Security automation started as a feature of larger software solutions, like RSA Archer or other legacy security tools that would automate the collection of artifacts and make them available in a single dashboard. However, it allowed for little customization for organization-specific needs, meaning that automation wasn't available across all workflows, but only for what the tool’s features allowed.

As the requirements of security teams grew in sophistication, so did the number of technologies and solutions needed. Yet with increased tools came an increase in alerts, which quickly overwhelmed the SecOps team. Our recent report on the “Voice of the SOC Analyst” found that 60% of analysts say they have more work than ever these days, and the number one most frustrating aspect of the job is “spending time on manual work” like tracking down alerts. First-generation SOAR tools addressed these needs; however, building workflows capable of handling the variety of tools and use cases modern security teams need to automate proved impossible and costly for the average frontline security team.

Once you have your no-code automation platform up and running, the best approach is to start small with prototypes and MVPs, and then keep evolving the complexity.

Deploy the simplest usable version to production first, and then expand workflows little by little to cover edge-and-corner cases. This also allows analysts to become more creative with their automation, building more sophisticated processes as they go.

Because of the accessibility of no-code automation, security analysts can keep maintaining and evolving their workflows in production, and iterating those workflows as their company’s processes and threats continuously change. One thing to remember is not to price the maintenance of automation at zero. Even if it’s built flawlessly the first time around — which is rare — external context will always change, necessitating future iteration.

You could just write a script — if you know how to. But security practitioners often don't have that skill, meaning they have to outsource their automation creation to others. Additionally, the easy part with code is writing it the first time. The hard part is the deployment, security upgrades, maintenance, versioning, and downtime that comes afterward; this is especially challenging when associated team members move on to other organizations. No-code automation keeps workflow automation within the security team, and is as easy as dragging-and-dropping actions into a storyline. Technical users who do know code can instead focus on the output of the overall workflow — rather than the process of coding it.

No-code automation platforms provide the building blocks — the right building blocks — to security teams, who can then architect the workflows that they need, from simple login confirmations to complex, all-encompassing vulnerability management.

Just like how you can build almost anything out of a small number of LEGO^® bricks, the same is true for no-code automation; there's no ceiling to how complex a workflow or how many steps can be automated — the only limit really is imagination.

Additionally, with nearly a quarter of organizations saying they’re bogged down in menial tasks, and with half of analysts indicating that time spent on mundane work is what they dislike about their jobs, automation is more necessary than ever.

From what I've seen, this very rarely happens in practice.

First, there is always more work to do and bigger problems to solve; cybersecurity is an ever-changing field that requires constant attention and improvement. Those who are automating their tasks then gain that as a new skill, and can continue to make those processes more efficient and effective.

What also happens is that when analysts begin to automate their repetitive, manual tasks, it frees them up to focus their skills and attention on high-impact work like improving the organization's security approach, rolling out new technology, or providing outreach and training to other teams.

Additionally, because of no-code automation’s ease of use, analysts can maintain and evolve their own workflows, which is especially beneficial as processes, tools and threats continue to evolve.

Automation simply unlocks the potential of team members – and team members who are engaged in and excited by their work stick around.

Security teams are already short-staffed as it is — our recent report on the “Voice of the SOC Analyst” found that the number one thing preventing teams from doing their best work is “lack of people” — so taking menial tasks off of an analyst’s plate frees them up to fill the gaps of understaffing.

Automation isn't necessarily all or nothing, as many may assume. Instead, good automation platforms make it easy to put a human in the loop for important decisions.

Instead of automating black and white remediation actions like blocking an account after a suspicious login, ask the affected user or an analyst for their input first. This can easily be facilitated through automated Slack messages or chatbots — "Did you recently log in from a certain location?" — and automating the rest of the workflow based on their response — whether it was, "Yes, it was me" or "No it wasn't”.

Many security teams have used bundled SOAR platforms that include automation as a feature, and also offer other organizational tools like case management or chat. But we've reached a point where teams are turning away from multi-product platforms towards laser-focused tools that provide best-in-class solutions, like JIRA, Slack, and others.

Why would it be any different with a no-code platform that solely focuses on automation? The power of best-in-class workflow automation platforms is that they can fuse all the individual tools an organization uses — custom and off-the-shelf — to maximize its data and resources.

In thinking about a more sustainable, scalable future for your SecOps team, automation is going to be the most important strategy you could implement. When analysts have the ability to automate their repetitive tasks, they’re not only creating more efficient workflows for everyday processes, they’re freeing up their time to actually do what they love: analysis.

However, security leaders often fear they don’t have the bandwidth or tooling in place to fully leverage security automation. Or, if they adopt automation, they want to automate all their processes immediately. True no-code cloud-based automation platforms offer you the freedom to start small with free Community Editions or trials and grow as your business needs evolve. With automation as well, you can start with a set of core use cases and demonstrate their value before expanding.

The days of having an SOC as a standalone team responsible for security are coming to a close. Not only have their costs risen in recent years, but their complexity has as well, and over half of organizations say the ROI of their SOC is getting worse.

As organizations recognize that security touches everyone, security professionals will be embedded into each team in the enterprise. Security leaders should consider whether the investment required in building an SOC would be better spent elsewhere — like implementing automation or developing more iterative approaches to security. While SOCs are phased out, an outsourced SOC or MSSP could provide an interim solution.

Security teams are tasked with performing remediations for their organization, yet much of that work is often found on software that the security team has no direct control over. Security teams then find themselves dependent on other teams for their own success — teams whose priorities may not align with the priorities of SecOps. This misalignment and limited access can allow vulnerabilities to remain unaddressed.

Security teams need to find ways to work with other departments to gain access, which will not only require relationship-building and trust, but being able to adequately communicate why SecOps needs access to those systems. Other departments may be reluctant to grant open-ended, manual access, but may be more willing to allow access provided it is only used in automated scenarios with known inputs and outputs.

Organizations experienced an average of 925 cyberattacks a week in 2021, a 50% increase from 2020. Threats are frequent and pervasive, and are becoming too sophisticated to be handled by one-size-fits-all solutions. Organizations wanting to stay ahead in their security approach need to un-bundle their security stacks and all-in-one “big box shops” and invest in best-of-breed security tools designed for specific purposes.

Thanks to no-code automation, the overhead costs associated with managing best-in-breed solutions are no longer a hindrance to investment. Since no-code platforms work in sync with known and custom tools alike, automation can also eliminate the risk of fragmentation by uniting together these specialized solutions.

In order to see continued success in the future, SecOps teams need to build a culture of automation where, when encountered with any time-consuming or monotonous workflow or action, the first thought is, “Can we automate some or all of this?” In fact, according to our recent report, two-thirds of analysts think that 50% of their current tasks could be automated today. Still, there’s no shortage of work. A culture of automation will get teams used to recognizing where they can make their tools work harder for them and allow them to shift their focus to more pressing matters. Building automations will also become an essential skill for security practitioners as well.