International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) has announced its acquisition of Resilient Systems as a key component of helping it boost its cyber security measures.
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IBM did not reveal the terms of the acquisition, but it will use Resilient Systems to automate security responses. Automation and orchestration platforms are becoming increasingly popular in the RSA security conference as platforms for response to attacks and breaches.
Resilient Systems helps its customers deal with security breaches once they have happened rather than preventing them. In other words, it is equivalent to a therapeutic rather than a prophylactic. Resilient has roughly 100 employees, and it will be a vital part of IBM’s X-Force Incident Response Services. IBM also has a software and consulting unit that that is geared towards managing and eliminating attacks. Resilient Systems will be assimilated into IBM’s QRadar intelligence platform, and it will also become part of Big Blue’s security.
IBM’s vice president of security Caleb Barlow stated that attacks have become inevitable, and when they happen, resilience is necessary to restore operations and keep damage to a minimum. He also stated that response to such situations needs to be instantaneous. IBM also announced that its new X-Force Incident Response services will offer the team’s expertise on such planning similar to how companies prepare for other disasters before they happen.
The company also sealed a partnership with a firm called Carbon Black that provides full accounts of incidents, thus allowing customers to backtrack incidents to their point of origin. It also helps clients analyze the impact of threats to the organization. According to Barlow, when these three pieces are combined, they will make up a comprehensive offering for IBM’s response to incidents.
Most firms don’t often have any idea what to do when security breaches take place or when responsibilities are too scattered especially in large corporations. IBM therefore plans to take advantage of the niche presenting itself through these problems. It will offer its comprehensive security package to tackle such situations. IBM’s security division was launched four years ago when the company acquired QRadar.
