Barracuda Networks Leverages AI to Integrate Cybersecurity Workflows – Source: securityboulevard.com

Barracuda Networks this week added a dashboard that leverages multiple artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to unify the management of its cybersecurity tools and services at no additional cost.

Brian Downey, vice president of product management for Barracuda Networks, said BarracudaONE will make it possible to streamline workflows in a way that ultimately makes it simpler to prioritize remediation efforts without necessarily having to replace existing tools and platforms.

That’s critical because cybersecurity teams are being overwhelmed by the alerts being generated by the multiple tools and platforms they are relying on, he added. However, most organizations cannot afford to replace existing tools. Instead, they simply want a more integrated approach that surfaces actionable insights in a way that is easier to understand, said Downey.

As the cost of cybersecurity has continued to rise, a fierce debate has emerged over the degree to which standardizing on a single platform might rein in those costs. Rather than having to acquire multiple tools, proponents of a platform approach contend cybersecurity teams will be more efficient if they can coordinate workflows across a platform that addresses multiple requirements.

Historically, however, many cybersecurity teams have favored a defense-in-depth approach that didn’t require them to put too much faith in one set of technologies. That approach enables them to verify where an alert is accurate using multiple tools versus wasting time responding to yet another false positive.

Barracuda Networks is staking out a more middle ground position that provides the benefits of centralization without having to replace existing firewalls, email protection and data recovery tools, noted Downey. Cybersecurity teams, for example, can now more easily delete a phishing attack that has been discovered across multiple inboxes, he added.

Each organization will need to determine for themselves what level of consolidation might be appropriate. A survey of 2,000 senior security decision-makers conducted by the market research firm Vanson Bourne on behalf of Barracuda Networks finds nearly two thirds of respondents (65%) agree their organization is juggling too many security tools, with more than half (53%) noting their security tools cannot be integrated. That lack of integration leads to increases the time required to manage security (80%), higher costs (81%), additional threat mitigation challenges (78%) and more difficulty detecting threats (77%).

Additionally, only just under a third (32%) are fully confident their tools are properly configured, which may result in some cyberattacks not being detected at all.

Faced with those issues there is little doubt that cybersecurity workflows need to become more integrated. The issue is determining how best to achieve that goal. A recent Futurum Group survey, for example, found just under half of organizations (49%) are looking to centralize the management of cybersecurity workflows but only 10% are planning a major consolidation of the number of vendors they currently rely on.

As the total cost of cybersecurity continues to rise, business and IT leaders are clearly wondering about the return on those investments. It’s not quite as easy as it once was to justify the cost of a new tool or platform. In fact, cybersecurity teams are under more pressure than ever to realize the benefits of all the previous investments they have made.

Of course, the threat landscape will only continue to evolve so the degree to which legacy tools and platforms are able to adapt remains to be seen. However, in an era where there is generally more pressure than ever to do more with less, it is clear cybersecurity is no exception.