Druva VP Makes Data Security Simple With AI Agents

For years, David Gildea heard the same frustrated question from his consulting clients: "Can I just get this data in Excel?" That simple plea revealed a painful truth about modern business—most people couldn't access, understand, or protect their own information.

Today, as VP of Product for Generative AI at Druva, Gildea is fixing that problem. His team is building AI agents that let anyone interact with complex security systems using plain language, no technical expertise required.

The breakthrough came from recognizing that AI can spot patterns across massive datasets that humans simply cannot see. Compliance teams can now ask Druva's system for an ISO review in everyday English, and the AI generates detailed reports showing exactly what needs fixing, how long it will take, and what it will cost.

Gildea's path to this moment started with cryptography and data security fresh out of college. His first publication focused on storing medical records securely on credit cards so doctors worldwide could access patient data when needed. But he didn't see AI's full potential until years later, when he founded CloudRanger, a cloud protection startup that Druva eventually acquired.

The company now manages thousands of daily backups across different systems, using AI to flag suspicious activity before it becomes a crisis. Their Managed Detection and Response service proactively catches anomalies in backup data, often identifying threats before they escalate.

The results speak for themselves. Druva's AI tools now resolve 68% of customer issues directly, without human intervention. Users can prompt the system using frameworks like NIST or MITRE and quickly generate board-ready reports that once took teams weeks to compile.

The Ripple Effect

Gildea's work matters beyond one company's product roadmap. As AI-powered cyber threats grow more sophisticated—including malware that rewrites its own code to evade detection—democratizing security tools becomes critical for protecting businesses of all sizes.

His philosophy centers on transparency as the foundation of responsible AI. "Sunlight is the best cleanser," he says, arguing that companies must openly disclose how they build and deploy AI systems to create accountability.

The challenge now is speed. Customers who use ChatGPT daily expect the same lightning-fast responses from enterprise software, and Gildea's team works constantly to meet those expectations without compromising security. Sometimes that means delaying features until safety specifications mature, turning caution into a competitive advantage.

What started with a simple question about Excel spreadsheets has evolved into a mission to make powerful security tools accessible to everyone. In Gildea's vision, protecting critical data is becoming as easy as asking a question.