The influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is completely changing businesses. Today, 92% believe AI will improve their business through streamlined business operations, enhanced customer insights, and personalization. But while AI can improve various aspects of business operations, it also opens up the potential for data exploitation.
It's not just your organization. In fact, a staggering 71% of organizations are concerned about data privacy and security and 61% about the quality and categorization of internal data even before implementing AI. On top of that, 45% of organizations that implemented AI actually did experience data exposure. However, organizations with better data protection measures can mitigate these risks.
Here are three major pillars of a good data strategy:
- Automated governance and information management
According to a recent Gartner survey 72% of business leaders consider oversharing and exposing sensitive information to employees as the biggest risk with deploying Copilot for Microsoft 365.
Without proper data governance and information management (IM), any user in the organization can access any information, even sensitive data, documents or folders that they may be unauthorized to share or access. For example, certain prompts can allow a rank-and-file employee to access proprietary codes or patent applications, which can cause data leaks or property theft if this information is acted upon.
Instead, governance and IM set the rules and guidelines for collecting, storing, and using data by organization members, reducing the risk of data breaches or misuse. This is where your organization can take control. By automating the governance and data archiving and deletion processes, you can eliminate manual intervention and significantly reduce the risks of human error, empowering your organization to protect its data.
- Risks Assessment and Data Backup
The rise of stored data due to the increased use of AI can promote organizational risks. Sixty-four percent of organizations already manage at least 1 petabyte (PB) of data, and 41% have at least 500 PB of data, according to the AI & Information Management Report. But this volume is only expected to grow. According to Gartner, AI tools like Copilot could usher in a new era of AI-generated content and app sprawl. IDC echoes this estimate that global data will reach 163 zettabytes (ZB) by 2025, with analyzed data that went through cognitive systems, such as AI, to reach 1.4 ZB in the same year.
While IM strategies can help with data archiving and records management, regular data backups can also help respond to the growing data volume too by ensuring key information can be restored in the event of system failure, cyberattack, or other unforeseen circumstances. Without vital organizational data, AI will fail to operate properly, hence, a robust data backup strategy protects the organization from data loss and ensures that investment in AI won’t go down the drain.
- Employee Education
AI is not a standalone solution; it requires human intervention to function optimally. By identifying potential risks associated with their planned AI implementation, organizations can make informed decisions about the specific approach and support tools they need to strengthen security measures while using AI—and they can educate their employees on these risks. However, 53% of organizations use public AI tools without an Acceptable Use Policy. Not only that, only 46% of organizations provide AI-specific training to their employees today.
Ensuring employees are fully informed about new tools is part of a thoughtful and careful approach to AI implementation. Employees must understand how to safely operate AI tools, especially public AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, etc.
Ultimately, as AI continues to transform businesses, it is crucial for organizations to prioritize data security and governance. By implementing automated governance and information management practices, conducting thorough risk assessments, maintaining robust data backup strategies, and providing comprehensive employee education, companies can harness the power of AI while mitigating potential risks.
Dana Louise Simberkoff is AvePoint, Inc.'s Chief Risk, Privacy, and Information Security Officer. She is responsible for executive-level consulting, research and analytical support on current and upcoming industry trends, technology, standards, best practices, concepts and solutions for risk management and compliance. Dana holds a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College and a Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law School.
