Peter Duthie on Ground Labs partnership with Thales

Paving the Path to Better Data Discovery 
My Perspective on the Thales & Ground Labs Partnership

By Peter Duthie, Co-CEO & Chief Architect, Ground Labs

Today, I’m excited to share that Ground Labs, a market leader in data discovery has entered a strategic partnership with Thales. Our joint objective is to empower the discovery and remediation of sensitive data. Unlike alternative disjointed solutions that can leave sensitive data exposed or compromised, the joint solution will enable organizations to automatically find and classify sensitive data across heterogeneous environments, understand the risks, and mitigate them through policy-based remediation…all through a single pane of glass.

This partnership brings together two companies that share a common mission -- to protect customer information in today’s data-driven world, regardless of where it’s stored. Data has become a critical asset, but also a critical risk, making it imperative today that businesses understand not only how to protect valuable assets, but first and foremost, understand where they are located. This partnership now enables a solution for these two critical elements to be one.

The Data Evolution

Over 12 years ago when Ground Labs was first started, the need and understanding of data risk management was in its infancy. Prioritization was focused on protecting firewalls and networks, as opposed to understanding exactly where data was located and the impact of the data to the business and its customers. Sources of data creation were simpler and better understood, and most data originated from explicit actions rather than through automated processes. Data didn’t have the commercial value as it does today, and it wasn’t seen as critical to businesses as it now is. With 127 new devices connected to the internet every second, data volume has grown exponentially. While it has transformed into an organization’s key asset, it has also become a major liability and source of risk. We understand the benefit of managing the data we know — but there are significant risks residing in the unknown. 

Given the rise in Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), remote working environments and multiple storage solutions, sensitive data can be housed anywhere -- how can an organization find it? The solution lies in a robust data discovery process. Since its inception, Ground Labs has spent more than a decade turning the data discovery process into a science, and building technology to answer the fundamental questions:  

• What data storage locations can sensitive data reside on? 
• What formats do they appear in?
• What different types and classifications of personal and sensitive data are of concern?
• What do I do with sensitive data when located?

With our company DNA rooted in sensitive data management, and our emphasis on performance and accuracy, our technology remains at the forefront when it comes to solving these problems.

Data Discovery Partners

Today, as data infiltrates a variety of systems and locations, we’re now realizing the power of partnership. Together, Thales and Ground Labs will enhance traditional data discovery to deliver:

• Clear visibility into what sensitive data an organization has and where it is located with automated scans across file servers, cloud, and Big Data environments
• Clear visibility into what sensitive data an organization has and where it is located with automated scans across file servers, cloud, and Big Data environments
• Proactive data management and data risk management, with clear visibility to regularly report across various departments Capabilities to more easily uncover and close privacy gaps, enforce data sovereignty, and meet data privacy and security regulations like GDPR, California Consumer Privacy Act, PCI DSS and HIPAA.

I look forward to what’s to come as Ground Labs continues to work closely with Thales, paving the way in the industry to deliver more robust data discovery and protection solutions. For more information on our partnership, please read the press release and follow me on LinkedIn to get further insights.

 

About the Author: Peter Duthie, Co-CEO & Chief Architect

Peter Duthie is a co-founder of Ground Labs; as its Chief Architect, he drives the company’s future innovation and a respected thought leader with multiple industry patents. Peter created the foundational technologies that empower Ground Labs’ customers to discover, identify and secure all of their sensitive data. He is based in Austin, Texas at the company’s North American headquarters.