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MYTH: Shadow AI is solved when employees stop using unsanctioned tools. REALITY: An approved-tools list is a helpful start. Pairing it with visibility into how AI is being used, what data it can access, and where practices are changing can give teams a fuller picture and help identify where additional guidance or guardrails may be useful. The goal isn’t to stop AI use. It’s to keep learning as it evolves and help people use it responsibly.

Hey [insert preferred voice activated assistant name], play “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang because Trace3 just won Data Security Solution Provider of the Year in the 2026 CyberSecurity Breakthrough awards! 🎉

Enterprise AI delivers value when trusted data, clear governance and people are ready to put it to work. Trace3’s Josh Lindstrom joined a panel discussion earlier this year at Cisco Live about what scaling AI looks like in practice, touching on topics like how semantic layers can make data more accessible, why the goal is to augment people, and how governance, culture and learning through iteration shape outcomes. Check out the replay of this conversation, now available on the Cisco Podcast Network, linked below.

Abandoning AI deployments due to unpredictable pricing of tokens isn't your only option. Julia Edinger's latest piece explores the best practices in tokenomics that government IT leaders are uncovering. She spoke with our Trace3 Government lead Tom DeAngelis about how we're advising our state and local client teams. Read more in Julia's full article in Government Technology - link below in the comments.

The content that builds your brand can also give attackers the ingredients to build a convincing deepfake. As executive impersonation, synthetic job candidates, and spoofed company profiles become more sophisticated, organizations need to think beyond a single point of defense. Many of these attacks do not require a system breach. They exploit the digital signals people use to decide whether someone is legitimate. Kiersten Devulapalli, Trace3 Senior Innovation Researcher and the brains behind this analysis, outlines a practical framework for deepfake defense in her latest blog: • Reduce unnecessary personal and organizational information that attackers can use. • Detect fake profiles, cloned sites, lookalike domains, and real-time voice or video manipulation. • Prove that a person is who they claim to be and that the environment they are using can be trusted. Trace3’s Innovation team is always keeping the pulse on emerging technology trends, helping organizations understand what’s coming next and make informed decisions about how to prepare. Read Kiersten’s full post at the link below to learn why deepfake defense needs to happen before, during, and after an impersonation attempt.

We're celebrating the Trace3 + NetApp partnership and the stories behind it that make us unstoppable together. Trace3 was honored earlier this week at NetApp INSIGHT to receive both the West Region and West Region SLED Partner of the Year awards! From commercial organizations to state, local, and education customers, our teams continue to work side by side to deliver meaningful value where it matters most. Thank you to our NetApp colleagues for the partnership, and to the Trace3 team for bringing expertise, energy, and commitment to every customer conversation. We’re proud of what we’ve built together and even more excited about where this partnership can go next.

Today we celebrate our new teammates as we welcome the Calian Group U.S. Commercial IT business to #TeamTrace3! More talent. More technical depth. More ways to help clients move forward. Modern IT environments demand partners that can move with urgency, operate with precision, and stay close to the people doing the work. We’re looking forward to meeting that demand with our new colleagues and keep building what’s needed next. Read our full announcement, linked below in the comments.

Last week, Trace3 and our CMO Sandy Salty hosted our annual Women in Technology event at Crystal Cove State Park in Laguna Beach, bringing together partners, clients and leaders from across the IT community. What made this year's gathering so powerful was not only the beautiful setting, but the shared sense of possibility. Through keynote conversations with Magalie René of Workplace Catalyst and Jas Sood of Palo Alto Networks, we heard candid stories and perspectives on leading with courage, purpose and conviction. Their words reminded us that progress is built when people make space for one another, share what they’ve learned and use their influence to open doors for those coming next. We’re grateful for the incredible voices who joined our panel: Rebecca Adams, Ramita Sawhney, Stephanie McEwen Samuels, Shannon Smith-Fang and DeeDee Matni. Their honesty, insight and generosity made the conversation one we’ll continue carrying forward. Thank you to everyone who helped create a space where women can connect, be encouraged and see what’s possible. We’re proud to keep building a stronger, more inclusive future for women in technology.

Anthropic's latest certification milestone is a clear sign that organizations are moving quickly from AI experimentation to implementation at scale. In Wade Tyler Millward’s article in CRN, Trace3 CTO Tony Olzak shares why solution providers have an important role to play in that next phase: helping clients mature early use cases, bring together the right technologies and services, and scale AI beyond initial deployments. Read the full post below in the comments.

Agentic AI is moving from experimentation to execution, giving organizations new ways to automate decisions, coordinate work and deliver outcomes at scale. That opportunity brings a new operational priority: making agent behavior visible, measurable and governable. In this week's featured blog, Trace3 Innovation Principal Troy Cogburn explores how observability must evolve for agentic AI and breaks down the capabilities organizations need to build confidence. Troy and the Trace3 Innovation Team continue to track the technologies shaping what’s next and translate them into practical guidance for technology leaders. Read the full post at link in the comments.