In my previous blog, I elaborated on how the sprawl of the new hybrid-work model brings along certain data security and compliance risks. And that’s where we have built a comprehensive solution to address these compliance risks. SecureShield is our AI-enabled data security solution for the hybrid-work model, which addresses security and compliance threats posed by users.
SecureShield: AI-enabled data security for hybrid work environment .
It is primarily a solution to prevent external physical threats. So, it aims to maintain compliance using webcam-based surveillance. The solution uses an AI model that can detect anomalies in the remote- work environment along with any unauthorized user or activity that might endanger company data. From a use-case standpoint, we envision this solution’s utility specifically in those scenarios where users work on business-critical sensitive data or with external parties working for the customer.
The solution is currently built on common use-cases such as clicking photos, talking on the phone in front of a screen, etc. But it can be customized to suit specific use-cases as per the needs of different industries or businesses in a matter of weeks. The solution can be installed silently and comes with flexible deployment options that address a wide range of customer needs. So it can be deployed on-premise or in any customer cloud environment (say public cloud environments such as Azure, GCP, AWS, IBM).
SecureShield features
As a part of the onboarding process, a small agent (less than 1 MB in size) will be installed on the device (laptop or desktop). The agent is integrated with the active directory (AD) and has the SSO (Single sign-on) enabled, so it switches on the moment the user logs into the computer. The baselining is done when the user is using the solution for the first time (say the application will prompt the user to take a picture). The application also allows entering details of family members/acquaintances, so that it doesn’t flag any violations when the family members move in the background screen of the user. The application will then do a system and webcam compatibility check to ensure the system is ready to run the work sessions.
So once the set-up is done, SecureShield activates a plethora of monitoring or surveillance activities. Starting from user surveillance, suspicious activity detection, facial suspicion, to external device detection and unauthorized faces identification, it has a comprehensive set of features to entirely cover external physical threats. It has features of thwarting data copying attempts and saving activities in an admin portal. The solution can notify the manager or HR in case of multiple breaches. The key point to remember here is that the detection remains in the local machine until a violation occurs, so the user privacy issue also gets addressed.
Key advantages of SecureShield
The solution uses Azure AD single sign-on for authentication and once that is confirmed then only the user is allowed to access the application. It has built-in, role-based access control in the admin portal, so different personas can be given different levels of access. Both data in transit and data at rest are encrypted. The framework and features are purposely built to protect company data by preventing data leakage and reducing security overhead. The solution is GDPR-compliant and no data is stored in the central server unless there is a violation recorded. Advanced dashboard capabilities with end-to-end monitoring support, open APIs for enabling multiple custom integrations, along ServiceNow integration for ticket creation are also available.
A key differentiator is that this solution works even in offline mode.
Its’ out-of-the-box AI model helps reduce overhead and its standard deployment procedure reduces cost. SecureShield prevents unauthorized access and provides visibility of machine location, it helps track machines in case of theft/loss.
The pricing model of a user per month makes it a solution that can be enabled easily and quickly to the required user personas.
As we have been working with multiple POCs for customers in industries such as utility and financial services, we now have two key learnings. First, though the solution is more apt for specific user profiles, these profiles are present across industries and not limited to a few industries such as Financial Services and Healthcare as we initially had thought. Second, there is a strong latent need and enterprises are already open to the idea of being compliant against external physical threats.
The question now is not about ‘when’ but about ‘how fast’!
