Appian Resources, Energy and Utility Account Director Justin Grose explores why data security is important in Australian mines.
Cyber-attacks of a sophisticated nature are increasing exponentially in number around the world. Mining, for example, is more exposed to cyber-attacks than other industries.
Mining operations are particularly vulnerable due to their critical nature. Cyber-security incidents can pose significant threats to productivity, safety, privacy, and future planning.
A high-profile data-security incident involving a rare earth miner in Western Australia compromised commercially sensitive material, including future potential projects.
Staff details were also compromised, resulting in the possible exposure of employee passports and details of medicals and travel requests. Training and certification details and even police clearance documentation could have been exposed.
Mining organisations that operate in remote and diverse locations are at greater risk because some sites have lower security maturity than corporate networks.
It is important to protect commercially sensitive and private data as the mining industry moves towards automation and digitalisation of key processes in order to improve productivity and site efficiency.
Connecting data securely with data fabric
A data breach in the mining industry can be devastating because of the sensitive nature of information such as geological maps and operational plans.
Data security is essential to protect personnel and operations from financial loss, competitive disadvantages and safety risks.
Data fabric is an innovative approach to managing and integrating disparate data across disparate system without moving it away from its original location.
This method ensures strict access controls and data safety by creating a virtualised data layer over existing data resources, allowing seamless integration and access while minimising the risks of data breaches in transit.
By keeping data at its original location, mining firms can maintain their existing security protocols and access control while still enabling integration and use across the organisation.
This reduces the risks of unauthorised access to sensitive information and ensures only authorised personnel have access.
Leveraging private AI to control data
Organisations must be careful not to expose their data as the mining industry looks to improve site productivity by modernising operations. This includes automating and improving activities with artificial intelligence (AI).
Private AI is a major consideration for all Australian mining companies. It refers to artificial-intelligence systems that are deployed in an organisation’s infrastructure rather than relying upon external, cloud solutions.
This ensures that sensitive information, such as organisational financial data, merger and acquisition targets and site surveys, remains on premises, enhancing security, and compliance with local laws.
Cybersecurity threats are very real to AI systems used by miner. Cyberattacks on AI models for predictive maintenance, exploration analyses, and operational optimization can also lead manipulated data. This can result in flawed predictions, and potentially dangerous decisions.
Private AI mitigates the risks by allowing businesses to leverage AI, while still maintaining control over their own data.
Private AI systems operate within the secure environment of a mining company, ensuring sensitive data is not left outside. This reduces the risk of data leakage and ensures compliance to data privacy regulations.
Miners can customize AI applications to meet specific requirements for security, ensuring AI models and algorithms are used in a controlled and secure manner.
Building security into IT Infrastructure
A robust IT infrastructure is essential to a secure data environment. Data protection can be significantly improved by integrating security measures into the IT framework of a mining organisation.
Adopting zero-trust ensures that all users – whether inside or outside of the network – are authenticated and continually validated before they gain access to applications and information.
This is especially important in the mining industry, where companies often have a mix of permanent and contract staff who need to access their system.
Secure cloud solutions protect data with advanced encryption and access controls. They provide a resilient, secure environment for data processing and storage.
Protect your operations with the right provider
Mining companies that want to improve their operational efficiency and data security must choose the right provider.
Appian specializes in unifying data, optimising critical business process with industry-leading security solution.
Appian’s robust frameworks for security and cutting-edge technologies such as data fabric and private AI can help mining companies protect sensitive information, optimise their operations, and ensure compliance to industry regulations.
Click here to learn more about Appian’s offerings for the mining industry.
Subscribe Australian Mining to receive the latest news about product announcements, industry development, commodities, and more.