IBM Launches Guardium Data Security Center: Well-Timed for High-Risk Sites

With China showcasing significant recent advancements in quantum computing on top of the concern that a quantum computer could break even the most powerful cryptographic protections in a matter of minutes, having a solution that can allegedly protect against that level of threat couldn’t be timelier.

IBM has always been a leader in security. It took data exposures seriously for decades longer than most tech companies today were in existence. It has also been a leader in AI and quantum technology development for over two decades, making it one of the leading experts in all three areas.

This expertise came together in what IBM has branded the IBM Guardium Data Security Center.

The Power of IBM Research

When I first came into the technology market back in the mid-1980s, there were only a few major labs doing advanced research. They included AT&T Research, Xerox PARC, and IBM Research. Over the years, the others were largely discontinued, and only IBM Research remains, even though it isn’t as large or as powerful as it once was.

Still, IBM Research largely stands alone now, looking into the cutting-edge technologies of tomorrow and figuring out how to enhance or protect against them once they emerge in the future. When I first visited the lab decades ago, I saw molecular inscribing as a way to create and preserve data at a molecular scale, advanced water filtration anticipating a future where water quality wouldn’t be prevalent, and advanced lithium-air batteries that anticipated the need for larger-capacity, safer battery technologies long before the first Tesla electric vehicle came to market.

IBM Research still stands as a bastion of learning as we attempt to make sense of, apply, and protect against the technologies that are emerging today and that will emerge tomorrow.

IBM Guardium Data Security Center

The IBM Guardium Data Security Center is a case in point in that it was created by IBM Research and then productized as a comprehensive solution that doesn’t just address the massive data security threats we see today but anticipates the threats that are yet to emerge.

We are learning that AI depends on the quality and integrity of the data set that trains it and the data that it interprets to make its recommendations and decisions. If the training set is compromised, then the AI is likely to be untrustworthy. If the data the AI is analyzing is compromised, so will the resulting decisions be, making the security over both data sets critical to the reliable functioning of that AI. IBM’s IA Security capability is currently unmatched in the market.

In addition, sensitive data is highly protected because leaks can adversely impact everyone, from end-user customers to governments and particularly military organizations. So, a technology like quantum computing that can break encryption is problematic when it comes to securing this data.

What IBM Guardium AI Security does is manage security risks and governance requirements across an enterprise. It monitors AI deployments and assures compliance while mitigating vulnerabilities and security data assets. Integrated with IBM watsonx, this product helps discover shadow AI implementations to assure they cannot elude governance.

AI use is a bit out of control at the moment, creating significant potential AI security vulnerabilities. Getting control over these unauthorized deployments is critical to assuring not only the operations of these AIs, but the security and operations of the departments increasingly dependent on them.

Designed to work with the hybrid cloud, this security center is uniquely critical to assuring your enterprise is not only secure today but will remain secure tomorrow.

Wrapping Up

The threat levels from security advancements like AI and quantum computing are not only significant, but they are growing. Only one company both anticipated these exposures and rolled out a solution to eliminate and mitigate them. That company is IBM, and its recently released Guardium Data Security Center is a critical new tool for securing companies today and into what should be a safer tomorrow.