Why human capital data is pulling AI back inside the firewall

For the better part of two decades, the direction of travel in enterprise technology has been clear: everything moves to the cloud . The rationale was simple; the cloud was cheaper, scalable and easier to manage. But, as artificial intelligence (AI) enters the enterprise mainstream, that long-standing assumption is starting to bend. In certain areas, particularly where sensitive data is involved, companies are reconsidering how and where AI operates. Increasingly, they are exploring AI inside the firewall, running AI capabilities within their own on-premises controlled environments rather than relying entirely on cloud-based platforms. We are seeing this shift clearly through the lens of human capital management (HCM) data . Across our platforms, more than two million employees interact with workforce systems every day through time clocks, biometric verification and workforce management tools. That vantage point offers a clear view into how organisations think about employee data, and