Bringing security operations automation to processes with no name

As cyber security has evolved over time, processes like patch management, continuous network traffic monitoring and threat notification have become nearly ubiquitous in security operations centers (SOCs). For that reason, many information security automation tools on the market today were designed for those common uses, and many of these products are quite effective at what they were designed to do.

But as any CISO or senior security staffer knows, over time, SOCs begin to create and utilize security procedures that are unique to their organization. These are methods that do not appear in any glossary of cyber security terms and do not have a name outside the walls of that one SOC.

In some cases, these processes may be among the most repetitive that an information security team uses, meaning that automating those procedures would free up hours each day for staffers to devote to more complex tasks. But because these are essentially proprietary processes, they can be difficult to automate using some vendors’ tools.

One of the primary considerations for CISOs and other cyber security decision makers who are considering adopting a new cyber security solution should be whether that tool is capable of solving for those use cases that are exclusive to their organizations. The goal of security operations automation is to move senior staffers away from having to complete repetitive tasks that are a waste of their expertise. If a tool is only capable of solving for those “pre-canned” use cases that the vendor pre-determined an organization might need, the value the solution can offer is limited.

Flexibility and agility are trendy buzzwords in the technology space right now, but they are trendy for a reason. As technology evolves and problems become increasingly complex and multi-layered, organizations need true enablement solutions that allow them to execute strategies without hitting rigid barriers. That precept is certainly applicable to security operations automation and will only grow more critical as security experts are forced to be more innovative and creative to mitigate faster, more complex attacks.