The Role of ITOps in Security
Whiskey and Wisdom is a monthly executive-only forum where ITOps leaders can network independently and discuss high-level AIOps and ITOps strategies with their industry peers.
In our most recent session, the discussion focused on security and the role that ITOps and AIOps have in closing the security gap. Here are some quick value takeaways from the conversation:
Unavoidable security battles are commonplace in organizations, regardless of the industry. Although it may seem easier to pass security off as someone else’s problem in your organization, ITOps leaders have increasingly found themselves on the front lines of security issues. So, how can ITOps teams justify being involved in security when there are security personnel handling that side of the house?
Cybersecurity is its own discipline, but as long as security and ITOps remain as independent silos, it’s better to have synergy between them since these areas are so often intertwined and overlap with common interests and goals. Many ITOps leaders feel that their teams have a role to play when it comes to security, since it affects their teams due to the high potential for outages. They know that they need to be concerned with safety, and a lot of focus is put into implementing best security practices and making it a part of the process. Most feel that their teams have at least a small role to play in security, but the “how” can vary significantly depending on the team and role.
Unfortunately, internal politics and turf battles can play a role in the discussion of security and the involvement of ITOps. Ultimately, it’s in the organization’s best interest to address security in a comprehensive way—and for different departments and teams to work collaboratively on addressing the issue. It’s obvious that everyone having their own conversations separately isn’t viable since there are too many attack vectors to worry about. Building a shared focus is critical. It is possible to tackle security at a product level, from an IT, operational and compliance perspective. It needs to be a holistic solution.
But how can ITOps find the time to play a role in security? It’s not like ITOps teams are currently twiddling their thumbs during the day—they’re busy. Adding a bunch of security actions to their plate can start pushing teams to the breaking point. A somewhat obvious solution to this conundrum is to get AIOps and automation involved. Building resiliency and ways of detecting is key as well as applying continuous learning to an automated solution. The bottom line is that bringing in AIOps and other tools creates an opportunity for ITOps to be more involved with security and for everyone to be more successful with less security risk than ever before.
About Whiskey and Wisdom:
Whiskey and Wisdom sessions occur monthly and the topics will always focus on high-level trends in the ITOps community. This closed forum is invite-only to ensure the conversation remains interactive and derives maximum value. And yes, whiskey will be provided.
