Companies Using more Automation in Cybersecurity, but Still have Work to Do

Skybox Security, a global leader in cybersecurity management,has released the results of a global survey conducted by Osterman Research, Understanding Security Processes and the Need to Automate.

The survey, which includes responses from 465 senior security leaders at large enterprises in the U.S., EMEA and APAC, reveals trends in the use of security automation, as well as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Survey questions focused on workflows in firewall and security policy management and vulnerability management.

Key findings included some surprises. For example, according to the results, APAC is ahead of the U.S. and EMEA in terms of automation for processes involved in the management of firewall rules and security policy — the automation of these processes is least common in EMEA.

Despite being hyped at shows and in the media, technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning are still in early days, with few organizations using AI/ML in production — just four percent of respondents in EMEA, nine percent in the U.S. and 27 percent in APAC.

In general, the report reveals that companies worldwide are continuing to struggle with network security management, especially as those networks are growing more complex and increasing in size. Surprisingly, most are only partially automating workflows and processes to help overcome these challenges — but they do see the value and are looking to automate more in the future.