Kevin Youngquist, Vice President of Sales – Public Sector at Cohesity

Original Broadcast January 19, 2025

Presented by Cohesity

From Resilience to Intelligence: Unlocking AI with Backup Data

Kevin Youngquist, Vice President of Sales – Public Sector at Cohesity, discusses how federal agencies can transform their approach to data by using existing backup systems as a springboard for artificial intelligence strategies. Youngquist explains that data backups, traditionally seen as tools for cyber resiliency and disaster recovery, also offer a consolidated and clean foundation for AI and analytics efforts. By embedding AI capabilities directly into backup streams, agencies can extract greater value from their existing infrastructure, making it an efficiency-driven approach to modernization. He shares that many agencies already have vast amounts of data stored in backups, making them well-positioned to harness this resource for advanced analytics and decision-making. Youngquist emphasized the three pillars of cyber resiliency: protecting data in an immutable format to prevent tampering, enabling rapid recovery during incidents, and proactively scanning for threats to mitigate risks. 

Key Takeaways

1. Agencies can leverage their existing backup systems not only for cyber resiliency but also as clean, deduplicated datasets foundational to AI and analytics.
   
   
2. Protecting data immutably, ensuring rapid recovery, and proactively scanning for threats are essential steps to safeguard and optimize agency operations.
   
   
3. Integrating tools and capabilities into a single, unified platform eliminates inefficiencies and enhances both security and operational outcomes.