Big data holds security benefits

The Wall Street Journal's CIO Journal recently reported that one popular use of big data analytics with companies is improving their security performance. According to the source, using unstructured data analytics to predict security threats can bring benefits beyond those detectable by traditional systems.

Experts who spoke to the source stated that using Hadoop has changed the way they detect fraud. According to the Journal, the open-source big data framework gives companies such as eBay and Zions Bank the ability to detect threats by combining structured and unstructured data to make a nuanced profile of possible fraudsters.

The source stated that companies with no big data integration may be interested in security as their first use of the technology. Zions Bank's Preston Wood told the Journal that once companies add data to their decision-making process, it will remain there.

According to a survey by Current Analysis, managed security services providers have begun to use big data in their next wave of solutions. The source stated that the providers have found ways to measure sudden shifts in online traffic and detect security threats while they are under way rather than after the fact.