When data flows, defense scales

Remote work. Alert overload. Too many tools. The fix isn't “more Al.” It is real-time data pipelines that let Al cut noise and humans decide fast, without slowing builders down. Make data flow like a nervous system and security scales with you

- PCQ Bureau [e-mail]

In a candid conversation with, Rubal Sahni, AVP-India and Emerging Markets, Confluent, lays out a clear idea: enterprises are more watchful with spend, yet doubling down on Al to stay ready for rapid pivots. But Al only works when data moves in real time. Treat data like a central nervous system, and both security and speed improve, especially in a remote-first world.

Remote-first is normal. Risk is bigger.

Confluent runs remote-first, hiring top engineers across cities and small towns alike. That flexibility expands device touchpoints and data volume. Security operations centers still have small teams, yet alerts keep doubling. Humans cannot clear the backlog before new spikes hit. Prioritization has to shift from “most devices” to “most business impact.”

Alert overload needs Al on real-time rails

Al helps rank what matters: five alerts touching critical servers can outweigh 5,000 on noncritical endpoints. But there is a catch. If enterprise data is not unified and continuously streaming, models stall. The answer is a real-time foundation: data always flowing, not locked in databases. With that, Al can cut noise, humans approve or reject, and then automation can take over for the repetitive 10/10-correct cases.

Start with the data layer, not tools