Automation has been perceived both as a useful tool and a source of anxiety. Tasks that have been automated take a lot of legwork from workers, but they have also made some jobs obsolete.
Because of automation, the world is changing. Elevator operators (AKA liftboys) may not be there anymore to push buttons that lead to your floor and telephone switchboard operators that connect your calls seem like a relic of the past.
The IT sector has also transformed over the years due to automation — introducing faster and more sophisticated technology to consumers and businesses.
New advancements in automation have also changed cybersecurity, the world in which robots hold an important place due to machine learning and artificial intelligence.
How can security automation technology help to grow your businesses by saving your IT teams time and cutting costs?
What Can Be Automated in Cybersecurity?
Some possibilities of security automation include:
- Automation of manual processes
- Recognition of attacks (both new and known threats)
- Analytics of the attack surface
- Mitigating threats
- Simulation of attacks on your network
Detailed forensic reports cover the state of security of your systems. These reports continually compare the attack surface, summarize the methods of attacks and possible vulnerabilities following the attack, and highlight high-risk threats.
They will summarize the top priorities and suggest the next step in security save hours of manual work on similar reports for your teams.
Additionally, they aid in recognizing different threats and flaws in the system because they contain a lot of data that compares attacks surface before and after a possible incident.
Automated tools that recognize and mitigate possible threats can defend your systems from known dangers and prevent unauthorized access from a third party.
For new threats or more complex attacks, your IT team will take over as soon as they get a report that indicated a high-risk flaw or suspicious activity in your systems.
Most businesses already have a lot of tools that can defend the system, but they might not know if they work — at least until cybercriminals find the flaw within their system.
Simulation of attacks in a safe environment confirms whether your protection software and your teams are ready for a possible data breach.
Replacing manual and expensive annual penetration testing for automated attack simulation that tests your tools 24/7 helps your teams discover possible vulnerabilities on time.
Advantages of Automation for Your IT Teams
For your IT teams, automation can make their workflow smoother and their workload less overwhelming. Automation makes teams more efficient, without making them feel as if they’re facing seemingly impossible and never-ending tasks.
Since repetitive tasks get automated, they free up time and mental space for other more important jobs that require more sophisticated solutions.
Therefore, IT teams can be more productive because automation reduces the number of time-consuming manual and repetitive tasks.
IT teams work by taking care of top-priority tasks and move on to the less pressing tasks. If they don’t have time to take care of the manual tasks, they are always left at the bottom of their unmanageable to-do lists — taking up their mental space.
Also, automated reports can highlight only the high-level threats that require your team’s attention. Alert fatigue is an issue that many teams are facing due to the large number of notifications they get.
When it comes to these alerts, members of your team might decide that they’re false and accidentally discard high-risk issues.
Burnout is becoming increasingly common in the cybersecurity industry. Heavy workloads and added pressure contribute to the continuous and prolonged exposure to stress. This has unfortunately resulted in burnout has already caused many talented specialists to switch their profession.
Any tool that can outsource part of the workload from your teams and turn their workplace into a more manageable one is a worthy investment.
Benefits of Automation for the Budget of Your Scaling Business
Automation is a cost-effective way to help your IT teams, even if your business doesn\’t have sufficient funds to employ new members that take care of your cybersecurity.
Considering that a lot of the tasks get automated, teams aren’t overwhelmed with multiple manual tasks. With the less important tasks outsourced to robots, they can focus on high-priority tasks and meet deadlines.
Therefore, instead of employing more IT members, you can cut costs by having fewer experts that work efficiently.
Also, automation and generated reports can warn your IT team of high-risk threats before they turn into expensive incidents.
With false alerts that disrupt their workflow out of the way and reports that summarize only the high-risk issues they should pay attention to; they’ll use the proper tools and software to mitigate the threat in the early stages of the attack.
The long reaction time it might otherwise take to respond to the attack can be financially damaging to businesses. Cyberattacks take a major financial toll on businesses during the recovery phase following the attack.
Automated Security Makes Ever-Changing Attack Surfaces Manageable
In cybersecurity, robots have a special place in the hearts of IT teams because automated security takes over when it matters the most.
Cybersecurity experts are tackling attack surfaces that are constantly in a state of ebb and flow. As everything changes within the systems that your teams try to keep safe, it seems as if they are up against an endless to-do list.
New tools and software are being added to protect your attack surface, new employees are logging in and out of your systems, and cybercriminals are finding new ways to attack.
Any of these changes can result in new vulnerabilities that need patching up before hackers discover and exploit them to get into your systems. All that can be overwhelming for your cybersecurity teams.
Automated solutions are the key to managing ever-changing attack surfaces without sacrificing your IT team’s mental health or causing them to rethink their profession.
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