Domain 4: AI Operations and Deployment

Assessment of secure deployment practices, monitoring, access controls, and operational security for AI systems

Domain Overview

AI Operations and Deployment focuses on the secure deployment, monitoring, and operational management of AI systems in production environments. This domain addresses secure deployment practices, continuous monitoring, access controls, logging, model drift detection, and infrastructure security.

Effective operational security for AI systems is critical as these systems often process sensitive data, make important decisions, and face unique operational challenges like model drift and performance degradation. Organizations must implement specialized operational controls to ensure AI systems remain secure, reliable, and compliant throughout their operational lifecycle.

Assessment Areas

4.1 Secure AI Deployment Practices

Evaluation of secure deployment procedures for AI systems, including configuration management, environment separation, and deployment verification.

Key Control: CIS Control 4, NIST CSF 2.0 (PROTECT function)

Organizations should develop and implement secure deployment procedures for AI systems, including configuration management, environment separation, and deployment verification.

4.2 AI System Monitoring

Assessment of continuous monitoring solutions for AI systems that detect security anomalies, unexpected behaviors, and performance issues.

Key Control: CIS Control 13, NIST AI RMF (MEASURE function)

Organizations should implement continuous monitoring solutions for AI systems that detect security anomalies, unexpected behaviors, and performance issues.

4.3 AI Access Controls

Evaluation of access controls for AI systems, including multi-factor authentication, role-based access, and privilege management.

Key Control: CIS Control 6, ISO 42001 Section 8.3

Organizations should establish strong access controls for AI systems, including multi-factor authentication, role-based access, and privilege management.

4.4 AI System Logging

Assessment of logging practices for AI systems, including system operations, access attempts, and administrative actions.

Key Control: CIS Control 8, NIST CSF 2.0 (DETECT function)

Organizations should implement comprehensive logging for AI systems, including system operations, access attempts, and administrative actions.

4.5 Model Drift Detection

Evaluation of processes to detect and address model drift, including performance monitoring, statistical analysis, and remediation procedures.

Key Control: ISO 42001 Section 9.1, NIST AI RMF (MEASURE function)

Organizations should establish processes to detect and address model drift, including performance monitoring, statistical analysis, and remediation procedures.

4.6 AI Infrastructure Security

Assessment of secure configuration standards for AI infrastructure, including servers, networks, and cloud environments.

Key Control: CIS Control 4, NIST CSF 2.0 (PROTECT function)

Organizations should develop and implement secure configuration standards for AI infrastructure, including servers, networks, and cloud environments.

Compliance Considerations

Operational Security Challenges

AI systems face unique operational security challenges that organizations must address:

  • Model drift and performance degradation over time
  • Real-time monitoring of AI system behavior
  • Balancing access controls with operational efficiency
  • Managing complex AI infrastructure environments
  • Ensuring consistent security across AI deployment pipelines

Industry Standards

Several industry standards provide guidance on AI operational security:

  • CIS Controls (especially Controls 4, 6, 8, and 13)
  • NIST SP 800-53 (Security and Privacy Controls)
  • ISO/IEC 42001 (AI Management System)
  • NIST AI Risk Management Framework
  • Cloud Security Alliance AI/ML Security Guidelines

Quick Assessment

Answer these key questions to quickly evaluate your AI operations security maturity:

Quick Assessment Result

Your organization appears to be at a basic level of AI operations security maturity.

Next steps: Implement secure deployment practices and basic monitoring for AI systems.

Take Full Assessment

Resources

Downloads

  • Operations Domain Checklist
  • Full Assessment Package
  • Question Matrix

Related Domains