Resources
Documentation, guides, and trust.
Everything you need to deploy Northbeams across your team, understand
what runs on browser, desktop, and CLI, and answer your security
team's questions.
Getting started
One platform, three install paths: browser extension, Mac app, PC app.
Install one or all three, sign in once, and see your first AI Discovery
Report in under 24 hours.
Trust & security
What we collect, what we don't, and how we keep customer data safe.
Compliance & AI laws
Field-guide pages for the AI laws and standards every operator should
know in 2026. Each brief has a TLDR, the load-bearing dates, the
obligations, the evidence auditors expect, and where Northbeams maps in.
Reviewed quarterly.
Hub · Field guide
AI laws field guide
Every US state, EU, and standards-based AI rule covered in one place. At-a-glance comparison matrix and a "find the law that applies to you" picker.
Open hub →
US state · Effective 2026-02-01
Colorado AI Act
The first US state consumer-protection AI law. Covers high-risk AI in hiring, lending, insurance, housing, healthcare, education, and government services.
Read brief →
US state · Effective 2026-01-01
Texas TRAIGA
The Texas Responsible AI Governance Act prohibits discriminatory and manipulative AI uses. Texas AI Council. Regulatory sandbox.
Read brief →
EU · High-risk effective 2026-02-02
EU AI Act explainer
Risk-based tiers, Article 4 AI literacy, high-risk obligations, penalties up to 7% of global revenue. The ungated companion to the readiness PDF.
Read brief →
Standard · ISO/IEC 42001:2023
ISO/IEC 42001
The world's first AI management system standard. Plan-Do-Check-Act, 38 Annex A controls, certifiable. Now appearing in Fortune 500 vendor questionnaires.
Read brief →
Framework · NIST
NIST AI Risk Management Framework
Govern, Map, Measure, Manage. Voluntary, free, US-government-published. Recognized as a safe harbor by the Colorado AI Act.
Read brief →
Guides & deep dives
Long-form pieces on shadow AI, the EU AI Act for SMBs, and how the
on-device classifier and desktop signals work. Sources cited in each
article. New posts ship monthly.
Research · 11 min read
The 2026 shadow AI baseline for 50-person companies
Six numbers that define shadow AI for SMBs in 2026: 27 tools, 143 sensitive prompts a month, $670K breach premium, 80% using AI without IT approval. Sources cited.
Read research →
Guide · Free PDF · 7 pages
EU AI Act readiness for non-EU SMBs
Which articles apply to you, what evidence auditors expect, and the one-page printable checklist.
Email me the PDF →
How-to · 7 min read
How to discover shadow AI in 24 hours
A four-step playbook with the survey email template, the SSO and SaaS pull, the install plan, and a three-bucket triage method.
Read playbook →
Product · 8 min read
Browser, desktop, CLI: which surface catches what
Side-by-side comparison of the three install surfaces. What each one catches, what it does not, and the order to install them in.
Compare surfaces →
Engineering · 9 min read
On-device classification, explained
Why the classifier runs locally, what reaches the dashboard, and what we deliberately do not do. Includes the example payload and the FAQ.
Read deep dive →
How we compare
Honest side-by-side comparisons against the four products SMB IT leads
actually evaluate Northbeams against. Public pricing and feature claims
only, sourced inline. Re-verified quarterly.
In the wild
Anonymized aggregate stats from the Northbeams customer base. What
Shadow AI looks like in practice. Refreshed every quarter so the
picture stays current.
Get in touch
Question we didn't cover? Compliance review? Custom volume pricing?
Send us a note - we reply within one business day.