Artificial intelligence (AI) is now commonplace in daily life. From DALL-E’s wacky images to ChatGPT’s instantaneous and often erroneous articles, it’s clear that AI is here to stay, despite its limitations and flaws.
Cybersecurity is a specific field in which AI is playing an increasingly valuable role. Especially as cybercrime evolves, software developers continue to merge AI and cybersecurity to produce tools that are capable of thwarting malware attacks, preventing unauthorized access, and securing sensitive customer data. However, while the tools do exist, many companies fail to understand how to use them strategically. As a result, many still use apps, application programming interfaces (APIs), and networks with inadequate security measures in place. This is one reason why 60% of small businesses report significant cybersecurity concerns.
Closing security gaps and improving threat detection will require expanding your knowledge of the current landscape, including the benefits of adopting AI and what the future holds.
Recently, ISOutsource transitioned to an AI-based security system and learned many invaluable lessons in the process. We learned that enhancing defensive capabilities requires a strong shift toward leveraging platforms that use AI for threat detection and response, like SentinelOne, which ingrains automation into digital operations and management.
Transitioning to these services provides well-rounded defenses to protect key intellectual property and customer data. Below, we’ll break down the process, explain the benefits, and explore what’s to come in this exciting new market.
How AI Is Transforming Cybersecurity
Historically, cyber-threat prevention was a race against the clock, with most security teams measuring response times in minutes. Back when cyberattacks were less sophisticated, measuring reaction time in minutes was fine. Now, even a minute delay can carry severe consequences, given that modern attacks can infiltrate and compromise systems in a fraction of that time.
In short, tech-savvy digital defenses require shorter reaction times. Thankfully, that’s where AI-powered cybersecurity with automation comes in.
Integrating automation into security workflows dramatically transforms the effectiveness of a cyber-threat response, reducing reaction times from minutes to milliseconds. We learned this from experience. After adopting an AI-powered security platform, we saw our threat windows shrink and enhanced our ability to protect clients’ environments from malicious activities.
AI Use Cases in Cybersecurity
The financial toll of ransomware attacks averages out to $5.6 million for large corporations. This accounts for the cost of paying off the ransom, which averages $800,000, and the cost of the downtime and tools required to remedy and recover any lost information.
Before, thwarting ransomware attacks, whether through spearphishing or code-based malware, relied on employee training and manual detection. However, AI now allows businesses to spot sketchy emails, SMS messages, or lines of code as soon as they appear. These platforms support enterprise-wide protection and process data from thousands of endpoints, like employee and third-party devices. The result is a speedier, more efficient intervention.
However, improving threat mitigation through faster incident response and endpoint security is merely one use case for AI-powered cybersecurity. AI-powered tools offer many opportunities to bolster network security and improve risk management.
Here, AI can look at the state of a network and then use security analytics to detect instances of unauthorized access or brute-force attacks. Then, the AI can automatically bar specific users from entry and alert the appropriate security managers.
Likewise, AI plays a large role in data security, acting as a strict monitor of cloud storage and automatically locking out jailbroken, ominous, or foreign devices.
Benefits of Using AI for Cybersecurity
The primary benefit of AI-powered cybersecurity is accelerated reaction times, as datasets can be processed faster and at greater volumes. Additionally, many AI tools incorporate machine learning (ML), which helps with pattern recognition and automated security adjustments.
The benefits of ML are twofold: Defense systems adapt and grow stronger over time, and formerly tedious manual efforts can now be managed by software. Ultimately, incorporating ML into your cybersecurity framework is critical to ensuring your networks, systems, storage centers, and code caches are protected from emerging cyberattacks.
Another, often unforeseen, benefit of transitioning to automation is operational clarity. Our team experienced this firsthand. Before adopting an AI-powered security platform, we were inundated with the noise of day-to-day management, sifting through endless alerts, including many false positives. This noise often obscured the real threats, making it challenging to identify and respond to what really needed our attention.
After we introduced cutting-edge cybersecurity tech, true threat patterns began to emerge. The reduced noise brought sharper insight into the true security risks, enabling a more proactive approach.
This transition toward AI and automation underscores a powerful lesson: Innovation breeds more innovation. These benefits are a testament to how technological advancements can lead to further advancements, creating a virtuous cycle of improvement.
While the immediate cost savings and enhanced efficiency are tangible and impactful, the long-term implications of adopting an intelligent security platform are even more profound.
Security Automation Best Practices
Investing in any random security automation tool won’t be enough to defend against potential data breaches. More importantly, your effectiveness hinges on how you strategize with the tools on your tool belt. Given this, there are a few basic best practices to employ in the beginning stages of your AI implementation.
Before investing in AI, develop a solid plan and process for using it. A good plan requires goals and measurable KPIs. For example, if you’re looking to prioritize cloud security, map out the current state of your data storage. Then, set a desired goal and explain how the tool you’re investing in will help you reach that goal.
Finally, perform regular audits to evaluate whether the tool is helping you meet your goal. If not, re-evaluate your approach, change your KPIs, and find a better solution to meet your security needs.
For companies that aren’t well-versed in AI cybersecurity tools, it’s wise to roll out the process in phases rather than all at once. The first phase should be a threat analysis, identifying where the largest security risks reside. Then, research the best tools for eliminating data exposure. Once in place, test the automated process. Finally, once you’ve established a process and addressed your core security issues, bring in additional tools that interlink with your existing tech stack.
The Future of AI and Automation in Cybersecurity
The speed and scalability of automation and AI continue to unlock new horizons. This tech enables companies to scale their security processes in real time, providing a level of agility that was previously unimaginable. The old status quo of taking a reactive stance is out the door, and adopting a proactive security strategy that gets stronger every second is the new standard.
As we continue to leverage automation, it’s clear that we aren’t simply refining our existing capabilities but redefining them. This shift toward automated AI-based detection and response is a testament to our commitment to protecting clients through cutting-edge technology.
It’s been a journey, but through these revolutionary new solutions, we went from reacting to threats in minutes to doing so in milliseconds. We went from managing endless noise to harnessing clarity.
Looking forward, the potential for advancing our security tactics is boundless. Our experience proves that when it comes to protecting our clients, the best defense is not simply a strong defense, but a smarter one.
If you’re interested in learning more about taking the leap toward modern cybersecurity, ISOutsource stands ready to assist small to midsize businesses. Our expert consultants understand the depths and complexity of the thrilling new landscape of AI and cybersecurity. After gaining a unique understanding of your business, they can recommend strategies, solutions, and products that will better secure your business and set it up to scale with ease.
To learn more, feel free to contact us to schedule a chat with one of our IT experts.