In today’s fast-moving digital landscape, organizations face a critical challenge: balancing the promise of artificial intelligence with the reality of growing data risks. To explore this issue, Cadeon partnered with Data & More for an in-depth webinar on Data Risk, AI, and Compliance in 2025. The session featured real-world insights into unstructured data, governance frameworks, and AI readiness, giving organizations practical steps to secure their data and prepare for the future.
Below you’ll find the full webinar recording, a link to download the slides, and a detailed recap of the key takeaways.
Download the Slides
Click here to download the webinar slide deck.
Data Risk: Why Data Governance Is Critical in 2025
One of the biggest takeaways from the webinar was the importance of data governance as a foundation for AI initiatives. Most organizations underestimate how much sensitive data exists within unstructured sources like email, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Google Drive. In fact, Cadeon and Data & More revealed that over 90% of sensitive information often resides in these hidden pockets. Without proper governance, this data is vulnerable to breaches, compliance failures, and misuse.
The Risks of Unstructured Data
Through multiple client assessments, the speakers shared how organizations unknowingly store outdated files, unsecured passwords, and personal identifiable information (PII) in everyday systems. These risks often go undetected until an audit, data breach, or AI project exposes them. By using data classification and governance tools, companies can identify these risks, apply the right sensitivity labels, and take proactive action—whether that means archiving, deleting, or restricting access.
AI Readiness: Preparing for Copilot and Beyond
AI adoption is accelerating, with tools like Microsoft Copilot at the forefront. However, as emphasized in the webinar, simply enabling Copilot without preparing data can be dangerous. Once sensitive or non-compliant data is introduced into AI models, it cannot be removed or “unlearned.” This makes AI readiness a critical step for 2025.
Cadeon and Data & More stressed that AI is only as effective as the quality and security of the data it relies on. By investing in governance and compliance first, organizations can ensure that AI tools deliver value without exposing them to risk.
Real-World Assessments and Shock Findings
The webinar also highlighted several real-world assessments, where companies discovered eye-opening risks within their environments. Examples included:
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Employee inboxes containing years of stored passwords.
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Sensitive financial records and contracts scattered across shared drives.
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Personal documents such as resumes, death certificates, or expense statements with credit card data.
These findings demonstrated that data risk is not industry-specific—it affects finance, energy, manufacturing, municipalities, and beyond. For some organizations, these discoveries even helped justify budgets by reframing data governance as both a security and AI initiative.
Compliance as a Competitive Advantage
Beyond security, compliance is another driver of strong data governance. With frameworks like GDPR, Canadian privacy laws, and cyber insurance requirements, organizations must prove they are managing sensitive data responsibly. Cadeon and Data & More noted that compliance is not just about avoiding fines—it also builds trust and creates a competitive advantage in industries where customers and regulators demand transparency.
How Cadeon and Data & More Help Organizations
Through their partnership, Cadeon and Data & More provide organizations with tools, strategies, and assessments that uncover hidden risks and create clear roadmaps for governance. Whether the goal is reducing risk, meeting compliance standards, or preparing for AI integration, the joint approach focuses on innovation through information—helping companies make smarter decisions with confidence in their data.
Data Risk and AI
The message from this webinar was clear: you cannot fully unlock the potential of AI without first securing and governing your data. By identifying risks, applying governance frameworks, and building AI-ready data strategies, organizations can protect themselves while also positioning for innovation.
📥 Don’t miss the chance to explore the insights in greater depth—download the slides above and watch the full recording to see how your organization can take the next step toward data confidence in 2025.