How big data improves an information security strategy

I learned a new term the other day: data-driven security. I had been talking with Enterprise Management Associates security guru Scott Crawford about remote access security policies in a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) era — yes, that’s a mouthful. But then, in the ever-changing dynamics of IT, he flipped the topic on me.

Big data can help an information security strategy, he said. Really? From what I’ve been hearing from CIOs and chief information security officers, big data — information coming in and out of an organization from all over — is a security threat. I had never heard about big data improving information security strategies.

Crawford enlightened me by explaining that data-driven security — or using technologies like data mining, data analytics and quantitative statistics — is a great way to spot security threats and trends.

“Analyzing big data can give you quicker insights into large volumes of data and security problems, and you can use real-time event alerting,” he said.

In a recent blog post, Crawford explains:

“The data explosion is just as real in security as elsewhere. And just as with other aspects of the intelligence-driven enterprise, big data offers new challenges — and new opportunities. Much more information is available than ever before that can help enterprises identify previously unrecognized threats, sharpen their defenses and acquire the awareness needed to develop more effective risk management programs. Today, techniques are emerging for harnessing this data to improve countermeasures and expand strategic insight.”

Crawford explains his theory in great depth in a five-part series on the rise of data-driven security.

As for the original security topic? Remote access security policies in a BYOD era? Data-loss prevention tools are not a silver bullet, he said. But that’s a topic for another time.

Let us know what you think about this blog post; email: Christina Torode, News Director