As South African businesses move from AI experimentation to wider adoption, ITWeb and BUI are asking senior IT, security and data leaders how they are managing the security, governance and accountability challenges that come with it.
Many organisations are already using AI, but not all have formal strategies or clear oversight in place. As adoption spreads across departments, businesses face growing questions about oversight, data access, cost and accountability.
To establish a clearer picture of local AI adoption and readiness, ITWeb, in partnership with BUI, has launched the AI Security and Governance Survey, inviting senior IT, security and data leaders to share their experiences, concerns and priorities.
“In our conversations with customers, few can say who is using what, which data it can reach or what it costs. We have not seen a clear picture of where South African organisations stand. We are running the AI Security and Governance Survey to build one, so the conversation can start from evidence,” says Paul Wallett, head of service development at BUI.
The survey explores how organisations are governing, securing and scaling AI, including the controls they have in place, the challenges they face and the areas where they need support.
It examines how far businesses have progressed from pilot projects to production deployments, and what is holding them back. Respondents are also asked about the location of their AI tools and workloads, their confidence in identifying the AI tools being used across their organisations, and the security risks that concern them most.
Making AI costs visible
Beyond security and governance, understanding the true cost of AI is becoming an important challenge for organisations looking to scale their investments.
AI spend can be spread across licences, agent credits, Azure consumption, developer tools and ad hoc credit card purchases, making it difficult to establish a complete picture of expenditure. As pricing shifts from fixed per-user licences to consumption-based models, costs can become harder to predict and attribute to individual teams or projects.
This creates a challenge for business leaders who want to understand whether AI is delivering measurable value. Without a clear view of what they are spending and what they are getting in return, organisations may struggle to justify further investment or make informed decisions about where to expand their AI initiatives.
The survey explores whether businesses can track AI expenditure, understand who is using their resources and demonstrate the value generated by their investments.
For organisations looking to expand their use of AI, these questions are becoming increasingly important. A successful pilot does not necessarily mean a business is ready to deploy AI at scale. Wider adoption requires clear decisions about access rights, data protection, costs and accountability, alongside appropriate governance and security measures.
“We want to understand where organisations are between pilot and production, and what is holding them back, whether that is data, access controls, cost or skills,” says Wallett.
“We also want to know who is accountable for AI, which controls are in place, and whether organisations can see what AI costs and show that it is worth it,” he adds.
Turning insights into action
The findings will help build a more evidence-based understanding of AI security and governance maturity in SA, highlighting where organisations are making progress and where gaps remain.
BUI, a Microsoft Solutions Partner with the AI Platform on Microsoft Azure Specialisation, will also use the results to inform a follow-up webinar on building a secure foundation for AI on Microsoft Azure, and to shape the guidance, content and events it puts in front of the market.
“The survey findings will help us understand where customers are with AI today, so we can focus our help where it is most needed,” says Wallett. “It will also help us make the webinar reflect what challenges attendees are facing and be as valuable to them as possible.”
ITWeb and BUI invite senior IT, security and data leaders to participate in the survey and contribute to a clearer understanding of the opportunities, risks and governance priorities shaping AI adoption in SA.
Click here to complete the survey for a chance to win a R3 000 Takealot voucher.
Share
