Security infrastructure helps Ascend unlock its data for AI
Manufacturers depend on security infrastructure to protect data and keep operations running when disruptions occur. For companies with complex facilities and decades of operational records, the ability to recover that data is an important part of business continuity. At Ascend Performance Materials LLC, data protection and cyber recovery are part of preparing for operational disruptions. […] The…
Ascend Performance Materials LLC, a manufacturer, prioritizes security infrastructure to safeguard data and ensure business continuity. The company's vice president of information technology, Xiong Xiong, confirmed that during a recent hurricane threat to a Florida plant, Ascend verified that its local systems were backed up and retrievable at the recovery site.
Xiong's assurance was a direct response to executive leadership and the board, demonstrating the importance of resilience to him. He expressed confidence through a recent test of the backup and recovery system, which he conducted the week prior to the interview.
Ascend's focus on security planning expanded further with the integration of AI. Xiong revealed that the company anticipates suppliers to incorporate AI defenses within their products, eventually adopting the same defense mechanism against AI. Xiong acknowledged that AI-related concerns were once considered theoretical, but have now become a necessity for cybersecurity measures.
Ascend's resilience challenges were evident before its AI expansion. The company struggled to complete nightly backups, verify them, and move them to a recovery site, all while maintaining on-site capabilities. Xiong highlighted that although localization was critical, it was not feasible without a robust backup and recovery system.
Dell Technologies, a partner of Ascend, supplied the necessary hardware. After configuration and validation, Ascend's team tested the deployment, executing backups, transferring data to the recovery site, and ensuring the system functioned in an isolated environment.
This transformation has had practical benefits for Ascend. It has freed up space and reduced the time spent managing data, allowing the company to concentrate on utilizing its data to support its AI strategy. Xiong noted that Ascend is now data-rich and information-poor, and this shift is enabling the company to progress from data management to data utilization, a crucial step in the AI adoption process.
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