Mitigating AI Risk in the Food and Beverage Industry

With AI adoption accelerating across the enterprise, one of our Forcepoint customers, a global food and beverage manufacturer, faced a critical question: how could it innovate with AI without putting its brand, intellectual property and regulated data at risk?  

Operating in more than 40 countries, the company balances innovation, regulatory compliance and brand trust across a highly distributed environment. As its digital footprint expanded, so did the challenge of understanding where sensitive data lived and how it was being used.

To reduce data risk and prepare for secure AI adoption, the organization turned to Forcepoint Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) and Forcepoint Data Loss Prevention (DLP) to gain visibility, classification and control across its data estate.

Read the full customer story

The Challenge: Managing Data Risk in a Distributed Environment

Like many global enterprises, this manufacturer manages sensitive information across cloud and on-premises systems. Employees working in the finance, legal, human resources and sales divisions regularly access proprietary formulas, employee records, financial data and customer information. Over time, data volumes increased and repositories multiplied.

The security team faced several challenges:

• Limited visibility into where sensitive data was stored
• Inconsistent classification across departments
• Difficulty assessing access and exposure risk at scale

As regulatory expectations tightened, these gaps became more difficult to manage.  At the same time, the rapid adoption of AI introduced a new layer of risk. Without clear data governance, sensitive information could be unintentionally exposed to AI models or external tools.

The organization needed a solution that could deliver consistent discovery, automated classification and policy enforcement while supporting future AI initiatives.

Selecting a Unified Data Security Approach

After evaluating several options, the company selected Forcepoint DSPM and Forcepoint DLP for their integrated capabilities. Rather than deploying isolated tools, the organization wanted a unified approach that aligned data visibility with protection and governance.

Forcepoint DSPM provided automated discovery and classification of sensitive data across environments, reducing reliance on manual processes. Forcepoint DLP applied those insights and added enforcement to prevent sensitive information from leaving the organization, helping protect intellectual property and regulated data.

Together, the solutions enabled the security team to shift from reactive controls to proactive risk management. They could see where sensitive data resided, understand how it was accessed and apply consistent policies across business units.

Building Momentum Through Phased Deployment

The organization adopted a phased rollout strategy, starting with data discovery and classification. This initial phase delivered immediate insight into high-risk data stores and access patterns, giving the security team a clear baseline.

Early success helped build confidence across the business. What began as a deployment for 500 users expanded to more than 1,300 users. By scaling gradually, the company minimized disruption while aligning data security efforts with operational needs.

This approach also strengthened collaboration between IT security and department leaders. Instead of treating data protection as a purely technical function, the organization engaged stakeholders across the business to support classification and governance efforts.

Creating Shared Accountability for Data Protection

A key outcome of the deployment was cultural change. By increasing transparency around data risk, the organization encouraged teams to take ownership of the information they managed. Department leaders reinforced data handling best practices, while employees gained greater awareness of how their actions affected security and compliance.

This shared responsibility improved consistency and reduced friction between IT and the business. Data security became part of everyday workflows rather than an after-the-fact control. The organization was better positioned to meet regulatory requirements across regions while maintaining operational efficiency.

Strengthening Protection While Reducing Noise

Another advantage of the Forcepoint approach was accuracy. Forcepoint DLP helped the organization reduce false positives while maintaining strong protection. Policies could be tuned to reflect real-world usage patterns, allowing the security team to focus on meaningful risk  instead of managing excessive alerts and false positives.

At the same time, Forcepoint DSPM delivered continuous insight into data posture. Automated classification and risk assessment allowed the organization to identify exposed or over-permissive data and take action before issues escalated.

This combination of visibility and enforcement gave the security team confidence that sensitive information was being handled appropriately across the enterprise.

Preparing Data for Secure AI Adoption

As the company evaluated AI tools, data governance became a prerequisite. By understanding where sensitive data existed and how it flowed, the organization could confidently enable AI use cases while reducing the risk of exposing proprietary or regulated information.

DSPM played a central role by providing real-time visibility and automated controls that supported responsible AI use. The organization could move forward with innovation while maintaining trust, compliance and data integrity.

A Stronger Foundation for Modern Data Security

By deploying Forcepoint DSPM and Forcepoint DLP, this global food and beverage manufacturer unified its approach to data security. The result was improved visibility, stronger governance and a scalable foundation for AI-driven initiatives.

Rather than slowing the business, data security became an enabler, supporting compliance, collaboration and innovation across a complex global environment.  

Combining proactive and reactive security is essential for global organizations looking to reduce data risk and prevent data loss without slowing innovation. For a comprehensive and unified approach to streamlining data security, check out the Forcepoint Data Security Cloud platform.