Democratizing Data: Balancing Security, Risk, and Business Value in the Age of AI

Enterprise Adoption of AI and generative AI technologies is fundamentally reshaping enterprise data strategies. Organizations face significant pressure to make data more accessible to fuel innovation, yet they must simultaneously manage expanding regulatory requirements and escalating security risks. 

IDC research shows a widening gap between AI ambition and data security readiness. In IDC’s April 2025 Data Security and Privacy Survey, only 29% of organizations reported complete alignment between security teams and business leadership on AI objectives - down from 35% in 2024. 

One of the biggest contributors to this gap is the visibility of relevant data. This becomes problematic in AI-driven environments where systems require broad and timely access to high-quality data. If that data is poorly classified, inconsistently governed, or insufficiently monitored, the risk of regulatory noncompliance, reputational damage, or operational disruption increases. 

Learn more in this brief by IDC on Data Democratization and check out how organizations are balancing security, risk and business value in the age of AI. 

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