Automation as a Cybersecurity Resource

Government agencies at all levels face cyber threats at an increasing rate. Ransomware attacks alone increased by 70% year over year in 2023. Yet agencies are constrained by budget limitations and the shortage of cybersecurity professionals, leading to trying to manage from crisis to crisis and never catching up.

Automating security workflows can help agencies get a handle on their challenges and prioritize their security needs, but it isn’t as simple as dropping in a single solution. In fact, it makes more sense to identify and automate pieces of the security process, identifying the places where human involvement should be maintained.

Learning Objectives:

• Review the benefits of automating elements of cybersecurity workflows, such as efficiency gains, freeing up cybersecurity staff for more strategic needs, and enabling scalability
• Understand the challenges of automating cybersecurity, especially in taking on too much at one time
• Define the best ways to make use of available human resources in cybersecurity
• Delineate best practices for getting started in using automation for threat detection, threat hunting, and identity compromise