement options
Scoped to how much AI risk you're carrying today.
Every engagement is scoped from an initial call and confirmed in writing before work begins. The options below are a starting point for that conversation.
For companies that need a fast, credible answer to “how do you govern AI?” right now.
- AI tool inventory, up to 10 tools
- High-level risk tiering
- One-page executive summary
- 2–3 week turnaround
Best for a fast first answer
The full build: framework mapping, policy, vendor risk process, and board reporting.
- Everything in the Snapshot
- NIST AI RMF or ISO 42001 mapping
- Acceptable use policy, drafted and delivered
- Vendor AI risk register
- Board-ready report and executive briefing
Most common engagement
For companies whose AI tool adoption won’t stop — continuous governance as part of your security program.
- New tool review before adoption
- Quarterly re-assessment
- Updated board reporting
- Often bundled into a Virtual CISO retainer
Typical follow-on after the Program
What this is — and what it isn’t
Stated plainly because it appears in the engagement agreement.
What we deliver
- An independent inventory and risk assessment of the AI tools and vendors your company actually uses.
- Governance, policy, and reporting built around real frameworks — NIST AI RMF and ISO/IEC 42001 — not a generic template.
- Reporting built for your board, investors, and customers, not just your IT team.
- Coordination with Summit’s broader security, compliance, and Virtual CISO work when your situation calls for it.
What we do not do
- We do not build, code, fine-tune, or operate AI models ourselves — this is governance and risk advisory, not AI development.
- We do not guarantee a specific regulatory outcome or certification; AI-specific regulation is still evolving, and we tell you honestly where guidance is unsettled.
- We are not a law firm. Nothing we provide is legal advice, and vendor contracts or data processing agreements should still be reviewed by counsel.
- We do not accept vendor commissions or resell AI tools — recommendations reflect your risk, not our revenue.
Questions we get on the first call
If yours isn’t here, ask it directly — a scoping conversation costs nothing.
We’re a small company — do we really need formal AI governance?
If your team uses any AI-powered tool touching company or customer data, you already have AI risk, whether or not you have AI governance. Most companies engage us specifically because a customer or partner asked a question they couldn’t yet answer.
We don’t build our own AI models — does this still apply to us?
Yes. Most AI risk for growing companies comes from tools you buy or adopt, not models you build yourself. Vendor AI risk is the majority of this work.
How is this different from a general security assessment?
A security assessment covers your broader environment. AI risk advisory focuses specifically on where AI tools touch your data, how vendors use it, and whether your governance can answer a customer or regulator’s questions about it — often as a companion to, not a replacement for, a broader assessment.
Can this be part of our Virtual CISO engagement instead of a separate project?
Yes. AI oversight is already included at a baseline level in Virtual CISO engagements; this service is for companies that want a focused, faster build-out, or aren’t yet ready for full Virtual CISO leadership.
What if we’re already using AI tools without any policy in place?
That’s the normal starting point, not a problem. We inventory what’s already in use, tier the risk, and build policy going forward — we don’t expect you to have this solved before you call us.
Do you help with a specific AI vendor contract or tool?
We assess and advise on vendor risk; for reviewing the legal terms of a specific contract, we’ll coordinate with your counsel as needed.
About the practice
Texas, specifically
Summit Cyber Advisors is based in Georgetown, serving organizations across the state. Engagements are governed by Texas law.
Senior practitioner delivery
Engagements are led by an experienced security leader with hands-on experience applying AI-driven security analytics — not a junior staff or a rotating team.
Insured
Professional liability and errors and omissions, cyber liability, and commercial general liability coverage are maintained throughout every engagement.
Advisory only, by design
No software resale, no managed services, no vendor commissions. Our only revenue from your engagement is the fee you agreed to.