SC Labs last looked at threat intelligence solutions in our emerging products review in August 2018, and for September we are now looking at this category in our normal group review. For those not overly familiar with threat intelligence, these products provide information to help organizations understand internal and external risks that are present and could affect their environment.
As threats like ransomware and cryptomining malware increase, so does the need for security professionals to have the information necessary to stay ahead of attacks. Threat intelligence can help an organization's security team prevent attacks and even provide them with a strategic advantage, which is why more and more companies are investing in this area.
But simply obtaining information alone isn't a satisfactory solution. The data must be actionable and that's what threat intelligence companies seek to provide as they develop software platforms and other hardware solutions designed to help security professionals take proactive measures to prevent attacks from becoming an organizational issue. These tools offer analysts a deeper look into a threat to identify patterns and prevent bad actors from targeting their organizations' users.
While tools are abundant, no single offering does it all. The SC Media review team spoke with providers, as well as customers who use threat intelligence tools, and found most purchase more than one solution. At first, we had a hard time getting our minds around that concept since organizations don't typically buy multiple solutions in other spaces, such as SIEM or anti-virus. However, we quickly came to understand that having more information translates into making better decisions to defend against threats.
A strong threat intelligence program can be extremely beneficial to your organization. But if a company is not careful, its efforts could fall into the same seemingly bottomless pit littered with other security technologies and waste large amounts of resources (people, time and money) without achieving any measurable success. So, while it may sound good to arm your security team with threat intelligence tools, make sure to take the time to plan out your goals before committing to a solution.
