The Ultimate Guide to Data Protection
A curated Kiwi edition of TechDay news, analysis, interviews, reviews, job moves, and related resources for Data Protection.
What to know about Data Protection
Data protection is a critical and evolving area in the digital age, focusing on safeguarding sensitive information from cyber threats, data breaches, and unauthorized access. As organisations increasingly rely on digital data and cloud services, effective data protection strategies are essential to maintain privacy, trust, and compliance with regulatory standards.
In this tag, readers will find comprehensive insights on a wide array of topics including cyber resilience, ransomware defense, compliance with laws like GDPR and emerging global regulations, cloud data security, identity and access management, and the challenges of securing data within modern hybrid and multi-cloud environments. The stories also highlight the importance of combining technology, processes, and people to build robust data protection frameworks that can adapt to sophisticated cyber threats.
By exploring these articles, readers can stay informed about the latest advancements in data protection technologies, best practices for incident response, and the implications of new threats and regulations. This knowledge will empower businesses, IT professionals, and individuals to better protect their data assets, build customer trust, and navigate the complex landscape of digital privacy and security.
Kiwi Data Protection News
Regional stories with direct local relevance
New Zealand cyber agency warns AI is reshaping threats
Boards are being urged to beef up defences as AI tools may soon help criminals automate attacks and target New Zealand organisations more precisely.
It took 20 years to start regulating social media - will AI controls come sooner?
Public pressure for AI guardrails is surging faster than it did for social media, as Australia joins a growing coalition urging action.
MBIE confirms botched biometric projects costs blown out to $50.7 million
Taxpayers face a NZD $50.7 million bill after a cancelled Immigration New Zealand upgrade failed to deliver any measurable benefits.
Hatch warns customers of DriveWealth data exposure
Customer contact details and portfolio data were exposed in a breach at Hatch's US broker partner, though no holdings or transactions were affected.
New Zealand SMEs face rising cyber threats, study finds
Nearly three-quarters of medium-sized firms have faced a cyber threat in six months, as AI scams and weak staff training heighten risk.
Westpac first New Zealand bank to issue digital ID
Business customers can now verify bank account details faster and with less fraud risk as digital credentials debut through Govt.nz's app wallet.
Analyst Insights
Research and market analysis connected to Data Protection
Cloudera named leader in Asia Pacific sovereign AI
Okta-led alliance unveils blueprint for AI agent security
Ericsson launches NetCloud Private for regulated users
Google named Gartner leader in enterprise AI assistants
Coder launches Agent Relay for Cursor in private preview
Featured News
Interview: Cloudera says AI agents reshape zero trust
Enterprises must update identity controls as software agents generate more requests and need tightly time-limited access to sensitive systems.
VAST Data targets AI data sovereignty with DataEnclave
Enterprises and governments could run AI on sensitive data without exposing it, as the technology targets sovereignty rules across APAC.
Exclusive: ABBYY launches hybrid AI document models
Enterprises under pressure to curb AI risk and cost are being given a hybrid option that blends generative models with OCR and rules-based extraction.
Interview: Cloudera bets on hybrid AI growth in JAPAC
Banks and large enterprises in Asia-Pacific are rethinking cloud-first AI plans as costs, sovereignty and regulation favour hybrid deployments.
QBE: Mooted critical infrastructure penalties hint at cyber regulatory future
Proposed fines of up to $5 million pushes more New Zealand firms to consider cyber cover as regulatory certainty emerges.
Governance controls are crucial for AI adoption and modernisation
Trusted partners and tighter guardrails are becoming essential as AI agents expand the attack surface and put data sovereignty on the line.
Jamf launches AI Governance to enhance visibility, security
IT teams can now track AI models on Apple fleets to curb data leaks and token spend as businesses wrestle with shadow AI.
AI adoption races ahead of governance in businesses
Only one in six staff are getting enough AI training, leaving firms exposed to poor decisions, shadow tools and weak returns.
Network segmentation - you can't attack what you can't see
Fast-moving exploits are shrinking patch windows to hours, making network segmentation vital for protecting cameras, medical devices and other connected assets.
Reviews
Expert Columns
Fluent is not factual: Why AI needs verified data in APAC
The next eCommerce interface may not be a screen
How businesses can avoid widespread harm from cloud outages
Cybersecurity finds problems. AI can accelerate remediation
Why trusted 'Customer Context' is critical in the agentic AI era
The Next E-commerce Interface May Not Be a Screen
SonicWall wins two CybersecAsia awards, joins Hall of Fame
When security creates friction, employees find workarounds
Mathspace Breach Exposes 1 Million Students, Parents, and Teachers
The Hidden Data Quality Risks of Holding Data for Too Long
Interviews
Interviews and video coverage from the networkRecent Data Protection News
Exaba says MSPs lose storage margin to outside vendors
Many managed service providers are watching backup revenue slip as hidden cloud fees and vendor price changes squeeze storage margins.
Cohesity appoints Matthew Johnston to lead APJ partner sales
The hire underscores Cohesity's push to deepen its channel reach across APJ as customers demand stronger cyber resilience and data security.
Commvault adds Microsoft 365 tools to spot safe backups
The new add-ons aim to help businesses avoid restoring infected files after cyberattacks, as Microsoft 365 remains a prime target for ransomware.
Proofpoint to buy Varonis in USD $6.3 billion deal
Varonis shareholders will receive USD $49.75 a share in cash, valuing the data security group at a 52% premium and taking it private.
Thales launches tool to secure sensitive data from AI
The launch aims to help firms curb AI-driven exposure of sensitive information by linking data discovery, analytics and protection in one tool.
Thales launches data security tool amid AI access risk
The platform is designed to help firms expose and protect sensitive data as AI assistants and machine identities widen access paths across systems.
Hitachi Vantara wins Common Criteria storage certification
The accreditation gives government and regulated buyers independent assurance that the VSP One Block platform has met recognised security requirements.
Nvidia outlines AI agent security framework with OpenShell
Businesses face rising risk as Nvidia says AI agents need enforceable boundaries, accountable owners and proof that safeguards actually work.
Microsoft warns AI is deepening cyber threat links
Threats are now spanning identities, cloud and software supply chains, with AI speeding attacks and complicating defence, Microsoft says.
Most enterprise storage sits idle, CTERA study finds
Active data makes up just 4.4% of enterprise storage, raising costs, security exposure and AI search quality concerns for firms.
OpenAI launches dots, always-on AI agents for work
The new service lets users delegate ongoing work to persistent agents that can act across apps, raising fresh privacy and control questions.
DataCebo launches SDV 2.0 for synthetic enterprise data
Keeping customer and transaction data in-house, the software aims to cut the need for copied databases as firms train AI models.
Engage2Excel expands StorONE storage platform to 1PB
The move could help the workforce solutions provider stretch existing flash capacity across production, backup and disaster recovery as data grows.
Financial services top mobile verification activity
Financial firms accounted for 41.6% of verified mobile activity in the first half of 2026, as numbers became central to banking and account recovery.
Cybersecurity gap widens in access control controllers
More organisations are treating access control controllers as strategic infrastructure, even as missing cybersecurity features rise to 32% of systems.
Moca Chain launches mainnet for digital identity & AI
It aims to cut repeated verification checks and let businesses trust AI agents without collecting the same personal documents from users each time.
ThreatBook acquires CyberStrikeAI in red team push
The deal gives security teams a widely used AI testing tool with on-premises controls, as vendors race to speed up offensive defence.
TrendAI adds Claude session visibility for security teams
Security teams can now trace prompts, responses and tool calls from Claude Code and Cowork alongside other enterprise signals.
KnowBe4 adds browser extension to curb shadow AI use
The browser add-on gives security teams real-time ways to warn or block staff from sending company data to unsanctioned AI tools.
LexisNexis launches AI fraud tool that adapts to attacks
Businesses face rising losses as the new model cuts false positives by more than 80% and adapts scoring as fraud tactics shift.
