CIO OPINION
AI has changed how business operate . In giving the world a powerful productivity tool , it is simultaneously created a difficult problem , how to prove something as true when anything can be fabricated at a moment ’ s notice ?
How can authorised users gain access to data while keeping unwanted actors out – all while ensuring the technology complies with the myriad of regulations from states and countries ? The key is finding a singular source , or Ministry , of Truth . For businesses , that source is data resiliency .
As a result , organisations must now consider the resiliency of their data to ensure that they can manage AI risks and opportunities while staying compliant . Here , two key pillars of data resilience will come into play : data freedom and data backup .
require collaborative work from across businesses . Security , risk management , and legal teams will all need to band together to pull this off .
Of course , even having DORA compliance confirmed amongst your third-party providers will not make your organisation completely invulnerable to cybersecurity threats . But it will put you in good stead when it comes to recovering from an attack .
After all , regulatory compliance has never equalled complete security . DORA is more of an exercise in operational resilience improvement , which is a key piece of the puzzle for recovery from cyber-attacks .
But this does not mean that compliance should be an afterthought . For financial services organisations to achieve compliance with DORA and secure their third parties , they will need to dedicate around-theclock attention . It is not a one-and-done deal , it will be a reiterative and continual process to achieve compliance consistently across all providers .
That is if they want to avoid the chaos that 11,000 Starbucks stores dealt with when their third-party cloud provider was taken out by a ransomware attack last winter .
Ministry of Truth = Data Resiliency
“ As this new frontier of AI continues to proliferate and improve , it will be the onus of businesses and individuals to prove their word against that of AI . Immutable , timestamped data backups are the only way to validate truthful information , and hence safeguard an organisation ’ s integrity ,” says Dave Russell , SVP and Head of Strategy , Veeam .
Data Freedom
With disparate regulations , data freedom becomes more challenging . Data freedom lets you move and store data wherever it is needed – and is critical for businesses . You need to find a way to let everyone in who needs to get in , while keeping security in mind .
Data Freedom supports AI initiatives by ensuring that the right data is available , in the right location , as sources for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning activities , many of which utilise cloud-based services , or require access to a wide range of data sets .
Giving access to corporate data but protecting your company ’ s most valuable assets is key . Much of security these days is about assuming reasonable risk . That is , what can we accept while maintaining safety standards – and AI is set to change this . Regulations suggest that what was a reasonable effort in the past may not be a reasonable effort in the future . Trying to secure data to ensure only authorised users can access it will place more pressure on security teams .
Data Backup
With it being so easy to create deepfakes or falsify information , and it is worrisome for businesses because AI has made it harder to discern truth from fiction . That is why data resiliency – in the form of immutable backups – is now the only Ministry of Truth for AI .
Without data backup , there would be no way to prove the business took appropriate preventative measures to recover from attacks . After all , it is not a case of if they will be impacted but when . p
40 INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA www . intelligentcio . com