What security wants most from Big Data

More than two thirds of IT people think Big Data should be a strategic priority, according to Varonis.

More than half expect Big Data to be a strategic initiative over the next five years, but fewer than half of the respondents felt there was a clear definition of Big Data, even fewer felt they had adequate knowledge of Big Data products.

When asked how they would like to use Big Data, the respondents had clear ideas – the top three most selected applications were: finding at risk sensitive data, identifying possible malicious activity and finding users with excessive access rights.

The results indicate that while the majority of organizations in this study will engage in Big Data strategic initiatives over the next 5 years, a broad understanding of Big Data remains elusive.

With over 80% of respondents rating their knowledge of Big Data products as low, but identifying how they’d like to use Big Data [fixing access control and protecting data], two things are clear: IT needs more specific information about the practical applications of Big Data, and when they get this information the majority will be supportive of corresponding projects.

“This survey validates what Varonis experiences with the organizations we engage with daily – IT is looking for practical Big Data solutions for data management and protection. With the explosion of data and the demand for rapid, ubiquitous digital collaboration, IT knows traditional data management methods can no longer keep pace, so they are looking for advanced solutions to protect their data. The key for IT with Big Data is to get past all the hype and to learn more about the practical benefits, like finding exposed sensitive data, flagging malicious activity and identifying excessive access.” said David Gibson, vice president of strategy at Varonis.

The Big Data Research report is available here (registration required).