Reflections from DataSec 2024: Elevating Data Security in the AI Era

DataSec 2024 marked a defining moment for Cyera. 

Our inaugural conference brought together 300 CISOs and data security leaders from around the world, underscoring a pivotal shift: data security is no longer a peripheral concern—it’s the cornerstone for building trust in an AI-driven world.

Cyera’s Journey: Rethinking Data Security from the Ground Up

Three years ago, when Tamar and I co-founded Cyera, we didn’t set out with all the answers. We spent a year speaking to hundreds of CISOs and security practitioners to understand the challenges and all its intricacies across industries. We asked fundamental questions: 

• Where has data security failed for you?
• What would make data security scalable?
• What does data security actually mean to you, and is that value being realized?
• If you could design your dream data security solution, what would it do?

These questions shaped Cyera’s approach from day one. We didn’t just need another layer of security; we needed a complete rethinking of the foundation. And it became clear that data discovery and classification were the critical missing pieces. Without knowing what data you have, where it is, who has access to it, and how it’s being used, no data security program can truly succeed at scale.

Now with hundreds of customers and a team of 400 people across three continents, we’ve made significant progress. But our work is just beginning.

AI and Data Security: Promise Meets Responsibility

AI was a central theme at DataSec. It’s a phenomenon that has many angles: a catalyst for business innovation, an emerging risk, and a new frontier for reinventing what’s possible in data security. 

AI’s potential brings heightened responsibility to secure the data that fuels it, amplifying the need for a strong data security posture, especially as it becomes a part of our daily lives. 

At Cyera, we use AI to power our platform. It enables us to scan and analyze vast amounts of data. It enables us to reduce the false positives and alert fatigue that have plagued our industry for over a decade. AI allows us to distinguish the data that matters from the data that clutters. And perhaps most importantly, it provides us with the capability to discover and classify data faster and more precisely than ever before—at the scale needed for modern enterprises. 

This year, we expanded our platform with the strategic acquisition of Trail and the launch of our Identity module, further advancing our Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) capabilities. By integrating Identity and DLP with DSPM, Cyera offers a unified approach to secure data across all environments—at rest and in motion.

Building a Community for the Future of Data Security

DataSec 2024 revealed an undeniable truth: advancing data security is a shared responsibility that demands collective action. No single organization can tackle this challenge alone. We need security leaders, technology providers, and business stakeholders across departments and different industries to come together. 

There were a few other topics that came up on countless conversations: 

• The urgency for better data security has arrived and we are only at the very beginning 
• Data discovery and classification is the foundation of a successful data security program
• Bringing together cross-functional teams (privacy, security, business strategy, and governance) accelerates data security success
• It’s time to modernize resource-intensive legacy tools with AI-powered solutions
• Identity and data security go hand-in-hand, and when combined with DLP, they can help us make more accurate and quicker risk informed decisions

These conversations are why we created the DataSec conference, and we’re excited to make it even bigger and better over the years to come. We believe that data security in the AI age is one of the greatest challenges and opportunities of our time. Our mission is to build an ecosystem where our community can come together and drive progress in data security.

Looking Ahead: Trust as the Foundation of Innovation

Data security is foundational to digital trust. Every breakthrough in AI, every digital transformation initiative, and every innovation that drives our industries forward relies on secure, responsible data handling. Cyera remains committed to helping our customers protect the data that fuels progress, fostering a world where innovation and security coexist harmoniously.

To everyone who joined us at DataSec 2024 and to those who continue to support our mission—thank you. This is just the beginning. We’re excited to continue this journey together. The future is bright!