What AI capabilities are available in Cinode?
Cinode uses AI to support and accelerate common professional services workflows, such as:
Intelligent search and matching of consultants with client needs, based on semantic understanding
AI-assisted processing of requests and tenders
Automated content suggestions and customization to help improve proposals
Skills taxonomy curation and suggestions to keep your competency data up to date
Our implementation uses Azure OpenAI with the heavy model execution and security provided by Microsoft’s enterprise-grade platform. Your data stays within the agreed cloud boundaries.
Is Cinode’s AI making decisions on its own?
No — AI outputs are provided as decision support, not autonomous decisions. You always review and validate AI recommendations before acting. This ensures human expertise remains in control of all important outcomes.
What happens to the data I send to Azure OpenAI?
When Cinode calls Azure OpenAI:
Prompts (inputs) and model responses (outputs) are processed in the Azure OpenAI service and are not used by Microsoft or OpenAI to retrain foundation models. (Microsoft Learn)
Your data (inputs/outputs) is not available to other customers. (Microsoft Learn)
Some prompt/response data may be retained temporarily for abuse monitoring (per Microsoft’s service design), but this is isolated to your Azure resource and region, and not used for shared model training without your explicit permission. (Microsoft Learn)
For full details on how Microsoft handles data, see:
👉 Azure OpenAI Service FAQ (data & privacy) — learn.microsoft.com/azure/ai-foundry/openai/faq (Microsoft Learn)
👉 Data, privacy, and security for Azure Direct Models — learn.microsoft.com/azure/ai-foundry/responsible-ai/openai/data-privacy (Microsoft Learn)
Where is my AI data stored and processed (Data Residency)?
Where is my data located and processed?
Cinode’s AI functionality is built on Microsoft Azure OpenAI, and data location and processing follow the same principles as the rest of the Cinode platform.
Customer data is stored and processed within Cinode’s established cloud environment, in accordance with agreed data residency, security, and compliance requirements.
When AI functionality is used, relevant prompts and responses are processed via Azure OpenAI resources deployed in a specific Azure region. Data is processed within that region, in line with Microsoft’s regional and data-zone controls.
Cinode does not move customer data outside the configured Azure region for AI purposes, nor does AI processing bypass existing security or residency controls.
Microsoft provides detailed documentation on how Azure OpenAI handles regional processing, data isolation, and residency options. Customers with specific regional or regulatory requirements (for example, EU-only processing) can review these controls and discuss configuration options with Cinode.
For authoritative details, see Microsoft documentation:
Azure OpenAI Service – Data privacy and retention
https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/ai-foundry/responsible-ai/openai/data-privacyAzure OpenAI Service FAQ
https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/ai-foundry/openai/faq
Does Microsoft use customer AI data to improve or train models?
No — per Microsoft documentation, Azure OpenAI does not use customer prompts or completions to retrain the base models or share them with other customers or OpenAI without explicit permission. (Microsoft Learn)
This helps protect the privacy of your business data and ensure that outputs are based on your configuration and input.
Can I ground AI results in my own enterprise data?
Yes — Azure OpenAI supports a feature called “Azure OpenAI On Your Data”, which allows you to use your own enterprise data sources to inform AI responses in a controlled way. This is typically done by indexing your documents and connecting them to the model for more accurate, contextually grounded responses. (Microsoft Learn)
See Microsoft’s guide here:
👉 Azure OpenAI On Your Data — learn.microsoft.com/azure/ai-foundry/openai/concepts/use-your-data (Microsoft Learn)
Is my model usage secure (network, keys, access)?
Yes. Azure OpenAI inherits Azure’s enterprise-grade security model, including:
Encryption in transit and at rest
Role-based access control (RBAC) and managed identities
Optional virtual network (VNet) and private endpoint protections
You manage API keys or Azure AD tokens for access control in Cinode, and Azure enforces secure isolation of compute and storage for your AI resources. (Microsoft Learn)
How do I know my AI outputs are reliable and correct?
AI correctness in Cinode is linked to how data is structured and provided:
Better context and richer input lead to better results
Outputs are surfaced with confidence cues and designed for review
You validate outputs before use, especially for operational decisions
This ensures AI helps, but doesn’t replace your professional judgement.
Who can see my data — Cinode or Microsoft?
Cinode processes your data strictly under your tenancy and contractual terms
Microsoft processes AI requests to deliver the Azure OpenAI service and enforces isolation
Neither party uses your AI data to feed external training pipelines without your explicit configuration
For specifics about Microsoft’s responsibilities, see:
👉 Azure OpenAI Service FAQ (data & privacy) — learn.microsoft.com/azure/ai-foundry/openai/faq (Microsoft Learn)
Does using AI change my GDPR or compliance obligations?
No — AI features in Cinode are integrated into our existing data protection and compliance framework. You retain control over:
What data is processed
Where data is stored and processed
Your obligations under GDPR and other regional laws
Cinode and Azure both provide documentation and controls to help you meet regulatory requirements.
Where can I find official documentation?
Here are verified Microsoft sources you can share with customers:
Azure OpenAI Service FAQ (data, privacy, security) — https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/ai-foundry/openai/faq (Microsoft Learn)
Azure OpenAI data privacy guide — https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/ai-foundry/responsible-ai/openai/data-privacy (Microsoft Learn)
AI “On Your Data” concept — https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/ai-foundry/openai/concepts/use-your-data (Microsoft Learn)
Azure OpenAI deployment and REST API reference — https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/ai-foundry/openai/reference (Microsoft Learn)
Who do I contact for more help?
If you have questions about how AI works in Cinode, data residency, compliance, or anything not covered here, contact us via Intercom or reach out to your Cinode customer success representative.