Analysis of large volumes of data entering companies can be used to assess infor- mation technology (IT) and cyber security risks in real time as they change, says global software giant IBM security services associate practice leader Greg Sinclair.

For example, the impact on operations from a denial-of-service attack can be reduced by analysing the trends of data coming into a company. These attacks are often conducted in concert and over a short time, making timely response difficult.

However, analytics systems, often deployed in large companies to analyse large volumes of business data, enable a company to identify the patterns of denial of service attacks and to prepare ways of mitigating risk threats, he says.

“Taking a framework approach to identify risks from Internet exposure in real time enables companies to map trends from suspicious hosts and build capacity in ways to respond. We advise clients not to take a narrow view, but to use the capabilities that big data analytics provide to proactively monitor changing risks to the business,” explains Sinclair.

IBM South Africa has helped a local company overcome a denial of service risk, which was compounded by the constrained bandwidth environment in South Africa.

“While the bandwidth constraints in South Africa are slowly fading, IBM, in the US, detected multigigabit attacks on the banking industry in 2012 that were sustained over a lengthy period, highlighting the growing risks of large corporate companies being exposed to cyber crime,” he highlights.

“Our advice to clients is not to focus on a specific event or attack, but to analyse data to measure the risks to the business and then develop a long-term plan to mitigate these risks as part of the business strategy.”

The reality of cyber risks necessitates that they be dealt with at company board level and as part of long-term strategic planning and business development.

“Cyber security threats should be monitored and managed using the integrated systems that many businesses have on site. Companies can also use integrated systems to reduce IT costs in the company, while retaining their business software systems.”

Companies can use analytics to understand where users are accessing their networks, what applications are on the networks and what access rights people have, including remote access rights, enabling companies to understand their security across the business and risks to various parts of the networks.

“The traditional approach to combat cyber threats no longer fits. Security intelligence can be used to map and manage the threats, exposure and mitigation measures to information security risks in big corporate companies.”

IBM has expertise in using big data analysis to produce business intelligence that helps companies mitigate business risks, including cyber threats, concludes Sinclair.