The Future of Data Security: Salesforce’s Bold Moves to Safeguard Tomorrow

Data is both the lifeblood and Achilles’ heel of modern enterprises. 

High-profile breaches, including the Ticketmaster data breach in 2024, the Microsoft attack in 2024, the 2023 AT&T breach, the SolarWinds supply chain attack in 2020, and the Salesforce incident in 2019, underscore the critical importance of robust data security.

These aren’t isolated events; the number of cases is increasing every year. The costs are staggering, ranging from financial losses to eroded trust and operational disruptions.  

The $10.5 Trillion Threat: Cybercrime’s Unstoppable Rise

In 2025, global cybercrime costs are projected to escalate to a staggering $10.5 trillion annually, underscoring the urgent need for stronger cybersecurity measures^[i].

In 2024, the average cost of a data breach reached a record-breaking $4.88 million^[ii]. In fact, cybercrime inflicted global losses of $9.5 trillion, marking a slightly slower growth rate compared to projections^[iii].

Misconfiguration remains a significant challenge in cloud computing due to the complexity of multi-cloud environments, making it difficult to identify and manually correct errors. 

Gartner’s research highlights that such missteps account for 80% of all data security breaches, and through 2025, human errors are expected to be responsible for up to 99% of cloud environment failures^[iv]. 

These missteps often involve errors in access controls, encryption, and monitoring systems, leaving organizations vulnerable. 

Key Contributors to Misconfiguration Risks

• Excessive Access Permissions: Weak access controls open doors to unauthorized users and sensitive data exposure.
• Insufficient Encryption Practices: Poor data encryption increases susceptibility to breaches.
• Limited Logging and Monitoring: The absence of robust logging and monitoring impairs the timely detection of threats.
• Delayed Software Updates: Neglecting critical updates leaves businesses exposed to easily preventable vulnerabilities.

The stakes couldn’t be higher for organizations relying on platforms like Salesforce.

Adding fuel to the fire, the IDC predicts that the volume of data generated in the next three years will eclipse that of the last three decades, yet 97% remains underutilized^[v]. 

This deluge of data, combined with rising cyber threats, calls for a paradigm shift in how businesses protect and leverage their information.

Salesforce has consistently positioned itself as a trailblazer in data security, championing safeguards against unauthorized access by external entities and inappropriate usage within organizations. 

With its latest acquisitions of Own and Zoomin, Salesforce is amplifying this commitment, pushing the boundaries of innovation to establish new paradigms in data protection and empower businesses to securely leverage their digital ecosystems.

Let’s dive into what’s next.

Acquiring Own: A Bold Move Toward Comprehensive Data Protection

On September 5, 2024, Salesforce made headlines with the announcement of its acquisition of Own (formerly OwnBackup), a leader in enterprise data protection and disaster recovery solutions. This $1.9 billion acquisition, slated to close in Q4 of fiscal year 2025, marks a monumental shift in how Salesforce plans to secure the most valuable asset of its customers: their data.

But why Own? Simply put, data protection has become non-negotiable, and Salesforce is betting big on comprehensive resilience. Through this acquisition, Salesforce is not just enhancing its existing Salesforce Backup and Salesforce Shield offerings. It’s bringing in advanced disaster recovery solutions that ensure data continuity across multiple platforms—Salesforce, AWS, and Microsoft apps. Own’s tools will offer end-to-end data security, enabling businesses to stay resilient even when things go wrong.

Salesforce is positioning itself as the go-to platform for businesses that need both flexibility and security in their data strategies. In practical terms, it means that as a Salesforce user, you can have access to:

• Real-time Data Protection: Always secure and recoverable, regardless of where your data lives.
• AI-Driven Analytics: Own’s tools help analyze historical data and uncover trends, facilitating smarter decision-making that can drive business outcomes.
• Data Archiving Flexibility: Own’s archiving solutions offer seamless data management, ensuring optimal system performance even as your data grows.

Acquiring Zoomin: Revolutionizing AI and Unstructured Data Management

Looking back to September 24, 2024, when Salesforce announced its acquisition of Zoomin, a powerful enterprise knowledge platform designed to centralize and manage unstructured data. For Salesforce, this $450 million deal is much more than just adding another tool to its toolkit. It’s a strategic play to unlock the full potential of AI and better serve customer needs across multiple platforms.

Zoomin specializes in transforming unstructured data—think product manuals, support documents, FAQs—into structured, usable data for AI applications. 

For Salesforce, this means empowering tools like Agentforce and Einstein with the ability to deliver smarter, context-aware interactions across Service Cloud, Data Cloud, and beyond. The integration is expected to take customer service automation to the next level, offering quicker, more personalized resolutions while reducing reliance on human agents.

Here’s what you can expect:

• Faster Service Resolution: Automated, AI-driven service interactions that reduce operational costs and improve customer satisfaction.
• Smarter Customer Insights: The ability to process unstructured data will give Salesforce users deeper insights into customer behavior, enhancing personalized marketing and sales strategies.
• Enhanced Knowledge Management: Zoomin’s centralized knowledge base will allow faster access to critical information, driving better decision-making across your business operations.

The Road Ahead – The Convergence of AI, Data Security, and CX

So, what happens next? 

Well, with the acquisitions of Own and Zoomin, Salesforce is laying the groundwork for a more intelligent, secure, and agile ecosystem. 

But the future isn’t just about securing your data—it’s about unlocking new potential for your business. 

Let’s break down what Salesforce’s future could look like in the next few years:

1. End-to-End Data Protection and Resilience

As businesses continue to scale and rely more on cloud technologies, Salesforce’s integration of Own will ensure that data protection is no longer an afterthought. With real-time backup solutions, businesses can recover from failures quickly, minimizing downtime and ensuring business continuity. This could potentially lead to an era of data omnipresence, where access to critical data is instantaneous, no matter the circumstances.

2. AI-Powered Customer Service

With Zoomin’s integration into Salesforce’s AI ecosystem, particularly Agentforce, businesses can expect an explosion of AI-driven customer service. AI tools will be more than just chatbots—they’ll become intelligent service agents that anticipate customer needs, solve problems in real-time, and provide seamless experiences across channels. For professionals working with Salesforce, this means less time on mundane tasks and more focus on complex issues that require human expertise.

3. Unleashing the Power of Data

The future of data analytics with Salesforce is all about intelligence at scale. Own’s data protection capabilities and Zoomin’s unstructured data management will allow businesses to unlock deeper insights, enabling more accurate forecasts, personalized customer experiences, and data-backed decision-making. Salesforce could become the ultimate platform for not just managing data but unlocking its true potential to drive innovation, sales, and customer satisfaction.

4. A New Era of AI Integration

Salesforce’s aggressive acquisitions signal a future where AI is seamlessly integrated into every layer of the CRM ecosystem. By combining AI-driven data insights, customer service automation, and intelligent backup solutions, Salesforce is positioning itself as the definitive platform for businesses seeking AI-powered resilience and growth. This will likely make Salesforce the central hub for organizations that want to optimize their digital transformation strategies.

Strengthen Your Data, Amplify Your AI, Elevate Customer Experiences. Talk to Our Experts to Know How.

Statistical References

^[i] Cybersecurity Ventures

^[ii] IBM

^[iii] Cybersecurity Ventures

^{[iv] [v]} UpGuard