Key focus areas for security technology investment
A new report from the Security for Business Innovation Council advocates three key areas for technology investment and recommendations for specific security technologies to build better anticipatory defenses while also improving business productivity.
In their roles, Council members collectively observe the major innovations underway in security technology and contend that these technologies are not being developed or implemented quickly enough.
Organizations now acknowledge the inevitability of breaches, and have turned attention to minimizing their impact. As such, security leaders are focusing on strategies and technologies that help provide threat resilience versus prevention and prioritizing investments in solutions that provide better detection and response capabilities.
Against this backdrop, the report affirms that Big Data analytics is a foundational technology needed to help achieve a stronger cyber defense. Next-generation anti-malware technology is also identified as a key area where organizations should add new techniques to baseline capabilities.
Council members highlight the importance of improving end-user experience for business productivity gains and suggest investments in more flexible methods for authentication and Identity and Access Management that help reduce risk. Furthermore, the report evaluates the latest claims about cloud security services designed to help enterprises with visibility and control.
The Council details three recommendations that provide prescriptive guidance to successfully navigate new technology deployments and maximize security investments:
Look at least three years ahead – By using SWOT analysis, aligning with IT and the business, creating an enterprise-wide Big Data strategy, and engaging with auditors, organizations can formulate plans to determine what security capabilities will be needed to protect against a dynamic threat landscape.
Achieve a bigger picture through integration – When investing in security technologies today, the greatest payoffs often come from connecting and consolidating information from multiple applications. Technologies are now available that make it easier to integrate systems such as data analytics, security intelligence, and GRC platforms.
Maximize value through formalized technology developments – Leading security teams familiar with the pitfalls of technological change, budgetary shortcomings, and the failure of new product expectations advise having formal approaches to deployment in order to proactively manage the risks.
Amit Yoran, Senior Vice President, RSA, The Security Division of EMC, said: “Increasing resilience is core to any organizations’ cyber defense strategy. Employing the right technologies that provide better visibility and analysis to actually anticipate attacks can and should reduce risk to the business. This report provides the necessary guidance to help security teams determine how to make the right technology investments.”