Back To Basics: Why Good Cyber Hygiene Must Precede AI Adoption
Solutions Review, Thursday, December 18th, 2025
Illumio's Trevor Dearing offers commentary on why good cyber hygiene must precede AI adoption. This article originally appeared in Insight Jam, an enterprise IT community that enables human conversation on AI.
In the race to adopt AI, it's easy to overlook the most critical question: Is our infrastructure secure enough?
I have worked in security long enough to see this pattern repeated across every major technology shift, from early digital transformation to cloud, and now AI. Technology changes, but behavior stays the same. Business teams race ahead. Security teams hear, 'Do not slow us down.' The results are predictable: attackers identify vulnerabilities and pounce.
Security can't be an afterthought. To make AI a competitive advantage and avoid creating an unprotected attack surface, organizations must prioritize good cyber hygiene. Strong segmentation and proactive security measures ensure innovation doesn't come at the cost of exposure.