AI executive orders are landing now
State AI mandates and acceptable-use requirements are outpacing your ability to write, adopt, and enforce policy. Most SLED agencies have no published AI policy at all.
Purpose-built for State & Local Government
AI Governance for the
License You Already Have
APEX AI Guardrails is the complete AI governance platform for state, county, municipal, and education agencies — policy, training, vendor review, public records, and browser protection in one subscription.
Built for Microsoft 365 Business and E3. Not the G5 license your agency can't justify.
State Agencies Counties & Municipalities K-12 & Higher Ed
The SLED Reality
The Problem Isn't Going Away
AI adoption in state and local government is accelerating faster than the policy, training, and controls to govern it.
No dedicated security team
SLED IT shops are small and stretched. You don't have a CISO staff to build DLP, write governance charters, and chase shadow AI — you need it done for you.
83% have no technical controls
IBM's 2025 data: only 17% of organizations can stop staff from uploading confidential data to public AI tools. In SLED, that gap is even wider — and the exposure is citizen and student data.
Microsoft Purview requires G5
Browser DLP from Microsoft needs an E5/A5/G5 license. Most SLED agencies run Business or E3. You're being asked to solve a problem the tooling you own can't touch.
One Subscription · Eight Capabilities
The Complete AI Governance Stack
Everything your agency needs to govern AI — policy to protection — without buying, integrating, or staffing eight separate tools.
AI Acceptable-Use Policy
Generate a state-specific AI use policy in minutes — mapped to your state's executive order and NIST AI RMF.
Governance Readiness Scorecard
Assess your agency's maturity across NIST AI RMF domains and get a prioritized remediation roadmap.
Shadow AI Inventory
Passive browser-based discovery of every AI tool your staff is using — no network scanning required.
Vendor AI Evaluation
Score AI vendors against CJIS, FERPA, HIPAA, and data-residency criteria before procurement signs.
PRA Management
Public Records Act search, classification, and export for Outlook and Teams — runs on any M365 license. No G5/E5 required for your records officer or custodians.
Staff Training
Short, role-based modules that turn policy into behavior — for clerks, IT, and leadership.
Incident Response Planning
Build a NIST SP 800-61-aligned AI incident plan before, not after, a sensitive-data event.
GuardRail Browser Protection
Included, not the headline. Blocks CUI, PII, CJIS, and student data from reaching public LLMs — on the M365 license you have.
Why Not Just Microsoft?
APEX AI Guardrails vs. Native M365 DLP
Native M365 DLP gives you a DLP toggle that needs a G5 license you don\'t hold. APEX AI Guardrails gives you the full governance stack on the license you already have.
| Capability | APEX AI Guardrails | M365 DLP (G5) | Build It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Browser DLP for AI tools | |||
| Works on M365 Business / E3 | |||
| AI acceptable-use policy generation | |||
| Governance readiness scorecard | |||
| AI vendor evaluation for procurement | |||
| Public Records Act (PRA) workflows | |||
| Staff AI training modules | |||
| Incident response planning | |||
| ML-based NER classification | |||
| Shadow AI inventory | |||
| CJIS / FERPA / state AI-order alignment | |||
| Priced for SLED budgets | |||
| No dedicated security team required |
"Partial" means the capability is only partially addressed or requires significant configuration/add-on cost.
Total Cost of Ownership
The Math Procurement Wants
Native M365 DLP isn't free — it's gated behind E5/G5 or a per-seat compliance add-on. APEX AI Guardrails is flat. Do the math.
101,000
M365 DLP (annual)
$18,000
250 staff × $6/mo × 12
DLP only. No governance tools, no PRA management, no AUP generator.
APEX AI Guardrails (annual)
$40,500
Flat. Up to 1,000 staff. No per-seat math.
Full governance suite + PRA + DLP included.
3-Year Savings
$0
Parity — but with far more capability
M365 DLP is cheaper only below ~563 staff — and still does less.
| Capability | GC360 | M365 DLP (G5) |
|---|---|---|
| Browser DLP for AI tools | ||
| PRA request lifecycle management | ||
| Outlook + Teams Chat PRA search | ||
| AI acceptable-use policy generator | ||
| 20-tool NIST AI RMF governance suite | ||
| Works on M365 E3 / G3 / Business | ||
| Shadow AI discovery | ||
| Flat-rate, no per-seat pricing |
Per-seat compliance licensing figures are approximate gov/CSP estimates for illustration — verify against your Microsoft quote. APEX AI Guardrails pricing is flat $40,500/year (up to 1,000 staff) or $3,995/month.
Built on the Frameworks SLED Actually Uses
Not federal-only frameworks repackaged for state buyers. Each capability maps to the mandates governing your jurisdiction.
CJIS
Criminal Justice Information Services — for state and local law enforcement data sharing.
FERPA
Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act — for K-12 districts and public institutions.
HIPAA
For public health agencies and behavioral health programs handling PHI.
State AI Orders
Executive orders and state AI mandates — mapped into policy generation by state.
State Records Laws
Public records and open-records statutes — the backbone of our PRA workflows.
NIST AI RMF 1.0
The federal AI risk framework, adapted for SLED scale and staffing reality.