The AWARE Framework

A security leader’s guide for governing generative and agentic AI

AI has moved from helpful assistants to autonomous agents that can retrieve, decide, and act across your environment—often faster than humans can detect or respond. Attack timelines are compressing, identities and agents are the new perimeter, and most organizations still lack the governance frameworks to control how AI systems access and use their data.
 

Developed by the Glean Work AI Institute, in collaboration with leaders at Palo Alto Networks, Databricks, and Glean, AWARE gives CISOs, CIOs, and security leaders a practical framework for thinking about the governance of AI agents.

Download the AWARE framework to learn:
  • How AI is reshaping your attack surface. Understand how AI-enabled threats are compressing time-to-exfiltration and why traditional IAM, DLP, and log-based reviews can’t keep up.
  • Where your current controls may be failing. Learn why most organizations lack automated controls for AI data flows—and how that creates shadow AI, unchecked agents, and continuous leakage.
  • How to apply the AWARE Framework. Use AWARE (Actor intent, Work context, Autonomous guardrails, Real-time risk, Ecosystem observability) to govern agent behavior, not just access.
  • How to operationalize governance across teams. Follow a phased roadmap for Security, IT, Data, Platform, Legal, and the CISO office, plus a model “governance plane” for centralized AI command and control.
  • What great looks like right now for AI security leaders. Use five high-impact CISO moves to brief your board and turn governance into a multiplier—not a brake—on agent adoption.

The AWARE Framework

A security leader’s guide for governing generative and agentic AI

AI has moved from helpful assistants to autonomous agents that can retrieve, decide, and act across your environment—often faster than humans can detect or respond. Attack timelines are compressing, identities and agents are the new perimeter, and most organizations still lack the governance frameworks to control how AI systems access and use their data.

Developed by the Glean Work AI Institute, in collaboration with leaders at Palo Alto Networks, Databricks, and Glean, AWARE gives CISOs, CIOs, and security leaders a practical framework for thinking about the governance of AI agents.

Download the AWARE framework to learn:
  • How AI is reshaping your attack surface. Understand how AI-enabled threats are compressing time-to-exfiltration and why traditional IAM, DLP, and log-based reviews can’t keep up.
  • Where your current controls may be failing. Learn why most organizations lack automated controls for AI data flows—and how that creates shadow AI, unchecked agents, and continuous leakage.
  • How to apply the AWARE Framework. Use AWARE (Actor intent, Work context, Autonomous guardrails, Real-time risk, Ecosystem observability) to govern agent behavior, not just access.
  • How to operationalize governance across teams. Follow a phased roadmap for Security, IT, Data, Platform, Legal, and the CISO office, plus a model “governance plane” for centralized AI command and control.
  • What great looks like right now for AI security leaders. Use five high-impact CISO moves to brief your board and turn governance into a multiplier—not a brake—on agent adoption.

The AI Transformation 100

100 ideas from leaders redefining how we work with AI

AI has moved fast—but transformation hasn’t. Too many organizations are still stuck between hype and results.

This report, brought to you by the Work AI Institute, distills insights from 100+ leaders into practical, evidence-backed plays for using AI to transform work.

You’ll learn:

  • Five big lessons for leading through AI change.
    Learn why AI doesn’t fix broken systems—it amplifies them.
  • Nine themes reshaping work.
    From Division of Labor to Leadership, see how AI is rewiring the core of how organizations function.
  • Real-world examples.
    Lessons from Time, Workday, Deloitte, Zendesk, Oracle, Uber, Instacart, and more.
  • The AI BS Quiz.
    A quick gut-check to see if your organization is making real progress—or just performing innovation theater.
Join the leaders transforming how humans and AI work together to drive real results.

The AI Transformation 100

100 ideas from leaders redefining how we work with AI

AI has moved fast—but transformation hasn’t. Too many organizations are still stuck between hype and results.

This report, brought to you by the Work AI Institute, distills insights from 100+ leaders into practical, evidence-backed plays for using AI to transform work.

You’ll learn:

  • Five big lessons for leading through AI change.
    Learn why AI doesn’t fix broken systems—it amplifies them.
  • Nine themes reshaping work.
    From Division of Labor to Leadership, see how AI is rewiring the core of how organizations function.
  • Real-world examples.
    Lessons from Time, Workday, Deloitte, Zendesk, Oracle, Uber, Instacart, and more.
  • The AI BS Quiz.
    A quick gut-check to see if your organization is making real progress—or just performing innovation theater.