Latest news with #SnowflakeSummit
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
‘Your data stays yours': Sridhar Ramaswamy highlights Snowflake's strong AI guardrails
'When it comes to customer data, we offer a flat guarantee to our customers: customer data is customer data. We never use that data for training any model ourselves. All of our customers can rest assured that their data, and any AI products they build on top of it, will only be used to answer questions for them,' Snowflake CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy told At the latest edition of Snowflake Summit, Ramaswamy highlighted the company's unswerving commitment to data security and responsible AI implementation. The CEO spoke about the comprehensive measures the company is undertaking to protect customer data while enabling innovative AI capabilities. Addressing the concerns about AI companies and their data usage practices, Ramaswamy said, 'We've built mechanisms that surface security data and alerts to our customers, including visibility into how many of their accounts are not protected with strong authentication. We take these lessons seriously and are dedicated to actively collaborating with our customers to ensure the security of their data. The AI data cloud company has, over time, strengthened its security posture, implementing what it describes as a 'shared destiny' model that places greater responsibility on Snowflake to proactively protect customers rather than relying solely on traditional shared responsibility frameworks. Integral to Snowflake's enhanced security strategy is the mandatory implementation of two-factor authentication across all accounts. 'We announced that we want to make it mandatory for every account to have two-factor authentication,' Ramaswamy explained, adding that the company has also integrated modern authentication methods such as Face ID and other biometric technologies. Brad Jones, Snowflake's chief information security officer and vice president of information security, elaborated on the company's aggressive stance on eliminating single-factor authentication entirely. 'We ultimately believe to be the most secure, we have to take away some of those legacy authentication methods from our customers to really get to that best posture for them.' The security improvements extend beyond basic authentication. Snowflake has introduced passwordless authentication options, including passkeys, programmatic access tokens, and support for various authenticators like Google Authenticator, moving away from its traditional reliance on Duo for multi-factor authentication. Jones shared that Snowflake has implemented the 'leak password protection' – a system that actively monitors the dark web for compromised credentials associated with Snowflake accounts. 'We're looking in the dark web for credentials, usernames and passwords that have been leaked out there through various means like info-stealing malware or other methods, and we're validating if those are active credentials that are active in a Snowflake account. We will go as far as locking that account and really asking questions later,' Jones explained. Over the years, AI has become integral to Snowflake's platform offerings. Considering the meteoric pace of advancements in AI, Snowflake has established comprehensive governance frameworks to ensure responsible deployment. Jones informed that the company recently achieved ISO 42001 certification, an AI governance standard. 'We recently got the ISO 42001 certification, which is the AI governance certification based on the ISO standard that came out. I believe we're one of the first cloud companies, if not the first kind of cloud company, to get that,' Jones noted, explaining that this required developing standard policies and processes for appropriate AI use. Snowflake's approach to AI security uses its unified platform architecture, ensuring that existing data governance and security controls automatically extend to AI workloads. 'Because we are a single, unified platform, all of the rules that you have, whether it is for data access or data masking, work out of the box with the AI products that you create on top,' Ramaswamy explained. 'Of course, AI brings challenges like prompt injection and adversarial input. To counter that, we offer features like Cortex Guardrails to protect against malicious prompts and ensure responsible behaviour,' the CEO added. Snowflake acknowledges that for cybersecurity AI presents both opportunities and challenges. 'AI, everyone sees it as a double-edged sword, right? Any company that doesn't lean into it and adopt it is going to be left behind, but you have to put strong guardrails and guidelines in place,' Jones noted. To address AI-enhanced threats, Snowflake employs comprehensive red team testing and maintains robust detection capabilities. 'I don't believe there are any new, novel attacks that are taking place as a result of AI. It's the same things, but better and faster. So that's incumbent then on security teams to be able to react quicker,' Jones said. The company continues to invest in advanced security capabilities, including machine learning models for detecting suspicious behaviour and enhanced visibility tools through its Trust Centre platform. 'We're never going to stop in this area; as we find things that are going to be useful for our customers that we can use internally to help them or provide directly to them, we will continue to innovate,' Jones concluded. Bijin Jose, an Assistant Editor at Indian Express Online in New Delhi, is a technology journalist with a portfolio spanning various prestigious publications. Starting as a citizen journalist with The Times of India in 2013, he transitioned through roles at India Today Digital and The Economic Times, before finding his niche at The Indian Express. With a BA in English from Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara, and an MA in English Literature, Bijin's expertise extends from crime reporting to cultural features. With a keen interest in closely covering developments in artificial intelligence, Bijin provides nuanced perspectives on its implications for society and beyond. ... Read More
Barnama
3 days ago
- Business
- Barnama
Beyond Tariffs: People's Livelihoods Must Be Central To Any Trade Negotiations
Credit : Google Map Beyond Tariffs: People's Livelihoods Must Be Central To Any Trade Negotiations From Nor Baizura Basri SAN FRANCISCO, June 5 (Bernama) -- It was a cold morning in San Francisco, and my stomach was growling for food. As I munched on the snacks available in my hotel room, the day had started early with the sun shining brightly before 6 am. It was not a usual morning as I woke up as early as 3 am due to jet lag. It was 6 pm in Malaysia. My hotel, located next to the Moscone Centre and a university, is supposed to be a busy area normally. But it was a Sunday morning and understandably, far quieter. The Snowflake Summit, hosted by the cloud-based data company and for which I am scheduled to attend and cover, only started on Monday (Tuesday in Malaysia). Looking for halal restaurants, I entered Sixth Street, not knowing it was considered dangerous to wander there at that time of the morning, especially for a woman alone. To my utter shock and dismay, and contrary to the rich capitalist image of America, the street was full of homeless people. Many were living in make-shift tents, quite a number seemingly high on weed (cannabis). They wandered aimlessly, and some of them started to notice me. I became nervous. As my panic attack gradually got the better of me, my instinct was to get out of the area as quickly as I could. As I returned to my room, I turned to Google to get some rational answers to what I had just seen - the dire despair and homelessness in a nation with the world's largest economy. On any given day, the scenes on Sixth Street point to what seems to be the city's perpetual challenge with drug abuse and mental health problems - all of which were out in open display. San Francisco authorities are reportedly taking steps to tackle what seems to be insurmountable issues. I reckon that the problems will be beyond any administration's means to resolve. Recalling the scenes that Sunday morning not only sends shivers down my spine, but also a sense of depression amid the misery the homeless face. For the record, San Francisco has 8,323 homeless individuals in total as of Jan 30, 2024, and some 200 are believed to be living on that street. On Sixth Street, it is common to see lines of homeless people just sitting around outside in temperatures of 13-15 degrees Celsius. Not far from there is a thriving business district and the Moscone Centre, where the Snowflakes Summit is taking place, which brings together participants from all over the world to brainstorm the latest AI developments. It's a paradox to see San Francisco, home of the Silicon Valley and located in the famous Bay Area, facing this situation. For such a developed and modern city, the utter homelessness, wanton drug abuse and helpless individuals grappling with mental issues do not make sense at all. It is a harsh reality that Americans need to consider, and decision makers and the powers that be must instil policies and implement programmes to help all strata of society to prevent a housing crisis which is closely tied to a gamut of issues, including rising population, economic hardships and a lack of resources. This brings into question the current tariff talks between the United States and some 168 countries and what they really represent. Global citizens must ask whether the outcome of these trade negotiations, and for that matter, any trade talks, actually takes into account the realities on the ground. Are these talks by governments helping to alleviate the suffering of the homeless or seeking to improve the livelihoods of people, especially those marginalised? The reality is that it is not just happening in San Francisco and the United States, but it is a global phenomenon. Looking at Malaysia, people are still grappling with the higher cost of living, for which various programmes have been implemented to address the issue and improve people's livelihoods. Addressing the people's housing needs should be a major objective of government projects. Similarly, in other countries, prices of goods are also rising and may escalate due to the debilitating tariffs, which can adversely affect national economies and worsen the situation on the ground. For example, in Argentina, the inflation rate is at a staggering 237 per cent, while in South Sudan it is at 107 per cent. The worst case scenario arising from what is surely uncontrolled price escalations could be economic instability and disruption of supply chains, driving prices of essential goods and services to exorbitant levels. Ultimately, development programmes, policies, and trade talks must benefit people in need. If the trade talks fail and the 168 countries are slapped with sweeping tariffs, it would be a disaster in the making. Life would be made even more unbearable not only on Sixth Street but the world over. The African proverb that when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers is apt to describe what's going on in the global arena. In trade disputes and conflicts between the economic superpowers, it is the weak or small countries which suffer. Are we so weak as to allow such a predicament to befall us? -- BERNAMA
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Snowflake CEO Shares M&A, Partnership Approach
Snowflake CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy discusses the company's latest acquisition of Crunchy Data and its partnership with the LA Olympics. Ramaswamy joins Bloomberg's Caroline Hyde ahead of the Snowflake Summit. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Malaysian Reserve
5 days ago
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
Archive360 Unlocks Enterprise Archive Data for AI, Analytics, and Compliance on Snowflake AI Data Cloud
Enables automated governance and seamless integration of archive connected data into the Snowflake AI Data Cloud; Archive360 will be at booth #2603 at the Snowflake Summit SAN FRANCISCO, June 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Archive360, the company redefining the role of archiving in enterprise data management, analytics and AI, today announced at Snowflake Summit 2025, a new integration with Snowflake, the AI Data Cloud company, enabling organizations to seamlessly prepare and govern archive data. Through the integration, customers retain complete control over what data is published to Snowflake – enabling compliance, accelerating access to insights, and unlocking the full value of their archive data. Archive360's Governed AI Data Cloud gives organizations precise control over how archive data is accessed and used by AI tools and analytics platforms. It streamlines the ingestion of data from both active and legacy applications, helping teams derive value faster. Built on a cloud-native, class-based architecture, Archive360 provides each customer with a dedicated SaaS environment – ensuring complete data segregation, administrative control, and seamless integration with existing security protocols. When paired with Snowflake, Archive360 empowers enterprises to unlock the full potential of all their archive data, which was previously inaccessible or locked away, stored in proprietary formats, and unavailable at scale to modern data analytics platforms. Archive360 automates the process and expands the range of data available to Snowflake, without slowing down the process and accelerating time to value. 'Snowflake can extract extremely valuable insights from archive data, but historically, enterprises have not been able to efficiently make this AI and analytics ready, while providing extensive governance capabilities in parallel,' said Dan Manners, VP Product Strategy, Archive360. 'With Archive360 and Snowflake, organizations can easily transform their archive data from a closed environment, integrating into modern data ecosystems that drive innovation and inform critical business decisions.' 'Archive360's expertise in modern archiving and data governance brings tremendous value to our shared ecosystems,' said Kieran Kennedy, VP, Data Cloud Product Partners, Snowflake. 'Together, we're helping organizations unlock and operationalize archive data—enabling secure, compliant, and scalable access to information that was once difficult to use.' See Archive360 in action at booth #2603 at the Snowflake Summit 2025 in San Francisco, June 2-5. For more information on Archive360's platform, visit About Archive360 Archive360 is the modern archiving company redefining the role of archiving in enterprise data management. The Archive360 platform addresses complex data governance and compliance challenges while enabling AI and data analytics. Enterprise organizations and government agencies worldwide rely on Archive360 to unlock actionable insights from their archived data, while reducing cost and risk. Learn more about Modern Archiving at
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Snowflake retools data cloud to fuel AI agents, expand integrations
This story was originally published on CIO Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily CIO Dive newsletter. Snowflake retooled its data cloud platform through a sweeping set of product updates targeting enterprise agentic AI adoption, the company said Tuesday during its annual Snowflake Summit event. The series of announcements came on the heels of Snowflake's Monday agreement to purchase PostgreSQL startup Crunchy Data. The AI data cloud company rolled out a hybrid multicloud data ingestion service called Snowflake Openflow, the Cortex Knowledge Extensions third-party data mining pipeline and AI-powered natural-language analytics and data science assistants under the Snowflake Intelligence and Data Science Agent rubrics. Snowflake also trumpeted the general availability of its Cortex AISQL agentic querying tool and the SnowConvert AI data modernization copilot designed to help enterprises migrate from legacy warehouses. 'We are making it easy to tap into structured data. We are making it easy to tap into unstructured data as well. And we're helping our customers build a strong foundation to lead in the era of agentic AI,' CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy said last month during the company's Q1 earnings call for the 2026 fiscal year. As enterprises seek business value from generative AI-powered agentic automation, major vendors are racing to deploy the data integrations, modernization tools and pipelines organizations need to fuel the technology. The Crunchy Data acquisition brought AI compliance and scaling capabilities in-house for Snowflake, less than a month after Databricks, a competitor in the AI data cloud space, announced its intent to purchase PostgreSQL startup Neon. 'We're doubling down on the momentum behind Postgres and investing in its future while preserving the openness, the extensibility and developer-first ethos that make it great,' Ramaswamy said during a Monday keynote. As part of its integration strategy, Snowflake connected its data cloud to The Associated Press, USA Today and several other publishers through Cortex Knowledge Extensions that let enterprises feed news and other timely data to AI apps and agents, the company said in a Tuesday announcement. The pipeline creates a marketplace for enterprises to source third-party data while ensuring publishers are compensated. Snowflake Intelligence unifies raw and structured data from spreadsheets, documents, images and databases, using Anthropic and OpenAI large language models. The integration connects the company's data cloud to Google Drive, Salesforce Data Cloud via Zero Copy, Workday and other enterprise vendor platforms, aligning security controls, data masking and governance policies. It will be in public preview soon, the company said. 'There's so much that we take for granted about how things used to work that just aren't true anymore,' Ramaswamy said, pointing to the impact of AI on the enterprise in a keynote conversation with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. 'We'll be at a point next year where you can not only use a system to automate business processes or build these new products and services, but you can really say, 'I have this hugely important problem in my business, I will throw a ton of compute at it'… and the models will be able to go figure out things that teams of people on their own can't do,' Altman said. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
