Omnissa delivers a peek into the benefits of breaking through enterprise data silos
Omnissa's new Elara tool promises to break enterprise data silos — but the politics might be harder than the tech.
Why it matters
Elara, Omnissa's new AI governance product in beta, aims to connect disparate enterprise data sources (ServiceNow, endpoint tools, security systems) to give IT and security leaders cross-silo visibility for policy decisions. The mechanism is real, but adoption hinges on breaking down organizational data access barriers that CIOs and business unit leaders actively guard — a governance and negotiation problem, not primarily a technology one.
The key facts
16 to knowOmnissa (formerly VMware unit) launched Elara in beta this week
Elara connects data across silos to provide broader context for IT and security decisions
Example: Elara could surface an active inventory-count change freeze from ServiceNow before approving a security patch to retail tablets
Analyst Frank Dickson (Dickson Research) notes the product sits 'above' existing tools but only sees data that flows into those systems — it doesn't break silos, it 'enjoys tiny cracks of visibility'
Key limitation: context is only as good as the systems Elara can access; if a freeze lives in a regional manager's inbox, Elara never sees it
Elara can block or limit actions, making it a single control point across silos — also a single point of failure and a security/organizational scrutiny risk
Requires permissions negotiation with CISO, network operations, Legal, CFO's office, and regional business units
Product is in beta; no customer deployment results cited, only hypothetical scenario
Omnissa Elara launched in beta—not GA, not a customer result
Product designed to connect cross-silo data (LOB, geography, operational units) for IT/security policy and control decisions
Use case: consults ServiceNow change-freeze data + device inventory to advise on OS security patch timing
Analyst Dickson: 'Elara only knows about the freeze because someone recorded it in ServiceNow'—context is only as good as connected systems
Critical limitation: if freeze lives in 'regional manager's inbox, Elara never sees it'
Permissions required for each data connector; every permission is a negotiation with data silo owner
Elara can block/limit actions—positions it as single point of failure and a CISO security review requirement
Product team acknowledges reliance on IT staff bringing context into connected systems; no visibility into disconnected knowledge
Go to the source
Computerworldcomputerworld.com
Publisher excerpt: When Omnissa this week rolled out a new AI governance authority product, Elara, in beta, it delivered a glimpse into the potential of having visibility between the typical enterprise’s data silos, whether they’re in lines of business, disparate geographies, or corporate operational units. “By…