2026 Planning Since Predicting Is Pointless – Ep 541 

Here’s the deal: making predictions about 2026 is about as useful as a chocolate teapot. So instead of peering into a cloudy crystal ball, we’re laying down some solid groundwork for planning ahead. We’re talking AI governance, backup strategies that actually work (yes, tested ones), and why you should absolutely know if your vendor quietly stopped signing BAAs. Buckle up—it’s a 2026 survival guide with fewer guesses and more “you got this.”

In this episode:

2026 Planning Since Predicting Is Pointless – Ep 541

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HIPAA for MSPs with Security First IT

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2026 Planning Since Predicting Is Pointless

Planning for 2026 (Because Predicting 2026 Is a Lost Cause).

Predictions are pointless but preparation isn’t.

Part 1: AI Program Management

• Why AI planning must be intentional in 2026
  • Vetting AI vendors
  • What data they collect
  • How they secure it
  • Whether they offer HIPAA-eligible configurations
• Building AI use policies
  • Acceptable use, PHI boundaries, output verification
  • Procedures for hallucination checks
  • AI training for staff
  • Preparing for AI inside incident response workflows
• Shadow AI enters the chat
  • Why staff use unapproved tools
  • Risks to privacy/security
  • How to detect and redirect it with safer alternatives

Part 2: Cybersecurity Must-Dos for 2026

• MFA modernization
• Backup resilience: immutable backups and tested restoration
• Zero-trust lite: simple segmentation and least privilege
• Refreshing incident response plans
• Vendor risk management tune-up
• Passwordless beginnings: reducing phishable credentials

Part 3: Privacy and HIPAA Planning

• 2024–25 OCR enforcement themes to expect echoes of
  • Access rights issues
  • Basic safeguard failures
• Business associate oversight
  • Update BAAs with AI considerations
  • Website and tracking technology compliance check
  • Data minimization review: delete the PHI you don’t need
  • Patient communication/marketing tools: review privacy settings and vendor changes

Part 4: The Human Factor (Where Good Plans Live or Die)

• Culture over compliance: getting staff to care without scaring them
• Reducing phishing fatigue
• Leadership setting 2–3 security goals for the year
• Onboarding/offboarding consistency
• The loop back to shadow AI
  • Humans adopt tools that make work easier
  • Organizations must provide safe, approved alternatives
  • Education + options beats punishment every time

The “Start Your 2026 Strong” Mini-Checklist

• Approve or update your AI policy in Q1
• Verify backups and schedule a recovery test early in the year
• Review BAAs and vendor privacy/security settings, especially around AI
• Refresh incident response contacts and run a tabletop by mid-year
• Recheck your website for tracking technology issues
• Have one intentional staff conversation about expectations, support, and avoiding shadow AI

If your brain isn’t a little fried by now, we may not have done our job. But in a good way, right? Now you’ve got your marching orders to tackle 2026 like a cybersecurity superhero—with an AI sidekick, a zero trust cape, and a pocketful of HIPAA-friendly policies. Just don’t forget: flushing toilets and working tech are equally underappreciated… until they’re not.

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