Your staff are pasting sensitive data into ChatGPT. APEX stops it.
APEX GuardRail blocks SSNs, PHI, financial data, credentials, API keys, M&A deal data, customer lists, and source code before they reach ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity — 100% client-side, no prompt content ever leaves the browser.
The top 3 AI risks CIOs, CISOs & Risk leaders face
CISO
Shadow AI & data exfiltration
Staff are pasting CUI, PII, and PHI into public GenAI tools right now — and you have no visibility or control over what leaves the building.
Phase 5 deploys AI DLP to every endpoint; block events feed a live shadow-AI inventory so exposure is seen and stopped.
CIO & Risk
You can't govern what you can't see
No authoritative inventory of which AI systems and vendors are in use — so risk can't be assessed, tiered, or assigned an owner.
Phase 3 inventories every AI system and vendor with owner, data type, and risk tier — the baseline every later phase references.
Risk & Compliance
Mandates outpace evidence
NIST AI RMF, HTI-1, and executive orders demand structured artifacts and audit trails — most agencies can not produce them on demand.
A 12-phase build plus a 9-tool sustain track generate the charters, PIAs, risk matrices, and disclosures auditors require.
The Product
Stop the bleed first. Govern later.
Your staff are already pasting regulated data into AI tools today. APEX GuardRail is the browser extension that intercepts SSNs, PHI, CJIS records, financial data, and credentials before they leave — with zero prompt content sent to any server.
When you're ready to move beyond blocking into a full governance program, the APEX Framework expands GuardRail into a 12-phase, NIST-aligned program — charter, inventory, policy, risk assessment, and audit-ready evidence, all sequenced and owner-assigned.
Intercepts
PII, PHI, CJIS, FERPA, financial, credentials
Client-side
Detection runs in the browser, nothing leaves
Expandable
Upgrades to a 12-phase governance program
Auditable
Every block logged for compliance review
Expansion Path
Don't just read NIST AI RMF. Operationalize it.
APEX is the implementation engine that operationalizes NIST AI RMF end-to-end — sequenced, staffed, and tooled — so you actually reach 90%+ maturity instead of reading a framework. GuardRail stays your day-one control; the Framework upgrades it into a complete 12-phase, owner-assigned program — charter through 90%+ compliance.
The Workflow
One framework, twelve connected phases
A dependency-aware sequence — each phase unlocks the next, every step owned by a named role, flowing from charter to 90%+ NIST compliance.
Establish Governance Charter
CIO / Agency Head
Baseline Readiness Assessment
Compliance Lead
Inventory Known AI Systems
IT Director
Author Acceptable-Use Policy
Legal / Policy Lead
Deploy AI DLP to Endpoints
IT Director
Build Risk Assessment Matrix
Risk / Security Lead
Train Staff on AI Policy
HR / Training Lead
Evaluate Third-Party AI Vendors
Procurement / Vendor Lead
Generate Privacy Impact Assessments
Privacy Officer
Build AI Incident Response Plan
Security / IR Lead
Publish Transparency Report
Comms / PIO
Close NIST AI RMF Gaps
Compliance Lead
- 11 Milestone
Establish Governance Charter
CIO / Agency Head
- 22
Baseline Readiness Assessment
Compliance Lead
- 33
Inventory Known AI Systems
IT Director
- 44
Author Acceptable-Use Policy
Legal / Policy Lead
- 55
Deploy AI DLP to Endpoints
IT Director
- 66
Build Risk Assessment Matrix
Risk / Security Lead
- 77
Train Staff on AI Policy
HR / Training Lead
- 88
Evaluate Third-Party AI Vendors
Procurement / Vendor Lead
- 99
Generate Privacy Impact Assessments
Privacy Officer
- 1010
Build AI Incident Response Plan
Security / IR Lead
- 1111
Publish Transparency Report
Comms / PIO
- 1212 Milestone
Close NIST AI RMF Gaps
Compliance Lead
The Second Track
Two tracks to 90%+ NIST compliance
The 12 build phases get you to ~62% — a defensible foundation. The Sustain track closes the remaining gap and holds you at 90%+ through continuous monitoring, model lifecycle, disclosure, and corrective action.
The Time Advantage
Built in weeks — not a multi-year manual effort
The APEX framework sequences an estimated ~80 hours of build effort into a right-sized cadence, then sustains it with operational tooling — replacing manual drafting and spreadsheet monitoring.
Manual Approach
Drafted by hand
- Each artifact — charter, policy, PIA, incident plan — drafted and maintained manually.
- Continuous monitoring lives in spreadsheets and ad-hoc review.
- •Every new AI tool is re-assessed from scratch.
APEX Framework
~80 build hours, sequenced
- 12 tool-driven phases — an estimated ~80 hours of effort — sequenced in dependency order and right-sized to your team's capacity.
- A small team completes the build track in weeks, not months (per our capacity model).
- 9 operational Sustain tools keep the evidence trail current automatically — targeting 90%+ NIST maturity.
Build effort and cadence reflect the framework's program model (see the phase data and capacity calculator). 62% and 90%+ are stated maturity targets, not client-measured outcomes.
Purpose-Built
Built for every industry
The same 12-phase framework, tuned to universal data classifications, mandates, and committee structure — serving technology, retail, manufacturing, professional services, and beyond.
All Industries
Browser-agnostic AI data loss prevention for every industry — technology, retail, manufacturing, professional services, and beyond. Detects PII, financial data, credentials, source code, and confidential business data before it reaches any AI tool.
Data Classifications
Key Mandates
Audit-ready evidence
Every phase produces a defensible artifact, not a checkbox.
Right-sized cadence
Adapts to your team size and weekly hours — no bloated timelines.
Owner-assigned
Every step has a named role on the governance committee.
Dependency-aware
Twelve phases in the right order — each unlocks the next.
Security & Trust
Enterprise-grade security, built for regulated data
No prompt content leaves your environment. Detection runs client-side with a contextual lexicon — not a cloud AI model. Deployable via MDM, Intune, or PowerShell with full audit logging.
No data exfiltration
Prompt content never leaves the browser
Client-side detection
Contextual lexicon, not a cloud model
Audit-ready logging
Every block recorded for compliance
Pricing
Stop the data loss today. Govern when you're ready.
APEX GuardRail is browser-agnostic AI data loss prevention — tiered by employee count, not per-seat. No usage limits, no credit card required for a quote. Cancel anytime.
APEX GuardRail — AI Data Loss Prevention
APEX Standard
Up to 300 employees
Small agencies, clinics, credit unions, colleges, and munis.
- Browser-agnostic AI DLP (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari)
- Intercepts SSN, PHI, CJIS, FERPA, financial data, credentials
- 100% client-side — no prompt content leaves the browser
- MDM / Intune / GPO deployment
- Audit-ready block logging
- Email support
APEX Pro
301–500 employees
Growing organizations across all industries.
- Everything in Standard
- Custom detection policies
- Shadow AI discovery dashboard
- Department-level reporting
- Priority support — under 4-hour response
APEX Enterprise
501–1,000 employees
Air-gapped deployment for regulated industries.
- Everything in Pro
- Air-gapped / offline deployment
- Dedicated onboarding engineer
- NIST SP 800-53 mapping docs
- Quarterly review call
APEX Custom
1,000+ employees
Volume licensing, multi-org rollouts, and bespoke detection.
- Everything in Enterprise
- Multi-org / multi-tenant rollout
- SSO + SCIM provisioning
- Bespoke detection lexicons
- Custom MSA / DPA terms
Full Governance Framework — Expansion Bundle
Full Governance Framework Bundle
The complete 12-phase, NIST AI RMF-aligned governance program — for organizations ready to govern, not just block.
- Everything in GuardRail 300+
- All 21 governance tools (charter, inventory, policy, risk, audit)
- 12-phase program orchestrator with owner-assigned milestones
- NIST AI RMF + ISO 42001 evidence packages
- Dedicated CSM + on-site facilitation
- SOC 2 / audit-ready evidence vault
Governance tool add-ons
Get unlimited access to all 40+ governance tools — PRA management, vendor evaluation, policy generator, and more — for $297 per month. Available with any GuardRail subscription.
Annual billing · No credit card required for a quote · Quote or PO · Cancel anytime
AI Governance FAQ
How to build an AI governance program
Answers to the questions IT, risk, and compliance leaders ask before standing up an AI governance program in any organization.
How do I build an AI governance program for a government agency?
Start with an authorizing charter that names the AI governance committee and its mandate, then inventory every AI system in use, adopt an acceptable use policy, and sequence risk assessment, vendor review, and incident response on top of that foundation. APEX codifies this as a 12-phase, dependency-aware program where every step is assigned to a named owner (CIO, risk lead, privacy officer) and the timeline adapts to your team's capacity — so you build a real program, not a pile of disconnected tools.
What is the NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) and how do I implement it?
The NIST AI RMF (AI RMF 1.0) organizes AI risk management around four functions — Govern, Map, Measure, and Manage — and is the reference standard most U.S. organizations align to. APEX maps each of its 12 build phases and 9 sustain tools to specific NIST AI RMF controls, giving you a traceable path from charter to 90%+ NIST coverage with audit-ready evidence at every step.
Do local governments need an AI acceptable use policy?
Yes. As staff adopt generative AI and third-party AI tools, an acceptable use policy (AUP) is the baseline control that defines what data may be entered, which tools are approved, and the review process for new use cases. APEX includes an AUP generator tuned for SLED, healthcare (HIPAA), finance (GLBA/SOX), higher ed (FERPA), and energy (NERC CIP) so the policy reflects your regulatory posture rather than a generic template.
How do I inventory the AI systems my agency is already using?
Run a discovery pass across procurement records, department interviews, and shadow-AI detection on the endpoint. APEX's AI inventory tool plus its client-side shadow-AI scanner capture both sanctioned systems and unsanctioned tools, then classifies each by risk tier, data type, and deployment status so your registry is complete and defensible to auditors.
Is there an AI governance framework for healthcare and HIPAA compliance?
APEX ships an industry-adjusted track for healthcare that aligns the governance program to HIPAA, the ONC HTI-1 transparency rule, and clinical AI risk practices. The build phases are identical, but the controls, vendor review criteria, and incident disclosure workflows reflect protected health information and clinical decision support requirements.
How do I prevent shadow AI in my organization?
Shadow AI — staff using unapproved generative AI tools — is the fastest-growing data exfiltration risk. APEX's GuardRail runs detection client-side in the browser with a contextual lexicon (no prompt content leaves the environment), flags unsanctioned AI use in real time, and logs every event so the governance committee can quantify exposure and approve or block tools decisively.
What does an AI data loss prevention (DLP) solution actually do?
AI DLP inspects what users type and paste into AI tools and blocks regulated data — PHI, financial records, PII, GLBA NPI — before it reaches a third-party model. Unlike traditional network DLP, APEX GuardRail operates at the prompt layer, runs entirely client-side, and writes every block to an audit log so you have compliance evidence without shipping prompt content to the cloud.
Stop the data loss today. Govern when you're ready.
APEX GuardRail runs in your staff's browsers right now — intercepting sensitive data before it reaches any AI tool. Request a guided demo to see it block in your environment.