Improved security for Enterprises through Big Data

Big data tools and technologies were used by companies to analyze everything from consumer buying patterns to the product strategies of competitors. It was only a matter of time before the security industry noticed the efficacy of big data to analyze complex and varied types of data inputs and sought a way to make it work for the security challenges of today. And now, without Big data, it’s almost impossible to hear about a new security product. Security vendors strongly believe that Big data would help enterprises to keep up with the huge amount of data and new information sources that need to be analyzed.

Any discussion on Big Data would be incomplete without mentioning the V of Big data: ‘Volume’, ‘Velocity’ and ‘Variety’. Volume refers to the quantity, many terabytes, and petabytes of information to be processed. Velocity is the capacity to access and process every second the large quantities of incoming data. Finally, Variety relates to the different sources and types of traditional and non-traditional data being fed into Big data systems. The three V’s are relatively standard across the various big data definitions, but some definitions include a fourth V: ‘Veracity’ or what can also be referred to as Data trustworthiness. This is an irrelevant attribute for most data types, but with the variety of data included in the analysis of big data, veracity is definitely something to be considered, depending on the source especially when more accurate results need to be achieved.

Big data technology will bring new visibility not only into what is happening within the network of a company but also into how external data sources can help predict future attacks or security threats. Some experts believe that this would be the death knell for SIEM (security information and event management) while others see the fusion of big data technologies and SIEM as the next evolution and that it would take security analytics to the next level. The biggest change that Big Data can bring to SIEM will be improved scalability and performance, the ability to include and analyze new data types, and an increased analytical speed so that decisions can be made faster.

However, as enterprises build Big data environments, they must redefine how they control their data, as any new technology that is not well understood will introduce new vulnerabilities. Higher the value of data is, the more devastating the effect. The first challenge is incoming data, which in transit could be intercepted or corrupted. The second is storage data that can be stolen or held hostage while resting on servers in the cloud or on-site. The last is the output of data that seems unimportant but could provide a point of access for hackers or other malicious parties. Several Big Data security challenges have to be solved by companies such as Data leaks, cyber-attacks, non-legitimate use of information, malicious data input and inadequate data validation, and many more. Large data sets, including financial and private data (e.g. trade secrets, user personal information, and customer and employee data) are a tempting goal for cyber attackers.

Hence, it becomes imperative for large enterprises such as banking and financial organizations, government entities, and healthcare providers to pay special attention to Big Data security tools and make provision for encryption of Data, build a strong firewall and control and limit the user accessibility, for the prevention of data leaks, and protection of corporate information assets. You can always resort to you can always resort to professional Big data consulting company (such as www.aceteksolutions.com) to create the solution you need to put security to the place it deserves to be at – First