Data Classification: The Cybersecurity Backbone We Forgot to Build

Have you ever stopped to think about where your organisation’s data actually lives?

No, really. Have you? Because in this age of multi-cloud everything, it’s unlikely to be in just one place. It’s in a SaaS app here, a cloud bucket there, a backup server somewhere else, and maybe even in someone’s email inbox (don’t ask).

Now throw AI into the mix. The machines can search across all those locations faster than you can say “data breach.” And they don’t just find what you’re looking for—they find what you didn’t know was there. Or worse, what you shouldn’t have access to.

“Hang on, isn’t most of that a good thing?”
Yes, it’s impressive and helpful. But it’s also a problem. Because if your organisation hasn’t properly categorised and classified its data, AI tools can dig up sensitive information and hand it over to someone who shouldn’t see it. Not maliciously—just efficiently.

So what’s the fix?
We need to stop building cybersecurity architectures around networks and endpoints and start building them around data. That means:

• Knowing what data you have
• Knowing where it lives
• Knowing who should (and shouldn’t) have access to it

And yes, that means data classification. Not the dusty spreadsheet kind. I’m talking about real, dynamic classification that tags data based on sensitivity, compliance requirements, and business value.

“Sounds like a lot of work.”
It is. But so is cleaning up after a breach. And in a world where AI can surface data from every corner of your cloud estate, you don’t want to be caught with your metadata down.

Here’s the kicker:
If you don’t know what your data is, where it is, and how it’s protected, then your cybersecurity strategy is basically a castle with no idea what it’s guarding. And AI? It’s the curious tourist who just found the secret passage.