07-08-2025
Cloudera launches on-premises AI platform for secure enterprise use
Cloudera has introduced the latest version of its Data Services, enabling enterprises to deploy generative AI capabilities on their own infrastructure and behind their firewall.
The updated release makes Private AI available on premises, offering organisations a way to develop and manage AI models securely using their own data centres. This approach addresses growing concerns over sensitive information and intellectual property, allowing companies to keep data in-house rather than relying on public cloud environments.
Security and governance are central to the new offering. The inclusion of built-in governance tools and hybrid portability empowers organisations to establish their own sovereign data clouds. According to research by Accenture, 77% of organisations currently lack foundational data and AI security measures necessary to safeguard critical models, data pipelines, and cloud infrastructure. Cloudera's release directly targets these issues, promising to accelerate enterprise AI deployments.
The newly available on-premises capabilities allow organisations to decrease infrastructure expenses, improve productivity for data teams, and streamline AI deployment timelines. These improvements, Cloudera asserts, will help customers move from prototype to production in weeks instead of months. Management of the entire data lifecycle is also available both on-premises and in public cloud, using the same cloud-native services, to provide consistency and flexibility.
Users gain cloud-native agility while maintaining a secure environment behind their firewall. Acceleration of workload deployment, automated security enhancements, and a faster time to value for AI initiatives are among the noted benefits.
Key features
Significant components of this release include the availability of Cloudera AI Inference Service and AI Studios in the data centre for the first time. Both tools were previously limited to cloud environments and are designed to address obstacles commonly faced by enterprises in adopting AI technologies.
Cloudera AI Inference Service is now available on premises and benefits from NVIDIA acceleration. It is described as one of the industry's first AI inference services with embedded NIM microservice capabilities. This tool supports the deployment and management of large-scale AI models directly in enterprise data centres, where data is already securely held.
Cloudera AI Studios brings a low-code approach to building and deploying GenAI applications and agents. The on-premises availability aims to democratise the AI application lifecycle by offering pre-built templates for both technical and non-technical teams.
Results from an independently commissioned Total Economic Impact study by Forrester Consulting highlight operational improvements following adoption. According to the study, a composite organisation saw an 80% reduction in time-to-value for workload deployment, a 20% productivity increase for practitioners and platform teams, and overall savings of 35% from utilising the new architecture. The study also noted hardware utilisation improvements from 30% to 70%, and a reduction in required capacity by 25% to over 50% after infrastructure modernisation.
Industry perspectives
Industry analyst Sanjeev Mohan commented on the market context, noting the dual pressures of AI adoption and data protection. "Historically, enterprises have been forced to cobble together complex, fragile DIY solutions to run their AI on-premises. Today the urgency to adopt AI is undeniable, but so are the concerns around data security. What enterprises need are solutions that streamline AI adoption, boost productivity, and do so without compromising on security."
Leo Brunnick, Chief Product Officer at Cloudera, described the development as a shift in data management strategies, emphasising agility and modern architecture. "Cloudera Data Services On-Premises delivers a true cloud-native experience on-premises, providing agility and efficiency without sacrificing security or control. This release is a significant step forward in data modernization, moving from monolithic clusters to a suite of agile, containerized applications."
Toto Prasetio, Chief Information Officer at BNI, highlighted the value of secure generative AI for regulated industries such as banking, where compliance and data protection are paramount. "BNI is proud to be an early adopter of Cloudera's AI Inference service. This technology provides the essential infrastructure to securely and efficiently expand our generative AI initiatives, all while adhering to Indonesia's dynamic regulatory environment. It marks a significant advancement in our mission to offer smarter, quicker, and more dependable digital banking solutions to the people of Indonesia."
The latest software release from Cloudera is available for deployment in enterprise data centres and is being presented to customers to demonstrate its AI and data platform capabilities.
