The Future of AI in Business: Navigating Data Security and Governance
AI isn’t just AI anymore — we’re now talking about machine learning (ML), large language models (LLMs), generative AI (GenAI), agentic AI, quantum AI, and so much more.
While AI has been around for a while, it’s use is growing exponentially, with the use of GenAI jumping from 55% in 2023 to 75% in 2024 and extending to at least 25% of organisations investing in agentic AI. This growth backs the fact AI is a driving force for organisations. This technology is offering organisations with unprecedented opportunities for innovation, efficiency, and growth.
However, as organisations increasingly integrate AI into business operations, there is ongoing concern for the continued confidence in their data and ultimately the outputs of AI. McKinsey reports that cybersecurity, data leaks, and regulatory compliance are amongst the top concerns for AI.
There are many reports and articles that support organisations’ need to ensure they are “ready” for Microsoft 365 Copilot — however, this is only the start, and the need for data security and governance is ongoing. In this blog we’re not diving into getting “ready” or a deep dive into the realm of AI systems; we’re diving into the foundations to ensure your data and environment is secure, compliant, and effectively governed so you can gain the competitive advantage of using AI in your organisation.
Why Should Data Security and Governance Be Top Priority?
AI systems, regardless of the type of AI, rely on vast amounts of data to function; however, the accuracy will be heavily on the accuracy and quality of your data estate. We’ve all heard, read about, and know that our content contains highly confidential and sensitive information, and that without proper security protocols, there is the potential that AI will access this information and increase the risk of data breaches or loss of intellectual property or worse damage to reputation. What I want to highlight here is that robust data protection and security measures are essential, and how we can achieve this optimum state for AI outputs.
The above outlines why it’s important, but how do you get there? We have identified a number of ways in which you can leverage and make data security and governance a top priority:
- Management framework. Ensure data governance is controlled at the highest level. This includes establishing the frameworks for managing data, including security frameworks, classification schemes, and data quality and assurance, which can be in the form of policies, procedures, and guidelines.
- Shared accountability. It is an extreme but common situation where one person or one team is solely responsible for protecting the security and governance of an entire organisation. Enabling user-centric data ownership provides users with the responsibility of their data which is streamlined by a governance framework. This reduces dependency on IT for routine tasks and fosters a sense of accountability among users, leading to better data management practices.
- Technology. In the technology landscape we are in today, utilising technology to scale is fundamental. Forbes discussed that a lot of today’s work still relies on manual completion which means that many organisations are not taking full advantage of technology. Enabling automation can complete more routine tasks than is humanly possible, creating efficiencies reducing the burden on staff and allowing them to focus on more strategic initiatives. Enabling automation reduces the errors that can be made by humans and enforces the management frameworks established to provide a more secure and resilient data estate.
- Monitoring and reporting. Reporting is amazing when it’s the right information at the right time. Enabling real-time monitoring and reporting helps identify and mitigate security risks before they become critical issues. Clear and accurate reporting enhances operational performance, ensuring compliance objectives can be met while ensuring business continuity and resilience.
How the AvePoint Confidence Platform Solves These Problems
AvePoint’s Confidence Platform is the leader in data security, governance, and resilience that empower you to secure, govern, and optimise data, ensuring a robust foundation for AI initiatives.
- Automated data protection. Our Confidence Platform provides automated protection and management of sensitive data, ensuring data is securely stored, accessed, and shared. This includes encryption, access controls, and data loss prevention (DLP) measures. The platform’s automated backup and recovery solutions ensure consistent protection and quick restoration of data, including granular restoration capabilities and unlimited retention, this provides organisations with confidence their data is protected, and business continuity plans can be enacted with ease.
- Automated governance. Achieve compliance and governance through a flexible and comprehensive approach that integrates automation, policy enforcement, and robust data management — ensuring operational excellence in the digital workplace. Our Confidence Platform prevents data loss with the ability to implement and enforce access and configuration policies across collaborative workspaces.
- Proactive monitoring and risk mitigation. Security is automated with privacy and security programs across all enterprise content. The platform proactively monitors privacy, security, and compliance risks and minimises these risks with automated remediation to ensure the environment remains in a state of control. Individualised reports and dashboards provide relevant issues and the ability to delegate any actions or remediation to the right people for quick resolution.
- Data quality and integrity. AvePoint’s data orchestration engine enables organisations to manage and protect their data, ensuring high data quality and integrity. AvePoint’s Confidence Platform starts with data classification and automated tagging using its machine learning capabilities. Extending this minimises compliance risk and expenses through defensible destruction of redundant, obsolete, and trivial (ROT) data.
- Compliance and security. AvePoint’s data protection solutions are designed to meet industry-leading security and privacy standards, including ISO 27001:2013, ISO 27017:2015, CSA STAR, SOC II, and IRAP assessed to a Protected level
- Insights and tools to act with confidence. The Confidence Platform offers insights and tools that enable organisations to act with confidence. This includes tailored, AI-driven recommendations to optimise strategies, streamline interfaces, and enhance resilience and efficiency. The platform’s new AI Confidence Command Centre provides visibility into Copilot licenses, security, and data ownership, helping organisations stay ahead with tailored recommendations.
Empowering Sustainable Innovation
As AI continues to transform the business landscape, navigating data security and governance challenges is essential for maximising potential. By implementing robust data protection measures, identifying and mitigating risks, ensuring data quality and integrity, organisations can build trust in your environment and their relationship with AI systems to drive sustainable innovation. AvePoint’s comprehensive platform provide the tools and frameworks needed to ensure effective governance across their digital environments, empowering you to confidently embrace the future of AI.
Janine Morris is an experienced information management professional who helps organizations reduce information chaos and improve employee experience while meeting regulatory and compliance requirements. She holds a Master's degree in Information Management and her professional approach and passion have earned her solid recognition in the industry, including being recognized as a Membership Fellow (FRIM) and serving as a former board director and branch president of RIMPA Global.
