January 8, 2024 at 08:36AM
Security professionals are prioritizing use cases such as incident response, alert triage, vulnerability management, spear phishing, and threat intelligence for technology investments. Automation adoption is driven by the need for efficiency, with top use cases varying by industry. A standardized, data-driven and extensible platform is key for successful security automation implementation across all use cases.
The meeting notes outline several key points related to the evolving approach of security professionals in the cybersecurity industry when making decisions about investing in security tools. The focus has shifted from the latest products or technologies to use cases such as incident response, alert triage, vulnerability management, spear phishing, threat intelligence management, and threat hunting.
One area gaining traction is automation, and organizations are taking a use case-based approach to investing in automation initiatives. The top use cases for automation can vary by industry. For example, in defense, incident response and threat intelligence management are top priorities, while in critical infrastructure, vulnerability management/prioritization is paramount. In financial services, alert triage is the most common application for cybersecurity automation.
The requirements for an automation platform are consistent across use cases, and success is driven by the ability to make sense of data in different formats and languages, as well as the ability to operationalize that data across the security ecosystem for action. The first phase of security automation implementation involves aggregating and translating disparate data into a uniform format for analysis, while the next phase involves getting the right data to the right tools and teams at the right time automatically for action.
Overall, security teams are increasingly looking to adopt security automation to improve efficiency, and a strategic approach that includes selecting use cases presenting the greatest opportunity to maximize efficiency can drive a compelling case for investment and continued return on investment.