AI bias has the potential to cause significant damage to cybersecurity, especially when it is not controlled effectively. It is important to incorporate human intelligence alongside digital technologies to protect digital infrastructures from causing severe issues.

AI technology has significantly evolved over the past few years, showing a relatively nuanced nature within cybersecurity. By tapping into vast amounts of information, artificial intelligence can quickly retrieve details and make decisions based on the data it was trained to use. The data can be received and used within a matter of minutes, which is something that human intelligence might not be able to do. 

With that said, the vast databases of AI technologies can also lead the systems to make ethically incorrect or biased decisions. For this reason, human intelligence is essential in controlling potential ethical errors of AI and preventing the systems from going rogue. This article will discuss why AI technology cannot fully replace humans and why artificial intelligence and human intelligence should be used side-by-side in security systems.

Inherent Limitations of AI 

AI technology has significantly improved throughout the years, especially regarding facial recognition and other security measures. That said, while its recognition abilities have become superior, it is still lacking when it comes to mimicking human judgment.

Human intelligence is influenced by factors like intuition, experience, context, and values. This allows humans to make decisions while considering different perspectives, which may or may not be present in a data pool. As AI systems are still far from being perfectly trained with all the information in the world, they can present errors in judgment that could have otherwise not happened with human intelligence.

AI data pools also draw information from “majorities,” registering through information that was published decades ago. Unless effectively trained and updated, it may be influenced by information that is now irrelevant. For instance, AI could unfairly target specific groups subjected to stereotypes in the past, and the lack of moral compass could create injustice in the results. 

One significant problem of using AI as the sole system for data gathering is that it can have substantial limitations in fact-checking. Data pools are updated day by day, which can be problematic as AI systems can take years to train fully. AI can wrongfully assume that a piece of information is false, even though the data is correct. Without human intelligence to fact-check the details, the risk of using incorrect data might cause someone to misinterpret crucial information. 

AI and the Lack of Privacy

As humans, we have an innate ability to know what is private and what is not. We use our judgment to determine whether or not certain pieces of information should be utilized. However, if the database is mishandled, AI systems can inadvertently breach unauthorized information, disclosing personal data or misleading details as the system goes rogue. This is exactly what happened at the Def Con conference in Las Vegas, where AI systems were manipulated into going rogue. 

This type of circumstance is more common than we think. AI systems are trained to dig through vast data volumes to drive their insights, making no difference between what is allowed and what is not when disclosing an action. Without humans implementing strong access controls and data encryption protocols, AI systems can endanger an organization’s security. 

Why Human Intelligence Is Essential to Prevent Bias 

The cybersecurity landscape is quite widespread, with AI systems consistently used to defend against malware, phishing attacks, and nationwide threats from organized crime groups. Each type of threat has its own nuance and complexities, requiring personalized approaches for detection, mitigation, and overall prevention. 

The problem is that the nuanced world of cybersecurity could also lead to false positives and negatives, along with cyberattacks being misread. Without careful monitoring, AI systems could unintentionally discriminate or incorrectly categorize an attack, leading to delays and potential breaches in security. By incorporating human intelligence into the equation, the threats could be detected and mitigated early on before they escalate. 

This can be rather difficult to obtain, considering that there is still a global shortage of AI experts. To prevent this, we need heavy research and development, as well as investments in comprehensive training programs. By nurturing the talent pool to recognize unhealthy AI behavior, defenses may be bolstered. When different situations are put through vulnerability tests, we can prevent missteps caused by AI bias.

The Bottom Line

Unfortunately, AI bias can cause significant disruptions within an algorithm, making it pull inaccurate or potentially harmful information from its data pool. Without human intelligence to control it, not only can it lead to misinformation, but it could also inflict severe privacy and security breaches. Hybrid systems could be the answer to this because they are better at detecting ethical issues or errors.

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What impact does AI have on Digital Infrastructure?

There are currently two megatrends that are dominating global business. The first is the explosion in the use of AI as businesses strive to increase productivity and operational efficiencies. The second is the worsening climate crisis and the financial impact of increasing energy costs. 

Data centers that are built to cater for this type of High Performance Computing (HPC) require powerful systems with significant cooling requirements that involve the use of large amounts of energy at considerable costs. The amount of energy required to upgrade legacy data centers to HPC standards is vast. If every data center upgraded to adhere to HPC specifications, the world would experience a serious energy crisis. 

At the intersection of these two mega trends is the data center, and choosing the right one can not only future proof against technological advancements but also significantly reduce a business’s environmental impact. With infrastructure cooling being responsible for 40 percent of the total electricity cost of most data centers, this coupled with ever increasing energy prices have led organizations to consider the physical environment where their data center sites are located. 

Using data centers in countries that have a cool and more consistent climate, such as the Nordic region, have the capability to provide high-density air and liquid cooling solutions that ensure temperature and humidity levels within the data center are maintained more efficiently. These solutions reduce energy outputs and ultimately decrease the overall carbon footprint and cost to the business.

Why are the Nordics emerging as a leading location for the data center industry?

The importance of location is becoming more and more prevalent in data center decision making today. The Nordics are emerging as a safe, sustainable, and superior place to house today’s enterprise data. This is due to several factors – from the region’s abundant access to renewable power resources to its close-knit government community structure that speeds innovation and supports sustainability initiatives like data center heat recovery.

In addition, the Nordic region produces a surplus of renewable energy, made available to global data center operators as a green alternative to carbon-producing sources. Its use of renewable energy is embedded in the region’s history where hydropower, wind energy production, and geothermal sources produce renewable energy for these countries, making it a safe and desirable location for global organizations to house their workloads.

The region also benefits from improved cost stability compared to countries that traditionally rely on fossil fuels, given the price of renewable energy won’t be as affected by economic upheaval, political disruption, or regulatory changes. It is becoming increasingly clear that the Nordics have the right infrastructure in place to continue to help businesses navigate the global energy crisis, drive clean energy transformation and power the next generation of data centers. 

How does atNorth help organizations future-proof their data infrastructure?

We are a fast-moving company in an incredibly dynamic market. We are committed to expanding our footprint and building future-proofed, sustainable data center operations across the Nordics in a way that supports our customers and the surrounding environment.

The Nordic region is developing into a European hub for the data center industry due to key factors such as abundant land resource and space, reliable power supply, international connectivity and low energy prices. This has been driving a surge in organizations moving their HPC and AI workloads to the Nordics. While many other markets are constrained with site availability, facility and rack space, and increasing energy costs, the Nordics is a safe haven offering efficiencies, performance and a perfect climate to deploy within.  

Clients such as BNP Paribas and Shearwater Geoservices have migrated portions of their IT workload to atNorth data centers in Iceland, with BNP Paribas achieving a reduction in energy consumption by more than 50%, and an 85% decrease in CO2 output and Shearwater Geoservices achieving a 92% reduction in CO2 output and an 85% reduction in cost. These businesses have future-proofed themselves against increasing energy demands and the associated costs, not to mention adherence to ESG targets and ever evolving technology requirements.

How is atNorth addressing the increased demand for HPC & AI workloads?

HPC is a fast growing market – it’s estimated that the high performance computing market could be worth $90 billion by 2032. We see huge, untapped potential in this space to provide better services for data-heavy organizations that rely on HPC for their most critical business operations. This is why we recently announced the acquisition of Gompute, as we continue to fast forward our business with a full-stack solution specifically tailored for HPC & AI workloads to make sure we are at the top of our game to service our customers. 

Similarly, we are currently building three new data center campuses; DEN01, a 30MW data center in Copenhagen, Denmark and FIN02, a 25 MW data center in Helsinki, Finland and FIN04 a megasite in Kouvola, Finland. The FIN04 site will have an initial capacity of 60MW but includes a pathway to power to several hundred megawatts when fully built.

All three sites are specifically designed for high performance workloads and are located on sizable plots to allow atNorth to scale effectively with client demand.

Our goal is to continue to strengthen our business and provide a pathway for continued innovation – from the solutions and services we offer to the expertise and skill we bring to our workforce.

What are the new innovations driving change at the data center development level?

Clean energy, cheaper power alternatives, low power usage effectiveness (PUE), and heat reuse advantages to name a few – all of which the Nordic region has become synonymous with. Add to this: better connectivity, lower latency, and larger capacity availability across rack and cabinet space and cooling capabilities such as direct liquid cooling (DLC), immersion, rear-door cooling, and geothermal cooling techniques.

Another factor central to supporting power and cooling efficiencies is the deployment of heat recovery. For example, atNorth’s data center campus in Stockholm, Sweden is a first-of-its-kind data center with a primary cooling system designed for heat recovery. The SWE01 campus captures the heat outputs generated by the site’s data halls, capturing up to 85% of the outputs in some cases. This innovative use of recycling the waste outputs from data center facilities through nearby energy grids can provide heat and hot water for surrounding communities in a way that reduces the carbon footprint and bottom line for data centers and organizations alike while also giving back to the community in a sustainable manner.

Our SWE01 campus is a good example of a purpose-built facility that has been designed and architected from the ground up with the space and capacity available that supports the needs of organizations right now while also enabling them to have the flexibility to scale up or down in line with business peaks and troughs. As organizations look to reduce operational costs, lower their overall TCO, and meet sustainability initiatives, the Nordics are proving a reliable home, providing the best possible infrastructure to support digitalization and drive an environment-first approach to sustain increasingly crucial sustainability initiatives. 

How can we future proof the next generation of data center infrastructure with data growth, high performance compute, and the environment top of mind?

We are only at the cusp of what technology and digitalization is capable of – first and foremost, we need to align as an industry to create meaningful changes that will stand the test of time and innovation. The data center industry is clearly a fundamental part of our global society and integral to our lives today – from social media and streaming media to working processes and even much greater capabilities such as prediction analytics and driverless cars!

We need to pull together to create common goals for our industry. While there is certainly a lot of competition here, and we all want to be successful in our own right, there are several aspects of our businesses that should be collaborative so that we can help shape the overall outcomes and future of the industry.

Those of us that work in this industry know that we are lucky – we have the opportunity to shape the future of the digital world in a way that can support our planet for future generations to come. But with this, we also have a duty to make it the best it can be, to reduce the burden of it on the world, and to make it more efficient by collaborating and sharing the elements that will enable improvements to be made.

At atNorth, we really believe that we can have more compute and a better world if we work together

Erling Guðmundsson

COO, atNorth

Erling joined atNorth’s executive team in 2023 bringing 25 years of experience in the telecom and IT industries across Europe. An award winning and inspirational leader, he is renowned for maintaining high professional standards and Erling joined atNorth’s executive team in 2023 bringing 25 years of experience in the telecom and IT industries across Europe. An award winning and inspirational leader, he is renowned for maintaining high professional standards and progressing high-performance teams to deliver exceptional customer service. Before joining atNorth, he served as the CEO of Reykjavik Fibre/​Ljósleiðarinn, where his leadership left a lasting impact. His vast experience and unique skill set promotes operational excellence and drives the continued growth and success of the company.

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Table of Contents

Introduction

1. The Role of AIOps in Digital Transformation

2. Strategies for Seamless SaaS Management

2.1. Identify Integration Points

2.2. Choose the Integration Management Application

2.3. Ensure Data Security

2.4. Train Your Team

3. Top Five AIOps Platforms for Seamless SaaS Management

1. Blissfully

Case Study

2. Keepit

Case Study

3. Zylo

Case Study

4. Zluri

Case Study

5. BetterCloud

Case Study

4. Choose the Right SaaS Management Platform

4.1. Management Capability

4.2. Ease of Use

4.3. Privacy Protection

Conclusion

Introduction

A few years ago, Gartner’s global research and advisory firm predicted a significant change in the IT management landscape. The present IT environment is more data-driven, distributed, and changing. Thus, IT professionals and leaders felt a strong need to advance digital transformations with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and other approaches that can automate key operations. Despite the increased attention to artificial intelligence for IT operations (AIOps) technology, IT teams and analysts may need help choosing the right tools that align with their needs. In this article, we will shed light on the top five AIOps platforms for seamless SaaS management and how to choose the right AIOps tools for your business.

1. The Role of AIOps in Digital Transformation

AIOps is a new technology that has the potential to revolutionize digital transformation. This technology brings machine learning and data analytics together to automate IT operations and manage the infrastructure that is required for digital transformation. AIOps allows you and your IT team to manage, monitor, and analyze large volumes of data in real time. It helps them identify patterns, predict performance, and detect changes in the system. This data can be used to make informative decisions about the change in the system, reducing downtime and improving efficiency. In short, AIOps play an essential role in helping businesses drive successful digital transformation. It not only saves time and money but also provides valuable insights that can digitally transform your business.

With software as a service (SaaS) management, IT professionals and managers can input data, study correlations, and set up automation according to their business needs. Yet, managing SaaS applications can be challenging without proper integration. Let’s take a glimpse at the strategies needed for seamless SaaS management:

2. Strategies for Seamless SaaS Management

Software as a service (SaaS) has revolutionized business operations through its cost-effectiveness, scalability, and remote support. Most companies assume that SaaS management requires no implementation as its delivery occurs through the Internet and plug-and-play, but this is not true. As complex as the implementation can be, it is worth it for your business. Here are some implementation strategies that can help you and your teams lead this process, irrespective of the company’s industry or size:

2.1. Identify Integration Points

The first step is to identify which SaaS management application needs to be integrated, considering your company’s goals and workflow that can benefit from integration.

2.2. Choose the Integration Management Application

Select the correct integration management application that aligns with your business needs. Some popular options include LogicMonitor, Zluri, and many more, which have aided many companies with their SaaS management solutions.

2.3. Ensure Data Security

Security and compliance are essential when integrating SaaS management applications to safeguard customers’ and employees’ data. You need to make sure that the data is encrypted and user identities are verified.

2.4. Train Your Team

Ensure that your team is trained to install and use the integrated SaaS management application. This includes understanding the data flows and troubleshooting integration issues.

AIOps platforms have allowed companies to harness the power of AI and ML technologies to improve IT operations. However, to keep pace with the digital transformation, IT teams can use SaaS management to reduce the risk of unmanaged tools and technologies and improve the effectiveness of the users who deploy these applications. Let’s take a look at a few SaaS management applications:

3. Top Five AIOps Platforms for Seamless SaaS Management

The right SaaS management platforms will help IT professionals and leaders streamline their technology operations; however, with so many options, it can be challenging to choose the right one. Here are the top five SaaS management platforms that will help your business modernize its operations and improve efficiency:

1. Blissfully

Blissfully is a SaaS management platform that aims to give your company the visibility and tools that are needed to simplify IT operations, maintain compliance, manage vendors, and optimize spending. However, the company was acquired by Vendr in February 2022.

Case Study

Contentstack is a content management system that supports mid-size and enterprise businesses. The company was facing a challenge where spreadsheets only captured a moment in time without the ability to build an accurate forecasting plan or clear employee workflows, time, and economic inefficiencies that grew across many business units of Contentstack. To curb this issue, Contentstack joined hands with Blissfully to construct a comprehensive technology ecosystem that increases efficiency and seamless workflows with automated systems to downsize mundane tasks. This has helped the company save time and money and make strategic investments with Blissfully.

2. Keepit

Keepit is a cloud-based SaaS management solution that helps businesses protect their essential digital assets. This platform provides seamless and secured backup solutions for various applications, devices, and servers. With this solution, you can easily backup, schedule, store, and manage your data without worrying about loss or damage.

Case Study

Porsche Holding Salzburg is a car trade company with a holistic vision for digital transformation in the automotive industry with a reach across 22 countries throughout Europe, Colombia, Chile, Malaysia, and Japan. The company was looking for a SaaS data backup to protect their company from ransomware threats as they are upscaling globally. After researching, they found Keepit more user-friendly, which also offers a transparent backup and recovery process, which was a very appealing option for the company. Michael Bojko, a system engineer at Porsche Informatik (a subsidiary of Porsche Holding Salzburg), said, “We were searching for a SaaS solution, and we didn’t want to back up all the data on-premise. Keepit’s simple, easy-to-use cloud backup delivered what we were looking for.”

3. Zylo

Zylo is a SaaS management software for companies focusing on spending management and shadow IT to optimize costs, aid in renewal negotiations, and much more. This platform is used mainly for financial integration to provide insights on who uses the app, cost, and time spent in the app.

Case Study

Canada-based Versapay is a financial technology company that joined hands with Zylo to gain full visibility into SaaS applications and effectively manage its SaaS portfolio to save on driving costs. Versapay’s VP of IT and Internal Systems, Ryan Johnson, said, “We brought in Zylo, and it ended up we were spending 30% more than we thought we were because of a lot of unaccounted spend happening throughout the organization.” Post-implementation of Zylo’s SaaS management software, the company saved 4% of their total SaaS spending in the first 3 months and 16% in the first year of working. Versapay witnessed a reduction in the number of applications by 10% while experiencing rapid growth.

4. Zluri

Zluri is a SaaS management platform that helps its users discover, optimize, and secure SaaS applications and make them more accurate. This SMP also reduces SaaS waste by eliminating duplicate apps, finding unused and underused apps, and consolidating apps.

Case Study

Kongregate is an American web gaming portal and video game publisher that has more than 124,000 online games and 30+ mobile games available for its users. However, the company was struggling to get a holistic view of its SaaS applications without a centralized dashboard, and not only that, Kongregate struggled to track and optimize SaaS costs effectively. Zluri addressed these challenges easily by offering a centralized dashboard that gives an overview of all connected SaaS applications, saving administrators time and ensuring effective monitoring and management of the ecosystem. Zluri also has a standout feature to track and optimize SaaS costs, which offers insights into usage patterns and recommends eliminating unnecessary expenses.

5. BetterCloud

BetterCloud is a SaaS management platform that helps your IT team eliminate up to 78% of SaaS management work. This SMP has automated onboarding, offboarding, and mid-lifecycle changes and security policies in a multi-SaaS environment that streamlines even the most critical work and day-to-day operations.

Case Study

Sprout Social is a social media management and analytics software that makes strategic decisions with the help of social data for more than 34,000 brands across the globe. The company uses a large number of SaaS applications, which the IT team was asked to do manually and repetitively. Thus, the IT team researched and found BetterCloud as a good option as it can be easily integrated with and manage SaaS applications. After implementing BetterCloud, the company witnessed easily automated processes across different departments in the organization, reducing manual tasks. Eric Braun, an automation engineer at Sprout Social, says, “BetterCloud stood out as a solution that could eliminate a lot of repetitive tasks.”

4. Choose the Right SaaS Management Platform 

There are numerous SaaS management platforms available on the market. These platforms vary in features, use cases, and business size. This makes it difficult for IT professionals and leaders to evaluate the best options. Here are a few tips that can help you choose the best platform for your business:

4.1. Management Capability

A good SMP (SaaS Management Platform) will allow you to take the authority and maintain centralized visibility and management of the SaaS platform. This enables your IT team to have control over the business’s digital infrastructure and streamline technology uniformity in different sectors of the business.

4.2. Ease of Use 

You should choose an SMP that requires minimum setup time or no codes when customization solutions are needed. One such example is the U.S.A.-based SaaS management platform, Datoris, which provides customized solutions and easy-to-use software for its IT clients so that they do not need to sacrifice stacks or reshape their existing infrastructure.

4.3. Privacy Protection

An SMP shouldn’t compromise privacy, such as by giving access to the company’s email accounts to provide useful data. The implementation of information and privacy programs in these platforms can help your company’s reputation and ensure the data is safe and secure.  

Conclusion 

Smart businesses are moving towards SaaS management to restore the value of cloud applications and eliminate the persisting security and compliance issues. However, the question might arise: which SMP is right for your business? The answer depends on numerous factors, which include the size of your business and its needs.

The bottom line is that businesses need SaaS applications to grow and manage their needs, reduce security risks, and avoid wasting extra money on these applications.

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