At a time when AI is introducing new risks to global systems, Oracle Corp. is shifting enterprise security toward the data layer.
This approach, based on a three-pronged strategy to secure at source, secure at speed and secure through resilience, relies on robust security controls applied where the data resides. As AI agents continue to be deployed in many organizations, tightly integrated security controls within the data layer are becoming increasingly important in providing a consistent foundation for enforcing policy. Oracle’s strategy reflects a broader shift within the industry toward integrating security, governance and recovery capabilities across the AI stack.
“The cloud shared responsibility model is no longer a sufficient framework in this AI-first world,” said theCUBE Research’s Dave Vellante. “Agents acting at machine speeds require what theCUBE Research calls a shared accountability model. It’s not enough to protect infrastructure, apps and the data inside. AI has raised the trust bar, and customers must now consider much more deeply how adversaries using AI, and even accidental AI actions running at machine speeds bring new risks to enterprises.”
How Oracle is redesigning security from the data up, built for a world where traditional application and perimeter controls alone no longer suffice, will be a central focus of Oracle’s “AI Cyberattacks Are Escalating: How to Secure Your Data Now” virtual event on Sept. 22. Oracle product leaders and industry experts will join analysts from theCUBE Research to explore the evolving threat landscape along with practical guidance on protecting sensitive data, reducing disruption, recovering quickly from an attack and keeping data environment protections current as AI-powered attacks evolve. (* Disclosure below.)
New tools for enterprise security
Oracle outlined its three-pronged strategy in June to address a rising tide of security challenges brought about by wider use of artificial intelligence. AI systems have created new paths to sensitive enterprise data, and Oracle has implemented a set of tools geared toward database security, patching, testing and lifecycle management.
These include solutions such as Oracle Deep Data Security for implementing end-user-specific privacy rules inside the database and Oracle SQL Firewall to address SQL injection, a security weakness that allows attackers to run malicious database commands through website input fields. In April, Oracle announced a comprehensive set of enhancements to its Oracle AI Database that included Deep Data Security for centralized, declarative, fine-grained authorization and data visibility policies based on each end-user’s identity, roles and context.
The development of agents from simply responding to questions to taking meaningful action has raised questions about the effectiveness of security at the application layer. By embedding Deep Data Security’s policy enforcement directly in the database, Oracle is adding protection against unauthorized data access resulting from adversarially injected queries.
“The next phase of enterprise AI adoption will depend as much on governance as model capability,” said theCUBE Research’s Krista Case. “As agents gain access to sensitive data and critical workflows, organizations need to know whose identity they are acting under, what privileges they inherit and where those privileges are enforced. Getting those controls right can accelerate AI adoption.”
Focus on data resilience
Oracle’s attention to the data layer is part of its broader strategy to place the AI database at the center of agentic workloads. As explained by theCUBE Research’s John Furrier, the company’s approach is based on a belief that the future of AI won’t be determined by agents alone, but by where and how they interact with data.
This position has infused Oracle’s security strategy through a focus on resilience. The loss of access to critical data can be crippling to many businesses, and Oracle is helping organizations build resilience through validated backups, tested standbys, disaster recovery and high availability capabilities. These include Zero Data Loss Recovery solutions that protect Oracle databases down to the last committed transaction, and the Globally Distributed AI Database with Raft-based replication and automated failover. Applications can continue operating even when infrastructure components, availability zones or entire sites become unavailable.
“The resilience challenge is not only recovering from an attack,” Case said. “Organizations also need to recover from authorized agents that make the wrong decisions, alter critical data or disrupt business processes at machine speed.”
TheCUBE event coverage
Don’t miss theCUBE’s interviews during Oracle’s “AI Cyberattacks Are Escalating: How to Secure Your Data Now” virtual event on Sept. 22. Plus, you can watch theCUBE’s exclusive content on demand after each session.
How to watch theCUBE interviews
We offer you various ways to watch theCUBE’s interviews during Oracle’s “AI Cyberattacks Are Escalating: How to Secure Your Data Now” virtual event on Sept. 22, including theCUBE’s dedicated website and YouTube channel. You can also get all the coverage from this year’s interview series on SiliconANGLE.
TheCUBE podcasts
SiliconANGLE’s “theCUBE Pod” is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube, which you can enjoy while on the go. During each podcast, SiliconANGLE’s John Furrier and Dave Vellante unpack the biggest trends in enterprise tech — from AI and cloud to regulation and workplace culture — with exclusive context and analysis.
SiliconANGLE also produces our weekly “Breaking Analysis” program, where Dave Vellante examines the top stories in enterprise tech, combining insights from theCUBE with spending data from Enterprise Technology Research, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.
Guests
During Oracle’s “AI Cyberattacks Are Escalating: How to Secure Your Data Now” virtual event on Sept. 22, Oracle executives and industry experts will explore the evolving threat landscape along with practical guidance on protecting sensitive data, reducing disruption, recovering quickly from an attack and keeping data environment protections current as AI-powered attacks evolve.
(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for Oracle’s “AI Cyberattacks Are Escalating: How to Secure Your Data Now” event. Neither Oracle, the sponsor of theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)
