Omnissa delivers a peek into the benefits of breaking through enterprise data silos

Omnissa recently unveiled a new AI governance product called Elara, which offers a glimpse into how enterprises can overcome their data silos. These silos often separate data within different business lines, geographies, and operational units. By connecting signals across these independent systems, Elara provides IT and security leaders with a more comprehensive understanding of how their digital tools, including AI applications, are being utilized.

Traditionally, existing tools only authorized actions within the systems they manage, but Elara sits above these tools, connecting existing systems and offering broader context without requiring a single technology stack. Brian Link, product CTO for Elara, explained a hypothetical scenario where Elara could help implement an urgent OS update to global retail tablets, taking into account various data sources to evaluate risks and advise on the best course of action.

This approach transforms the security decision into a business trade-off, considering factors such as system maintenance freezes and the impact on devices, users, and services. Frank Dickson, principal analyst at Dickson Research, acknowledged the potential of Elara but also highlighted the challenges posed by enterprise silos, which limit access to information.

He emphasized that Elara's effectiveness relies on the data appearing in the limited places where Omnissa can access it, rather than breaking down the silos. Dickson stressed that Elara's success depends on the context provided by the systems it interacts with, as the quality of the information determines its usefulness. He concluded by emphasizing that while Elara can call "balls and strikes," it requires top-level decision-makers to define the strike zone, as vendor clearance is crucial for establishing the parameters and permissions necessary for effective data governance.