Here’s a rewritten version that keeps the core message but makes it fully about engineering organizations, removing construction-specific framing and sharpening the engineering context:
Most engineering IT teams work hard to secure what they can see.
Firewalls are tuned. Antivirus is deployed. MFA is enforced at the perimeter. On paper, everything looks solid—until an incident reveals that the real problem wasn’t at the edge at all.
It was hidden in the gaps.
When Security Fails Quietly
This week, a major cybersecurity story underscored that exact risk.
A newly disclosed Microsoft Copilot vulnerability demonstrated how attackers could potentially exfiltrate sensitive data through AI prompts—without users realizing anything was wrong. No malware. No ransomware. No obvious red flags.
Just data leaving the environment—quietly.
That’s a wake-up call for any organization using AI tools connected to core business systems. And it’s especially relevant for engineering firms.
AI Expands the Attack Surface—Whether You’re Ready or Not
AI tools like Copilot don’t operate in isolation. They’re deeply embedded in platforms engineering teams rely on every day:
- Microsoft Teams
- SharePoint
- OneDrive
- Outlook
- Project documentation
- Financial and operational systems
Copilot doesn’t just “help with productivity.” It can access, summarize, and surface data based on existing permissions—permissions that, in many engineering environments, haven’t been reviewed in years.
The question isn’t whether AI is powerful.
The real question is: Do you actually know what it can see?
The Engineering-Specific Risk
Engineering organizations manage some of the most sensitive and high-value data in the business world:
- Project bids and proposals
- Client contracts and legal documentation
- Financials, cost models, and margin data
- Proprietary designs, drawings, and IP
- Joint-venture, partner, and vendor information
Over time, access sprawl is inevitable. Teams evolve. Projects close. Engineers move between initiatives. External partners come and go. Permissions accumulate.
Now introduce AI.
If Copilot can “see” more than it should, it can inadvertently expose:
- Confidential bid strategies
- Sensitive financial information
- Proprietary engineering designs
- Data intended only for leadership, legal, or finance
And it may do so without triggering traditional security alerts.
That’s the hidden cost of IT blind spots.
Visibility Comes Before Control
You can’t protect what you don’t understand.
You can’t govern what you can’t see.
And you can’t secure AI using yesterday’s security model.
This is where many engineering IT strategies fall short. They’re designed to block known threats—not to surface unknown exposure created by modern AI tools.
How Divergys Helps Engineering Firms Get Ahead of AI Risk
At Divergys, we help engineering organizations answer the hard questions before AI creates real problems.
Our Copilot Readiness Assessment (just $499) is designed specifically to:
- Identify AI-related security and data exposure risks
- Analyze Microsoft 365 permissions and data visibility
- Highlight where Copilot could surface sensitive information
- Provide a clear, actionable plan to reduce risk and regain control
This isn’t about slowing innovation. It’s about deploying AI responsibly—with confidence, clarity, and visibility.
Don’t Wait for a Reminder
Cybersecurity incidents don’t always announce themselves loudly anymore. Increasingly, the most damaging threats operate quietly, exploiting blind spots rather than breaking down doors.
You can’t control what you can’t see—but you can choose to look.
If a quick conversation about AI readiness in engineering would be helpful, we would be happy to connect.
