Despite reported threat detection, investigation, and response (TDIR) improvements in security operations, more than half of organisations still experienced significant security incidents in the last year
FOSTER CITY, Calif.: According to new research from International Data Corporation (IDC) and Exabeam, 57% of companies experienced significant security incidents in the last year that required extra resources to remediate — shining a glaring light on program gaps caused by dedicated but overburdened teams lacking key, automated threat detection, investigation, and response (TDIR) resources. North America experienced the highest rate of security incidents (66%), closely followed by Western Europe (65%), then Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) (34%). Research for the Exabeam report, The State of Threat Detection, Investigation and Response, November 2023, was conducted by IDC on behalf of Exabeam and includes insights from 1,155 security and IT professionals spanning these three regions.
Organisations globally report that they can “see” or monitor only 66% of their IT environments, leaving ample room for blindspots, including those in the cloud. While no organisation is immune from adversarial advances, the lack of full visibility means that organisations are potentially blind to any advances in those unseen environments.
“Despite having the lowest number of security incidents, APJ reports the lowest visibility of all regions at 62%, signaling that these teams may be missing and failing to report incidents as a result,” noted Samantha Humphries, Senior Director, International Security Strategy, Exabeam. “With business transformation initiatives moving operations to the cloud and an ever-increasing number of edge connections, lack of visibility will likely continue to be a major risk point for security teams in the year ahead.”
Automation lags across TDIR
With TDIR representing the prevailing workflow of security operations teams, more than half (53%) of global organisations have automated 50% or less of their TDIR workflow, contributing to the amount of time spent on TDIR (57%). Not surprisingly, respondents continue to want a strong TDIR platform that includes investigation and remediation automation, yet hesitation to automate remains.
“As attackers increase their pace, enterprises will have to overcome their reluctance to automate remediation, which often stems from concern over what might happen without a human approving the process,” said Michelle Abraham, Research Director for IDC's Security and Trust Group. “Organisations should embrace all the helpful expertise they can find, including automation.”
The greatest TDIR needs in 2024 and beyond
When organisations were asked about the TDIR management areas where they require the most help, 36% of organisations expressed the need for third-party assistance in managing their threat detection and response, citing the challenge of handling it entirely on their own. This highlights a growing opportunity for the integration of automation and AI-driven security tools. The second most identified need, at 35%, was a desire for improved understanding of normal user and entity and peer group behaviour within their organisation, demonstrating a demand for TDIR solutions equipped with user and entity behaviour analytics (UEBA) capabilities. These solutions should ideally minimise the need for extensive customisation while offering automated timelines and threat prioritisation.
“As organisations continue to improve their TDIR processes, their security program metrics will likely look worse before they get better. But the tools exist to put them back on the front foot,” continued Moore. “Because AI-driven automation can aid in improving metrics and team morale, we’re already seeing increased demand to build even more AI-powered features. We expect the market demand for security solutions that leverage AI to continue in 2024 and beyond.”
The organisations surveyed for the report represent North America (Canada, Mexico, and the United States), Western Europe (UK and Germany), and APJ (Australia, New Zealand, and Japan), across multiple world industries.
