As cyber threats evolve, guarding your organizational data becomes increasingly important. Discover tactical ways to build AI-era protection for sensitive information.
Artificial intelligence has transformed the cybersecurity battlefield. Attackers can now use AI to automate and personalize phishing campaigns, generate sophisticated malware, and bypass traditional security measures. This has made it easier for adversaries at all skill levels to execute advanced attacks.
But despite changing tactics, the goal of the adversary hasn’t shifted: exfiltrating valuable data. Whether through dynamic malware or AI-driven reconnaissance, attackers relentlessly pursue sensitive information. This makes having a robust defensive strategy in place more critical than ever.
The good news is that an effective defense strategy doesn’t need to be complicated—strong data governance can go a long way.
Building AI-era protection for sensitive information starts at the foundation. Often, organizations rush to deploy the latest security tools or tactical solutions without an underlying data governance strategy. This creates complexity without real protection. Before introducing point solutions or layering on advanced technologies, focus on core data security principles.
That starts with:
Visibility: You can’t protect what you can’t see. Gaining visibility into your data landscape is essential, even if it means confronting uncomfortable truths about legacy systems and shadow IT.
Collaboration: Data protection is a shared responsibility. IT, governance, HR, finance, and cross-functional teams must work together to define what’s sensitive and how it should be handled.
Governance: It’s critically important that you understand your data taxonomy. Get to know where your data resides and map how it moves inside and outside of your organization. Take the time to…
AI doesn’t just empower external attackers; it introduces internal risks too. Employees may inadvertently leak sensitive data to AI models or external platforms. The same protections that guard against outside threats must apply internally, ensuring only authorized data is used for training or automation.
But the path forward here is still clear: start by getting clear visibility into your data estate and then begin sensitivity labeling. This means turning on auditing, identifying what data you have, and tagging data based on business value. Clear governance frameworks, policies, and continuous monitoring ensure that AI can be adopted safely.
Attackers can weaponize AI, but defenders can use it to thwart them.
AI can empower defenders to quickly inventory data, classify it, and put up guardrails so that it’s harder for adversaries to steal or use organizational data.
AI-enabled tools like Microsoft Security Copilot can help you quickly scan and map your entire data estate, making it easy to quickly discover where data live so your defenders can protect it.
While it may seem daunting to get a strong data governance strategy in place, it’s better to start now than to wait. Your sensitive data is a target that must be safeguarded. Start small and simple:
For more on our viewpoints on data protection and how Microsoft Purview can help you secure and govern your entire data estate, watch our Microsoft Ignite session on demand.
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