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OpenText has rolled out a set of cybersecurity capabilities aimed at helping Australian enterprises operationalise AI while maintaining governance, privacy and compliance across their operations.
The company, which now services 2,000 Australian and New Zealand organisations across the public and enterprise sectors, is positioning the new tools as a response to a widening gap between AI adoption and the maturity of the security frameworks surrounding it.
A Maturity Gap In AI Security
An OpenText report titled Managing Risks and Optimizing the Value of AI, GenAI & Agentic AI found that 52 per cent of enterprises have either fully or partially deployed generative AI. However, 79 per cent have yet to reach what the report describes as full maturity, where AI is deeply embedded into cybersecurity operations and risks are continuously assessed.
In Australia, the financial consequences of that gap are visible. The average self-reported cost of cybercrime per incident for businesses rose by 50 per cent overall in 2024-25, with small businesses reporting average losses of $56,600 per incident, medium businesses $97,200 and large businesses $202,700.
Beyond the direct financial impact, organisations are also contending with a regulatory landscape that continues to evolve, including the Australian Privacy Principles, APRA CPS 234/231/230, the Security of Critical Infrastructure (SOCI) Act and relevant state and territory health record requirements.
Identity As The New Perimeter
George Harb, Vice President for Australia and New Zealand at OpenText, frames identity management as a central challenge for organisations looking to scale AI securely.
“Australian organisations want to move quickly with AI, but not at the expense of security. Identity is the new perimeter,” Harb explains.
He points to a distinction between how organisations manage human identities and how they handle non-human identities (NHIs), such as AI agents, which he argues are often overlooked by existing governance processes.
“Traditional identity programs were built around people. They incorporate structured onboarding, defined roles, periodic reviews and clear accountability to manage human users through the cycle of their access and responsibilities within the enterprise,” Harb outlines.
“But non-human identities such as AI agents are often overlooked by these governance processes. They persist quietly in the background, are often provisioned as part of administrative activities to keep systems running and are often granted long-term credentials with elevated permissions, providing rich targets for attackers.”
Governance For Non-Human Identities
Harb argues that the same principles applied to managing human access should be extended to non-human identities.
“As with human identities, there are best practices, such as least-privilege permission assignments and frequent credential rotation, that can help better secure the use of these NHIs,” he continues. “Applying appropriate governance processes to the creation, daily use and ongoing maintenance of these NHIs can help ensure secure automation and more effective control.”
New Capabilities
The latest release from OpenText includes three new products.
OpenText Core Identity Foundation is a SaaS-based Zero Trust identity and access management tool that delivers least-privilege control across cloud, on-premises and legacy systems. The platform is designed to allow organisations to unify identity and access across hybrid environments without requiring infrastructure overhauls, supporting what OpenText describes as its Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS) vision.
OpenText Core Data Discovery and Risk Insights provides encryption and data protection for sensitive and regulated data across its lifecycle.
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OpenText Application Security Aviator uses AI-powered auto-remediation during application testing, which the company says is aimed at reducing security debt and improving DevSecOps velocity.
Embedding AI Into Security Operations
OpenText describes the new capabilities as part of a broader effort to simplify security operations by embedding AI-driven intelligence into day-to-day security and IT workflows. The aim is to help security teams detect threats earlier and protect sensitive information across hybrid environments.
The tools are also designed to help organisations meet regulatory requirements specific to the Australian market, including data governance, privacy protection and operational resilience obligations.
Last Updated on May 19, 2026 by Nick Ross
