Key Takeaways
- GigaOm recognized Satori as the only mature, platform-centric leader in data access governance.
- Traditional security tools can fail to handle the rapid scale and complexity of modern data usage.
- Data access governance platforms can provide real-time visibility, enforcement, and compliance evidence for data access.
- Satori was founded to empower security teams with control over data access without slowing down analytics or AI innovation.
- Integrating data access governance with recovery capabilities enables a proactive, resilient data security strategy.
The independent analyst firm GigaOm published its latest and placed Satori, a Commvault company, as the only mature, platform-centric leader in the category.
That recognition matters. Not because of the badge itself, but because it validates something many security and data leaders are feeling right now but don’t always have language for: In today’s AI era, data has become the foundation of modern business. At the same time, it has become a moving target. Governing data in this environment is increasingly impractical without a dedicated data access governance platform like Satori.
But let’s step back and look at the data security problem first.
The Real Problem with Data Security Today
The most prominent challenge organizations face today is not a lack of data. On the contrary, storing data is cheap, collecting it is easy, and acquiring external data is often straightforward. In recent years, even processing and extracting value from that data has become significantly more accessible.
It used to be that only specialized teams could analyze data. But today’s analytics tools and AI make it possible for almost anyone to do so, using more data than ever before. Analytics, self-service business intelligence, automation, and AI mean data is accessed more frequently, by more systems, and by more identities than ever before.
This transformation can deliver tremendous value for businesses. But without proper governance, it also can introduce significant risk. In most enterprises:
- Data lives across many platforms and in thousands of different locations.
- Access decisions are owned by engineering or data teams.
- Security teams depend on others for answers and for applying security policies.
Add to this external pressure: compliance. There is growing regulatory pressure to continuously answer questions such as who accessed what data, when, and why. Organizations must also know where sensitive data such as personally identifiable information or protected health information resides, how access to production data is provisioned, and whether controls are consistently enforced.
Data and security teams are expected to answer these questions and place controls over the data, but they often lack the visibility, control, and evidence to do so confidently.
Why Is This Happening Now?
This situation didn’t develop overnight; several forces converged at the same time.
First, data usage scaled faster than governance. Access models that worked when data was accessed occasionally break down when access is continuous, automated, and embedded in everyday workflows. And in many cases, this can even happen by an AI agent that may or may not follow data use guidelines. These changes are similar to those in software when organizations moved to CI/CD and could no longer “freeze and wait” for version releases.
Second, security teams were pushed out of the data path. Controls were implemented at the infrastructure, schema, or application level, often owned by engineering or data teams. Security teams became dependent on others to understand how data was being accessed and to enforce policies. Let’s face it, we can’t expect security teams to know every SQL command used to protect or reveal sensitive data.
Third, compliance expectations increased. It is no longer enough to say that controls exist. Organizations are expected to continuously demonstrate that sensitive data is governed correctly and that access aligns with policy.
Together, these forces may have created a gap that traditional security and data tools were never designed to fill.
What Data Access Governance Actually Solves
Despite its name, data access governance is not about documentation or policy paperwork.
It is about giving organizations direct visibility and control over how data is accessed, without slowing the business down.
A data access governance platform allows teams to:
- See how data is actually being accessed across platforms.
- Enforce access policies proactively, at runtime, not after the fact.
- Apply fine-grained controls that match data sensitivity.
- Produce continuous, defensible evidence for compliance.
A data access governance platform does not replace identity systems, data catalogs, or data protection tools. Instead, it fills the gap between them by governing access where it matters most: when data is used.
Why We Built Satori
Satori was built on a simple observation: Security teams are accountable for data risk but often lack direct control over data access.
We set out to change that.
From the beginning, Satori was designed to:
- Enforce policies at query time, close to the data.
- Apply controls consistently across modern data platforms.
- Support fine-grained access without requiring code changes.
- Provide clear visibility into who accessed what data, and why.
This approach allows organizations to govern data access without becoming a bottleneck for analytics, AI, or innovation. It is also the model recognized by GigaOm in its latest report.
From Governing Data to Resilience
Recovery remains a cornerstone of resilience.
Backups, clean recovery, and testing recoverability enable organizations to continue operating when incidents occur. They help support availability, integrity, and the ability to restore systems quickly and confidently.
Data access governance builds on that foundation by addressing a different but complementary set of questions:
- How is data being accessed on an ongoing basis?
- Are access policies consistently enforced?
- Can we demonstrate compliance continuously, not just after an incident?
While recovery focuses on restoring data to a known good state, governance focuses on preventing misuse, reducing exposure, and providing ongoing assurance. Together, they enable a more thorough and proactive approach to resilience.
By combining real-time data governance with proven recovery capabilities, organizations can gain both control and resilience: control over how data is used every day and the ability to bounce back when things go wrong.
What Comes Next: Integrated Data Security
The future of data security is not about adding more isolated tools.
It is about creating an integrated approach that helps keeps data governed at all times, while enabling the organization to bounce back when things go south.
That means:
- Continuous visibility into data usage.
- Real-time control over access.
- Ongoing evidence for compliance.
- And resilient recovery when incidents occur.
By bringing together real-time data access governance with data protection and recovery, organizations can move from a reactive security posture to a more proactive, defensible one. This is where we see the industry heading, and it is the direction we are building toward.
Modern Data Security
Data is being used more than ever, by more people and systems, in more ways than before.
Security teams are expected to govern that usage, demonstrate compliance, and keep the business running during incidents. Doing that requires more than traditional data protection alone – it requires visibility into data usage, control over access, and proof that governance is working continuously.
That is what data access governance enables, and why it is becoming a foundational part of modern data security. To learn more about how Commvault can help your organization, book a demo.
FAQs
Q: Why did GigaOm recognize Satori as a leader in data access governance?
A: GigaOm highlighted Satori’s platform-centric approach that provides mature, unified capabilities for governing data access in real time. This recognition underscores Satori’s ability to give organizations visibility and control without impeding business agility.
Q: What is the main problem with data security today?
A: The biggest challenge isn’t data scarcity but uncontrolled data access. Data now lives across multiple platforms, is accessed by countless systems, and lacks unified oversight. This creates compliance gaps and security risks that traditional tools can’t manage effectively.
Q: How does data access governance solve these challenges?
A: A data access governance platform helps organizations monitor how data is used, enforce access policies at runtime, and maintain ongoing compliance documentation. It bridges the gap between identity management and data protection tools by focusing on real-time data use.
Q: What makes Satori’s approach unique?
A: Satori is designed to enforce security policies directly at query time, close to the data, helping provide granular control without requiring code changes. It offers ongoing visibility into who accessed what and why, helping empower security teams with actionable insights.
Q: How does data access governance relate to resilience and recovery?
A: While recovery focuses on restoring data after incidents, governance helps prevent misuse and minimize exposure beforehand. Together, they enable ongoing compliance and faster, more confident recovery – helping strengthen overall business resilience.
Q: What’s next for modern data security?
A: The future lies in integrated security – combining ongoing visibility, real-time control, and resilient recovery. This holistic approach helps enable organizations to move from reactive data protection to proactive, defensible governance.
Ben Herzberg is Senior Director, Solutions Marketing, at Commvault.
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