While automation presents advantages, it also has some risks. What should you consider in security automation? Here are the pros and cons of security automation below.
Pros of Security Automation
Cost and Time-efficient
Automated tools save time and money in the long term. What used to take a team of security professionals days, if not weeks, to accomplish, can be for automation.
The result is quick results and a more efficient process. You can also track processes under automation. So that management has solid proof of what is happening and how long it takes to finish a task. So it can take care of repetitive tasks.
The daily activities of a security professional are often the same each day, whether it’s implementing firewall rules or patching a server. You can automate these tasks. So that a computer takes care of routine tasks instead of a human being. This strengthens security because it prevents humans from making mistakes while carrying out the same task over and over again.
Prevents simple errors in processes.
It saves time by preventing simple mistakes from being made. An example is an automated vulnerability scanner that checks for open ports on a server and automatically closes them if necessary.
In this case, a human or program could make a mistake and not close the port. The result is an error that may have been prevented by automation.
Cons of Security Automation
Downtime at times.
Security automation isn’t foolproof, which could lead to unnecessary downtime or worse, the failure of an entire network or system.
This risk exists with any technology or software, but it’s worth noting that security automation isn’t perfect yet either. If you automate security processes without testing them first, you might be in trouble because it could cause more problems than it solves.
Still needs human oversight.
It’s also important to remember that even if you create an automated process to solve all the issues on your network, someone needs to oversee scripts and programs to ensure they’re working properly and contributing to your overall security strategy.
An automated solution may not be able to solve every issue on your network either because not every problem is software-based. This means that while there’s some risk involved with using automation solutions, they also have tangible and tangible benefits as well such as saving time and money in the long term while improving overall security for your company or organization.
Conclusion: Is it for you?
Security automation is an important part of a security strategy. While it’s not 100% error-free or completely foolproof, it can provide a number of benefits to your organization. The answer then is not to avoid automation but to use it in conjunction with your existing security strategy and tools to improve your overall security and the efficiency of your processes.
Part of a security strategy should be to test and review your current processes and tools. Evaluate each process and determine if it can be automated. If so, determine if the solution is affordable and worth pursuing further. If not, perhaps you can re-evaluate your process or come up with a different tool.
