AI Consulting in Pittsburgh

Yes, and HIPAA compliance is scoped into the engagement from the start — not bolted on after. Every build that touches PHI runs through zero-retention API endpoints with signed BAAs in place before any data is processed. We document the full data flow on paper before credentials are exchanged: what fields are read, where they go, what gets logged, and what never leaves the system. For UPMC-affiliated practices and health systems, we default to Epic's FHIR-compliant APIs for read access rather than screen-scraping or file exports, and the integration layer stays inside scoped permissions aligned with your existing Epic security model. The audit deliverable maps every data touchpoint so your compliance and legal teams can review before go-live — that's not optional, it's standard.

Banking automation almost always means working around a legacy core system rather than connecting directly to it. The approach is an orchestration layer — typically a workflow engine that reads outputs from your core (statements, transaction exports, reconciliation files) in whatever format they already produce, transforms and routes them through the automation logic, and writes results back to the downstream system your team actually works in. We don't touch the regulated core directly unless there's a documented, supported API. Compliance documentation for each data flow is part of every build deliverable, and we scope the permission model with your IT and compliance teams before writing the first line of integration code. Fixed-price, defined scope — no open-ended retainers for the build phase.

The $99 AI readiness audit is the right starting point for most early-stage teams. It's a structured assessment of where your current business operations are leaking time — quoting, grant tracking, investor reporting, vendor onboarding — and outputs a prioritized list of automation candidates with rough build cost and payback estimates. From there, fixed-price builds typically run $1,500 to $8,000 depending on scope and integration complexity. Startups with active SBIR or NSF grants sometimes find the audit maps cleanly onto their commercialization reporting requirements. We don't do equity arrangements or revenue share — fixed price, clear scope, defined deliverables. If you're not sure whether the ROI pencils out, the audit gives you the numbers to make that call before committing to a build.

Yes. The typical integration shape for mid-market manufacturing is read access to the ERP — SAP, Oracle, Epicor, or Infor are the most common in this region — via the system's existing API or scheduled data exports, feeding an automation layer that handles the workflows the ERP wasn't designed to run: supplier communication, quality exception routing, production reporting formatted for customers, or purchase order status updates that currently require a coordinator to pull manually. We don't build against undocumented ERP internals or direct database connections. If the ERP has a supported API, we use it. If it doesn't, we work from structured exports on a defined schedule. The build documentation includes the full integration spec so your internal IT team owns the ongoing connection, not a vendor dependency.

Most single-capability builds — one workflow, scoped and defined — ship in two to four weeks from signed scope to production handoff. The variable is integration complexity: a workflow that reads from a Google Workspace or HubSpot via standard API is faster than one that connects to an on-prem ERP or requires coordination with a hospital IT team's security review process. The $99 audit runs in about a week and produces the scope document that drives the build estimate, so you know the timeline before committing. If there's a compliance review cycle on the operator's side — common in healthcare and banking — we account for that in the project schedule upfront rather than discovering it after the build is done.