Machines are better at speed and scale than humans. But humans have the edge over machines at thinking outside of the box, using their curiosity and creativity to come up with solutions, and reasoning that machines cannot define or replicate. When it comes to security operations, humans and automation are the duo that’s stronger and more effective in partnership than when they’re apart. Using extended detection and response (XDR) can bring these skills to the forefront of the Security Operations Center (SOC), leaving the repeatable, boring tasks to the machines and allowing for these human traits to shine.

Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) solutions came on the market around six years ago. The two main objectives of these tools were to orchestrate 3rd party tools for filtering false positive alerts out of the network, and to automatically block attacks. SOAR came on the scene with bold statements to fill in some of the gaps that existed in Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platforms, which have been making security analysts miserable for twenty years now.

Despite 88% of cybersecurity professionals believing automation will make their jobs easier, younger staffers are more concerned that the technology will replace their roles than their veteran counterparts, according to new research by Exabeam.

The time it takes to get engineers onsite (52% in the US and 42% globally), inadequate network monitoring (41% in the US and 36% globally) and a lack of in-house skill (40% in both the US and globally) are among the biggest challenges organizations face in resolving a network outage quickly, according to a recent study commissioned by Opengear, a Digi International company.

Compliance regulators don’t take days off – not even in a pandemic. Faced with steep penalties for non-compliance and potential reputational damage, organizations are being forced to rethink their compliance strategies to account for new and emerging risks. For digital businesses today, the best place to start is by assessing how systems should be good enough, understand how data integrity is currently being managed, identifying any compliance hazards or gaps, and considering how automation can help address them.

The shortage of skilled information security practitioners continues to grow around the globe. Based on 200 IT executives and contributors who primarily serve in information or IT security roles, this new research found that in the United States, for organizations with at least 500 employees, the average number of open positions enterprises are trying to fill is 1,324. For the largest percentage of respondents in this survey, that number increased between 1 percent and 25 percent over the last year, although that increase is higher for large enterprises.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $37 million in funding for research and development in artificial intelligence and machine learning methods to handle data and operations at DOE scientific user facilities. 

Deloitte’s third edition of the “State of AI in the Enterprise” survey finds businesses are entering a new chapter in AI implementation where early adopters may have to work harder to preserve an edge over their industry peers.

With security resources and budgets stretched thin to accommodate remote workforces, cybercriminals were quick to capitalize on the increased attack surface and general uncertainty, striking with a 667 percent increase in coronavirus-related cyberattacks. 

Employees and industry analysts alike are making the case for remote SecOps. However, the long-term feasibility of this option is up for debate. Organizations actually stand to gain greater success using a combination of traditional SecOps and the appropriate use of automation.