NetApp’s Seth Cutler: AI Can Support Agency Data Security, Compliance Efforts

Seth Cutler, chief information security officer of NetApp, has said implementing artificial intelligence tools can help the public sector manage data protection, compliance and risks as agencies increase the pace of digital transformation projects to address cybersecurity threats.

In an opinion piece for Nextgov published Monday, Cutler wrote that an attack surface expands as organizations migrate from on-premise infrastructure to cloud computing environments and increase information technology footprints with commercial providers.

“Government agencies need to pivot to better filter and monitor incoming threats and data with velocity, efficiency and optimization,” he noted.

The NetApp CISO said the AI training models or algorithms have the potential to accelerate document classification and behavioral analysis processes.

An automated, AI-based approach can help agencies identify “outlier” behavior and process huge volumes of cybersecurity alerts, Cutler added.

He cited a November 2020 report by the Congressional Research Service that showed unclassified AI investments at the Department of Defense hit $2.5 billion in fiscal 2021, compared with the $600 million DOD spent on AI projects during fiscal 2016.