Artificial Intelligence in Cyber Security

Artificial Intelligence & Cyber Security — Another Layer of Protection for Your Business 

We are deep into a new world of artificial intelligence (AI) and its capabilities are vast, evolving and soon to be ingrained in every business across industries. Chatbots are handling customer service requests. AI-powered machines are taking over low-skill manual labor jobs. AI can detect fraud for financial services firms, predict retail purchases and play a role in national defense, the list goes on. 

A Brookings Institute report illustrates how AI has escalated from unfamiliarity to dinner table conversation. When 1,500 U.S. senior business leaders were asked about AI in 2017, only about 17 percent knew what it was.

Fast forward to today – Accenture's "The Art of AI Maturity" report states that machine learning models suggest that the share of AI Achievers will increase rapidly and significantly, more than doubling from the current 12% to 27% by 2024.

This includes using machine learning for cyber security. And there is good reason why. 

First, there is a demand for skilled cybersecurity experts and a growing talent gap across the globe. We need more security support and intelligence than the industry can currently fulfill. Also, a surge of cyber threats and increasingly sophisticated attacks are increasing organizations’ vulnerability. 

Generative AI, when deployed by an experienced IT managed services provider, can empower cyber security teams. AI can improve an existing end-to-end security system and fast-forward the response time should an incident occur.

The bottom line: AI can help detect, prevent and respond to cyber threats before they cause irreversible reputational and financial damage. 

Let’s explore how AI can elevate IT security services. 

Harnessing Generative AI to Enhance End-to-End Cyber Security 

As a longtime IT managed services provider, we know that anticipating cyber security threats and staying ahead of market evolution is essential. What works today could be improved for tomorrow, and what you expect for tomorrow could change the day after that. 

Our approach is beyond proactive. It’s operational preparedness. 

The leading business partners and vendors we align with share this philosophy and are invested in AI-powered tools to bolster cyber security, as well. For example, in March 2023, Microsoft introduced Security Copilot, the first generative AI security product. It is a ready assistant that builds on the latest in large language models and 65 trillion daily signals to inform security teams so they can outpace today’s sophisticated cybercriminals. 

By working with a managed-services security provider (MSSP) or IT managed services provider such as DMC, security experts can support your team with the latest, transformative technology designed for high-level threat intelligence. (Microsoft offers a “Bring Your Own MSSP” option.) 

Artificial intelligence in cyber security can perform a number of mission-critical tasks to protect an organization, including: 

• Threat detection and analysis — AI systems learn network and user behavior, so they can identify deviations and anomalies that could indicate a cyberattack. The sooner you know, the faster you can respond. 
• Intrusion detection — Every minute of every day, increasingly sophisticated cybercriminals find new ways to breach even the tightest security systems. AI can detect and respond to unauthorized access and suspicious activities in real time, which prevents data breaches and helps ensure “always on” security. 
• Social media monitoring — Through national language processing (NLP), AI can analyze text and speech sentiment for monitoring social media and other sources for potential threats. 
• Email monitoring and filtering — AI-based systems can identify phishing attempts and malicious emails before they damage an organization. 
• Automating security tasks — Routine patching and security updates are essential, and security breaches occur during lapse times before an organization realizes it. While working with an MSP for end-to-end cyber security like DMC lifts this burden, a security expert who deploys AI-powered tools adds one more layer of protection for improving response times. 

AI Is A Cyber Security Support, Not an MSP Replacement 

AI will augment security, whether your organization has an in-house IT professional, a team that is supported by an MSO, or you rely on an IT managed services provider as a turn-key cyber security arm of your business. But cyber security intelligence requires an all-hands-on-deck approach. 

Because AI can help automate repetitive tasks and analyze large volumes of data from IT infrastructure, MSPs can more efficiently gather this information to help inform business decisions. Predictive maintenance can decrease downtime, giving managed IT services advanced notice for upgrades, repairs and updates so they can respond immediately. 

MSPs also can leverage AI-driven analytics to optimize resources and aid in IT planning and strategic budgeting, as well. Along those lines, AI-generated reports can provide real-time status updates on system performance and other key metrics. 

Not sure how artificial intelligence in cyber security could benefit your organization? A knowledgeable MSP can identify cases where AI could enhance your offerings, along with implementing trusted AI cyber security tools that elevate your security posture. Keep in mind, involving an MSP in AI-security-related tools is critical because machine learning models can also be susceptible to cyber-attacks. They must be skillfully deployed and protected. 

Safely Deploying AI Cyber Security Tools 

Position your business for success by staying on top of the latest artificial intelligence cyber security tools that are enhancing the way we monitor, detect and respond to adversarial attacks. At DMC, we are invested in and committed to continuous learning so we can offer clients advanced solutions, including AI cyber security tools, to futureproof their organizations. 

How could AI improve your cybersecurity posture? Let’s talk. DMC’s expertise and industry knowledge can help your organization develop and execute a robust IT strategy that drives growth and innovation. Contact us to learn how.