Evil never sleeps. The hackers and cybercriminals of the world are constantly working on new ways to attack computers. They’re also improving on the classics, like ransomware.

To combat those threats, security researchers need to move fast. That means detecting and acting in real-time to contain and shut down any attack, according to Derek Manky (pictured), global security strategist at Fortinet Inc.

“The manual work is what’s killing a lot of people out there,” said Manky. By the time someone plugs in a new manual or downloads an update, it’s already too late.

Manky spoke with Jeff Frick (@JeffFrick), co-host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE’s mobile live-streaming studio, during the RSA Conference in San Francisco.

Building intelligence to make sense of data  

While data is vital, there’s also so much data that it’s hard to make sense of it all. Fortinet has taken an approach where it has invested a lot into automation, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, Manky explained. The company’s focus is on making data — including threat intelligence — actionable.

The goal is to take data and put it into transparent security controls. That’s why Fortinet is working with the Cyber Threat Alliance, a group of security people working together to share information on threats and solutions. Membership in the Cyber Threat Alliance helps them get information out quickly. Visibility is a big thing, but speed is a very big thing, Manky said.

Manky then spoke about automation. “Humans can’t fully trust automation; you’re not going to put it fully in control,” Manky said.

However, automation is still a priority. Fortinet is researching how it can have machines automatically learn about and adapt to their environments.

“We’re starting to empower our products and solutions to make decisions on their own,” Manky said.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s on-the-ground coverage of the RSA Conference 2017.  

Photo by SiliconANGLE