Immuta updates its Data Security Platform for Databricks to strengthen AI workload protection

Data security provider Immuta announced significant enhancements to its Data Security Platform for Databricks to empower data teams to leverage Immuta’s platform capabilities. These updates aim to unlock data value, reduce costs, accelerate innovation and maintain robust data security. 

Key updates include native integration with Databricks Unity Catalog, which connects customers with Immuta’s latest platform features such as localized sensitive data discovery, improved security and access control for artificial intelligence (AI) workloads and enhanced data security posture management.

The company said it distinguishes itself from competitors by offering a comprehensive platform instead of a mere point solution. This platform comprises three main product modules: Discover, Secure and Detect.

Discover facilitates the discovery of sensitive data and automates the capture of schema changes. On the other hand, Secure maps high-level data access policies to data warehouse policies and enforces access control. Lastly, Detect enables user and activity monitoring, behavior analytics, and risk scoring, empowering organizations to proactively identify and address issues such as insider threats.

“Our comprehensive solution for data security covers the breadth of what most organizations need to protect their data according to NIST standards, including sensitive data discovery, data access control and data access monitoring and detection,” Immuta chief product officer Mo Plassnig told VentureBeat.

Leveraging attribute-based access control

The company claims that its approach to access control, which it calls attribute-based access control (ABAC), surpasses the traditional role-based access control (RBAC) in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. 

According to a recent GigaOm report, leveraging ABAC reduces policy burdens by 93 times, resulting in potential savings of approximately $500,000 in time and opportunity costs for organizations.

“Our patented approach to sensitive data discovery allows data to be classified for security purposes without leaving the database, ultimately creating more effective data policies to meet stringent data localization regulations,” said Plassnig. “Additionally, we maximize value and speed and enable data security posture management and risk remediation above policy thresholds. “

Enabling secure AI data migration to the cloud 

Immuta said the growing trend of migrating data to the cloud presents a greater challenge in securing and protecting it, which can impede data migration initiatives. The company’s new integration with Databricks effectively handles the intricate aspects of data security management.

The company asserts that this integration will empower mutual customers to concentrate on extracting value from their data with enhanced efficiency. By leveraging the functionalities of Databricks Unity Catalog, including row filtering and column masking capabilities, Immuta offers a solution encompassing data discovery, security, access control and monitoring.

“Our new native integration with Databricks Unity Catalog enables joint customers to overcome boundaries to granularity and manageability, including implementing robust access controls and permissions to restrict unauthorized access to the data and continuous monitoring of the security posture of the lakehouse platform,” Plassnig told VentureBeat. 

Necessary controls during model training

Immuta emphasized its commitment to preventing the inclusion of sensitive data in models by implementing necessary controls during the model training process. Furthermore, by integrating more deeply, the company helps to ensure that AI workloads maintain compliance with regulations like GDPR, HIPAA and industry-specific standards.

The updated platform now offers customizable tools to reduce false positives and increase relevance and the value of results. 

“Too many false positives leading to a higher than desired noise-to-signal ratio is the number one complaint for the companies we have spoken with who have wanted a more automated solution for SDD (sensitive data discovery),” Immuta VP of product management Matt DiAntonio told VentureBeat. “Teams are looking to use the results of their SDD tool to build out data security practices that up the ante and make accuracy very important. Immuta has taken that concern seriously by building an experience that gives data teams the tools they need to trust the results fully.”

DiAntonio emphasized the importance of data producers embracing intelligent systems capable of scaling across large, geographically dispersed organizations to keep pace with innovation.

Monitoring key components in the data supply chain

DiAntonio highlighted the unique capabilities of the platform’s Detect Activity Monitoring feature that enables the monitoring of key components, including individuals, tags and data sources that play a vital role in the data supply chain within the business.

To accomplish this, Immuta Detect consolidates data access logs, enabling data and security teams to consistently monitor and analyze user behavior and changes in data access entitlements. This monitoring encompasses source, query and user activity and provides valuable insights into security configuration and data classification changes.

Additionally, the Detect feature automatically assigns scores to data based on its sensitivity and protection measures, such as data masking or stated access purposes. This allows data and security teams to prioritize risks and receive real-time alerts regarding potential security incidents.

“Our Detect module can offer much value to teams looking to move fast,” DiAntonio added. “Many companies we spoke with struggled with the ‘black box’ phenomenon around their cloud data. They didn’t know what was going on within their organization around the production and usage of data. Immuta solves that by providing the essential views with data teams feeling informed without being overwhelmed.”

What’s next for Immuta? 

Plassnig said that the increasing challenges associated with data migration have generated a need for cloud data management and security solutions. 

Immuta strives to encourage corporate investors to establish partnerships with data security leaders. The objective is to give investors enhanced control and visibility over their data and assets.

“With better data security and simpler operations, organizations can get the right data to the right people so they can build more data products, collaborate, share data and create new revenue streams,” said Plassnig. “Immuta is taking a stand by helping organizations unlock value from their data by providing an integrated platform for sensitive data discovery, security and access control, and activity monitoring.”