Managing Shadow AI Sprawl
AI is entering the enterprise through a mix of sanctioned and unsanctioned tools, often without IT involvement. That’s where the joint value of WitnessAI and TENEX.AI comes in.“There are two aspects of gaining control of AI sprawl: controlling shadow AI tool access and managing prompt data,” said Rick Caccia, CEO and Co-founder of WitnessAI. “WitnessAI provides software for detecting AI tools being used by enterprise employees, as well as capturing the prompts and responses into and out of those tools, plus classification for risk and intention.”
“Enterprise AI will fit into this category as some companies bring in external expertise to help define and monitor acceptable AI usage. TENEX.AI provides that outsourced services expertise. We believe that the flexibility to enable safe AI adoption either directly or via a services partner provides enterprises with better options.”
Solving Compliance Problems
From data leakage risks to evolving legal obligations, the compliance burden around AI usage is only growing. “It’s absolutely all of the above,” Caccia said, when asked about the core problem being solved, visibility, guardrails, or ongoing alignment with regulation. “The most common initial problem is a lack of visibility into AI tools being used within an organization; at WitnessAI we are tracking literally thousands of third-party AI apps.”Once visibility is established, WitnessAI enables organizations to apply guardrails across a wide range of models, while TENEX.AI operationalizes that control layer. But the work doesn’t stop there.“There is talk now of requiring companies to retain five years’ worth of prompts for legal purposes. Technically that might not be too difficult, but developing the legal hold processes around it may require expert support that a software company doesn’t offer, but a services partner such as TENEX does.”
Safe AI Enablement Starts with “Yes”
Both companies are already working with global enterprises, and the early takeaway is clear: successful AI adoption isn’t about restriction, it is about responsible enablement.“This is all about the CISO moving from ‘Dr. No’ to ‘Dr. Yes’ and so the focus is enablement not blocking,” said Caccia. “The last time I saw something like this was in the dotcom days as enterprises adopted web use.”
“You might speak with a CISO who says that their company is using only a handful of AI apps, but when you turn on visibility, the number of apps is 10x what they expected. Employees are using these apps with the best intentions but often putting customer data and intellectual property at risk.”
Managed Services as a Long-Term Governance Layer
This isn't just about helping companies get started with AI, it is about building the long-term operational muscle to manage it.“Historically, some companies outsourced their entire security operations to MSSPs. When MDR providers emerged, some companies continued to outsource fully, while others… used MDRs to augment operations,” said Caccia. “We believe that will continue with AI adoption.”
“Enterprise AI is an emerging field and organizations want to add expertise however they can. Together, WitnessAI and TENEX provide both the tools and the focused expertise to ensure safe AI enablement.”
