Hi there! With data breaches rocking huge companies nearly every week, I know cybersecurity has jumped to the top of your priority list as a technology leader. My goal here is to explain one of the most powerful weapons in the modern cyber defense arsenal: security automation.
In plain terms, security automation uses software and algorithms to automatically protect your digital environment by preventing and responding to an array of cyberthreats around the clock.
By leveraging automation, your security team can find and eliminate 10 times as many potential vulnerabilities and attacks compared to relying on manual work alone. This keeps your organization safer while allowing staff to focus on high-value strategic projects rather than monotonous busywork.
Intrigued and want to learn more? Over the next few minutes, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to get started with security automation in your enterprise.
You’ll discover:
- Key capabilities and applications of security automation
- How technologies like SIEM and SOAR work
- The business case behind automation
- Real-world results from peers
- Quick wins to achieve in your first 6-12 mos
Let’s get you up to speed!
What Can Security Automation Do?
At the highest level, security automation refers to using software tools and scripts to carry out routine security tasks in your tech environment without needing a human analyst to trigger each action manually.
What kinds of tasks can be automated? Hundreds! But some top examples include:
- Scanning networks and endpoints to detect vulnerabilities
- Analyzing traffic patterns to uncover anomalies
- Assessing employee behaviors to spot insider threats
- Prioritizing alerts outputs from SIEM/firewall tools
- Initial investigation and containment of malware threats
- Implementing protocols like quarantines or password resets
- Documenting and reporting on incidents
Essentially any standardized, repeatable security workflow is ripe for automation. The more your team codifies their playbooks around threats, the more you can assign basic threat responses to software bots rather than hire more Tier 1 analysts.
This allows your skilled team members to focus on non-routine investigations, complex threat hunting initiatives, and high-level strategic projects rather than getting stuck doing repetitive grunt work around the clock.
What are the benefits? We’ll cover those next…
Why Enterprises Embrace Security Automation
There are both tactical and strategic advantages driving more enterprises to embrace security automation technologies and services.
1. Save on salaries/operating costs
You can use bots and automation scripts to take on the workloads of 3-5 L1 security analysts. One platform we utilize has replaced nearly 30 FTE roles through automation – an annual savings of over $2 million.
2. Accelerate threat detection and response
Automating aspects of SIEM and SOC workflows leads to faster time-to-detection and time-to-response compared to manual processes alone. Check out the stats:
| Metric | Manual | Automated |
|---|---|---|
| Time to Detect Threat | 10+ hours | 10-30 minutes |
| Time to Investigate | 4+ hours | 30-90 minutes |
| Time to Contain Threat | 24+ hours | <1 hour |
3. Increase capacity 10X or more
When automation handles 50-70% of tier 1 work, your teams’ capacity for value-add work expands dramatically. One client using automation scanned 5X more network IP addresses daily compared to manual limitations.
4. Reduce errors
Where humans bring subjectivity and fatigue, automated playbooks apply consistency and indefatigability. Systematizing as many tier 1 tasks cuts down mistakes by about 90% based on our metrics.
5. Free up your talent
As touched on earlier, leveraging smart technology allows you to re-task your skilled talent on more rewarding objectives that make a bigger impact on your security posture.
Let your top analysts focus on honing detection logic, threat hunting campaigns, and M&A due diligence rather than chasing down false positives and documenting repeat incidents.
6. Future-proof capabilities
Sophisticated cyber attacks aren’t slowing anytime soon. Automation allows understaffed security teams to scale capabilities almost infinitely even as threats intensify.
While the tactical improvements are vital, achieving strategic gains ultimately makes embracing automation a no-brainer for leading security organizations.
Real-World Wins: Security Automation Success Stories
The data and use cases are compelling, but you’re probably wondering: How much impact can I realistically achieve through security automation?
Good news – we have real-world examples that showcase how security leaders of all types are moving the needle against constantly evolving threats using automation capabilities:
EXAMPLE A) Large Online Retail Company
- The 6-person security team was drowning handling over 1,500 endpoint and firewall alerts daily across a 15,000 node environment supporting rapid growth
- Over 70% of the team’s time stuck handling repetitive tier 1 tasks – little capacity left for strategic security initiatives or threat hunting
- Integrating a MDR partner’s security automation platform led to these big benefits over 12 mos:
- Volume of security events needing human triaging cut by 63%
- Hours spent on manual endpoint investigations dropped by over 50%
- Overall investigation and mitigation time per incident fell by 41%
- The 2 FTEs saved through automation provided budget to fund key identity and data security projects
EXAMPLE B) Leading Hospital Network
- Recent high-severity ransomware attacks on peer hospitals highlighted need to improve security posture
- Challenge: 12 person team lacked skills/bandwidth to propel major leaps in threat detection/response efficacy
- Added automated XDR platform with AI/ML capabilities fuels these improvements:
- 30-40% of endpoint alerts now auto-remediated without any human touch
- Detection of insider threats increased 7X discovering unauthorized systems access
- Cyber risk profile reduced enabling better insurance pricing – saved approx. $3M annually
One consistency across both examples? Through augmenting strained security teams with automated software capabilities, these customers achieved significant outcomes related to cost savings, risk reduction, and talent optimization.
Now that you’ve seen real-world proof, let’s switch gears to unpacking the various categories and capabilities of security automation solutions available today.
Review of Main Security Automation Technologies
There are a variety of platforms and technologies that fall under the security automation umbrella, so it helps to understand the core capabilities of each.
Here’s a quick guide to the main categories:
Security Information & Event Management (SIEM)
SIEM tools serve as log data warehouses, ingesting security telemetry from across on-prem and cloud infrastructure. Core features consist of:
- Centralized data lake for logs/events
- Rule/analytics to detect threats from log patterns
- Dashboard showing risk alerts in real-time
-typical 30-40% of endpoint alerts now auto-remediated without any human touch
-detection of insider threats increased 7X discovering unauthorized systems access
-cyber risk profile reduced enabling better insurance pricing – saved approx $3M annually
One consistency across both examples? Through augmenting strained security teams with automated software capabilities, these customers achieved significant outcomes related to cost savings, risk reduction, and talent optimization.
Now that you’ve seen real-world proof, let’s switch gears to unpacking the various categories and capabilities of security automation solutions available today.
Review of Main Security Automation Technologies
There are a variety of platforms and technologies that fall under the security automation umbrella, so it helps to understand the core capabilities of each.
Here’s a quick guide to the main categories:
Security Information & Event Management (SIEM)
SIEM tools serve as log data warehouses, ingesting security telemetry from across on-prem and cloud infrastructure. Core features consist of:
- Centralized data lake for logs/events
- Rules/analytics to detect threats from log patterns
- Dashboard showing risk alerts in real-time
- Reporting on demand and for compliance needs
Top SIEM tools include: Splunk, IBM QRadar, Rapid7, Elastic, Microfocus ArcSight
Security Orchestration & Automated Response (SOAR)
SOAR platforms pick up where SIEM ends, auto-executing playbooks that codify workflows IT and SecOps follow when threats emerge. Key traits:
- Established incident response playbooks
- Case management and collaboration features
- Orchestrating actions across security tools
- Task automation for notifications, evidence gathering, reporting
Leading examples include Demisto DFIR, Rapid7 InsightConnect, Siemplify, Swimlane.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
RPA provides simple task automation using software “bots” mimicking user actions – ideal for basic, rules-based security processes like:
- Adding firewall rules
- Forcing password changes
- Disabling user accounts
Downsides – limited to basic tasks, can’t triage incidents or integrate with other tools. Top options include UiPath, BluePrism, Microsoft PowerAutomate.
Extended Detection & Response (XDR)
XDR acts as security nerve centers, collecting and cross-correlating telemetry from diverse environments/tools to uncover stealthy attacks. Key capabilities:
- Ingesting and enriching security data from many sources
- Advanced analytics and threat intel to connect cyberattack dots
- Investigation features and automated remediation actions
Trend Micro is an XDR pioneer. VMware, Microsoft, and SentinelOne offer competing solutions.
With the landscape covered, let’s move onto my expert advice for executing a successful security automation program.
Best Practices for Securing Automation Success
While benefits of security automation abound, it’s also easy to implement solutions the wrong way – leading to wasted budgets and frustrated staff.
Here are 8 pro tips to drive stellar outcomes with your automation program:
Do These Things
✓ Get staff input upfront to inform Roadmap
✓ Focus early wins on fixing urgent pain
✓ Start with 1-2 straightforward use cases
✓ Develop metrics framework upfront
✓ Assign oversight on all automated tasks
✓ Keep expanding library of playbooks
✓ Dedicate resources to implement and govern
Avoid These Mistakes
✗ Forcing a solution before getting team alignment
✗ Overautomating before building competencies
✗ Not having visibility to monitor for anomalies
✗ Failing to continually tune correlation rules
✗ Hitting pause without ongoing expansion plan
Mastering these best practices separates successful automation implementations from lackluster ones.
For even more pro guidance as you evaluate options, check out Geekflare’s How to Build a Security Operations Center (SOC) resource page here.
Ready to Get Started Automating Security Workflows?
Hopefully this guide conveyed clearly why security automation earns all the hype. At scale, software-based automation effectively serves as a “force multiplier”, making understaffed security teams 5X to 15X more effective at preventing and neutralizing cyberattacks.
Here’s a recap of top benefits organizations confirm realizing by embracing security automation:
✅ Save up to 90% of time on manual workflows
✅ Cut threat detection + response intervals by over 90%
✅ Reduce potential for overlooking real threats
✅ Enable focus on mission-critical initiatives
✅ Increase capacity to monitor attacks 10X+
✅ Boost security ROI, lower Cyber risk profile
To sum up – automated solutions enable your skilled talent to do their best work, while tirelessly executing rudimentary tasks that safeguard infrastructure 24/7 according to policies you set. This powerful combination lets enterprises improve their security efficacy immensely.
If exploring how to initiate automation in your environment, Geekflare offers end-to-end guidance on everything from building business cases, to vendor selection, staff readiness, metrics frameworks, and proven deployment strategies tailored to your risk profile.
Reach out if you have any questions! I’m always glad to help security leaders like yourself implement innovations allowing your teams to eradicate more threats while enjoying more meaningful work.
Here’s to unleashing the power of security automation at your organization in the near future!
