AI is not replacing skilled analysts; it’s actually making them more valuable
Our 2020 Security Study shows that, when set up and monitored properly, AI and machine learning tools can increase cybersecurity effectiveness for companies both large and small.
Organizations adopt AI for many different reasons, primarily to help with cybersecurity analysis or security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR). Three-quarters of organizations using AI reported a significant improvement of cybersecurity effectiveness, however, due to the complexities of process automation and orchestration in enterprise-scale IT environments, AI adoption often gets impeded. But despite a lack of technological resources when compared to Enterprise organizations, Small and Medium organizations have a strong adoption rate of AI-based SOAR tools.
Of the organizations that work with AI tools, 66 percent said they find the tools challenging to configure and use correctly. Despite posing challenges to these organizations, they still believe the AI tools have added to their cybersecurity effectiveness in a significant way, making the challenges associated with AI worthwhile.
Pop culture tents to portray AI as its own entity that does not require any human intervention to run smoothly, which is simply is not the case. AI-based tools are complicated and require a lot of time and understanding to be set up and fully understood, which is why skilled analysts are becoming even more of an asset to organizations. AI-based tools for cybersecurity analysis and SOAR are not reducing security department headcounts, and to boot, the tools are not currently an option for resolving a shortage of skilled analysts. In order to use these tools effectively, human expertise and skill sets are required for model development, training and fine tuning.
AI-based tools for cybersecurity and SOAR are a big investment for any organization and there are a lot of factors to consider before making the leap. Does your organization have a skilled team of analysts who understand the technology and can effectively monitor the systems? How complicated is your organization’s cybersecurity system? Is your organization aware of requirements and resources needed to make a successful transition?
At the end of the day, the study results dictate that AI-based tools are favourable among most organizations, as they significantly increase cybersecurity effectiveness and will continue to be of value as technology continues to evolve.
To learn more, check out the full study here.
