Strong security culture is key for GenAI era

Natural language processing amidst vast amounts of actionable data is enabling unprecedented innovation for application builders. Now is the time to ensure security underpins AI and other fast-proliferating new technologies to come.

Eric Yeo, country general manager, AWS Vietnam

Security fosters faster and more secure innovation

In Vietnam, the adoption of AI and GenAI is progressing at an unprecedented rate, revolutionising industries and spurring innovation across various sectors. As businesses incorporate these advanced technologies into their operations, the necessity for strong security measures has become increasingly vital. During the 2024 Vietnam Security Summit, the Ministry of Information and Communications underscored the importance of implementing robust security strategies to protect the nation’s digital infrastructure amidst the rapid adoption of Gen AI and other emerging technologies. The swift expansion of AI usage calls for a proactive cybersecurity approach to safeguard both organisational assets and user privacy in this new digital era.

Helping everyone within an organisation view security as a business enabler rather than a hindrance helps reduce risk while reinforcing resilience. Strong security measures empower companies to innovate faster and with greater confidence. Security teams and organisational leadership can work together to understand business needs and put the necessary protections in place to enable their businesses to grow. This perspective shift is crucial to unlocking the benefits of exploring transformative technologies.

When adopting GenAI, implementing strong encryption measures and giving users control over their data can address privacy concerns associated with AI applications. The AWS Nitro System is designed so that no one (including anyone at AWS) can access the underlying data, workloads, or infrastructure running on customers’ Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud servers. Companies should seek out AI infrastructure and services with built-in security features that offer this level of control.

GenAI can also make the user experience easier and more efficient for security-minded customers. AI-powered tools can assist IT and security administrators in identifying and resolving issues more efficiently. For instance, natural language query capabilities can simplify the analysis of security logs and activity events. A new capability recently added to AWS CloudTrail Lake allows security admins to ask questions using natural language, such as,'What caused this error?'. Other innovations such as a new framework for AWS Audit Manager helps customers gain insights about how they’re using GenAI, including flagging sensitive data and tracking how AI model usage and permissions.

In order to make these technologies transformative, we have to think about security across all three layers of our GenAI stack: the bottom layer provides the tools for building and training large language models (LLMs) and foundational models (FMs), the middle layer provides access to all the models along with tools you need to build and scale GenAI applications, and the top layer includes applications that use LLMs and other FMs to make work stress-free by writing and debugging code, generating content, and sharing insights. Raising the bar on security across each layer of the stack is our top priority.

Effective security is proactive and collaborative

To foster a robust security culture, companies should distribute responsibility throughout their organisations. From the CEO to developers, every employee plays a role in maintaining security. This approach helps ensure that security considerations are integrated into all aspects of operations, from product development to daily meetings. A proactive security outlook is essential in today's threat landscape, as is nailing the security basics.

Fundamental security practices include multifactor authentication, for example, which remains a critical yet underutilised security measure. Recently, AWS Identity and Access Management (a tool used to manage identities and access when using AWS services) now supports passkeys as a second method for authentication that is significantly more secure than a password alone.

Vietnam is among the fastest adopters of GenAI in the region. This rapid adoption brings immense opportunities for innovation but also highlights the critical need for a robust security layer to protect data, systems, and privacy. AWS is fully prepared to support Vietnam on this journey, offering cutting-edge security solutions designed to meet the unique challenges of AI-driven environments.

Finally, companies must commit to continuous security innovation. The cybersecurity landscape is ever-evolving, and businesses need to stay ahead of emerging threats. This requires ongoing investment in security technologies and a culture that prioritises security at every level of the organisation. By adopting these principles, businesses can create a security culture that protects against current threats and positions them to navigate the challenges of emerging technologies securely.

In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, a strong security foundation is not just a safeguard–it is a competitive advantage.

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