Big Data Information Security: What You Need To Know

In an age where hackers can break through almost any kind of firewall, your company’s information security cannot be taken lightly. In order to keep sensitive information safe, you have to keep your information technology current and armed with the right defenses.

This article will take a look at how your company can use big data information security tactics to keep sensitive information safe.

Big Data and Big Data Tools

At its most basic level, big data is exactly what it sounds like: a very large collection of data. Companies gather this information digitally and from traditional sources — including point of sale records, surveys, website interactions, and Internet search habits — about their customers and potential customers. These large data sets are so complex, however, that they can be difficult for companies to store and analyze.

Rather than sifting endlessly through mounds of information to find correlations, big data tools examine complex relationships and create algorithms based on predictive analytics. Companies use the information to better market their existing products and make future products better.

Beyond that benefit to the bottom line, companies can also use big data tools to analyze and mitigate security risks. While consumers benefit from such data analysis, many are concerned about the security of such personal data — leaving companies with the difficult task of finding ways to keep extremely large amounts of data safe.

Using Big Data to Improve Information Security

Conventional security information and event management (SEIM) tools are often ill-equipped to handle the amount of data companies deal with on a day-to-day basis. Big data information security, on the other hand, allows companies to monitor a huge network of information in real time — and not only detect threats, but understand them as well.

When it comes to information defense, most people think in terms of blocking suspicious behavior with firewalls and virus scanners, much like a security guard standing outside of a building. Of course, preventative security measures aimed at keeping malicious parties out is a priority, but excessive firewalls can interfere with workflow or even miss more complicated threats altogether.

Big data information security acts more like a surveillance camera, watching everyone who enters and checking for suspicious behavior — because big data helps you understand what activity is normal, it helps you more easily recognize when there is activity outside the norm as well. This way, companies can analyze threats and figure out how to appropriately respond to them, without blocking necessary operations.

With big data information security, companies can take a smarter approach against hackers. Big data monitors everything coming in and going out — leaving little room for error. By understanding the types of risk coming your way, you can be better prepared for how to deal with issues the next time they come around.

Big Data, Big Solutions

Big data software such as Hadoop or Splunk can be extremely useful within larger companies, but smaller companies may suffer from compatibility issues and struggle to adapt to an entirely new system for IT. If your IT department isn’t equipped to handle this type of software, your company could end up losing money and reaching false conclusions about the data you’re analyzing. It’s important to compare your company’s needs with the big data software available.

While big data information security may not be right for every company, its bandwidth and capabilities seem to be the way of the future. Check out Frontier Secure’s product page to see more options for improving your information security today.