New technologies can bring more threats to corporate security, but because they increase information technology connectivity and vulnerabilities, they can also be used to fight against these problems. Cybersecurity software maker Imperva Inc. uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to do threat analytics and predictive attack research for its clients.

“We are fighting against technologies like AI,” said Pam Murphy (pictured), chief executive officer of Imperva. “But we are also using those technologies to help us decide where we need to continue to add capabilities to stop [cyberattacks].”

Murphy spoke with Jeff Frick, host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the RSA Conference in San Francisco. They discussed how Imperva uses data to protect consumers from security threats, the company’s focus on consumer needs, and how Murphy’s background contributes to this strategy.

Blocking 1 million attacks per minute

To collect data for AI and machine-learning analysis, Imperva has what it calls a “threat research group,” whose job is to assess data that passes through the company’s content delivery network. Offering solutions in the cloud and on-premises, Imperva protects over 3 million databases and looks at about 25 petabytes of data daily.

“We get the benefit of basically seeing all that are hitting our customers every day,” Murphy said. “We block about 1 million attacks every minute.”

The data allow Imperva to conduct research to identify the pattern of attacks and how the threat landscape is changing, for example. That guides the company to augment its products to prevent those attacks, according to Murphy.

“Before, a lot of the attacks were just sort of fast and furious. Now we’re seeing a pattern towards slow — slow and continuous,” she said.

As Murphy has built her career working on the consumer side of security, she wants to harness her knowledge of customer demand to perfect Imperva’s market approach. The idea is to deliver a more complete and integrated solution for enterprise customers.

“Our focus is on what do customers need rather than what software tech companies or security companies think that they need,” Murphy said. The new approach involves making the tools easier to use and showing customers the breadth of company’s solutions.

Another goal is to keep focus on innovation. “We’re working on a lot of cool stuff, which will be rolling out through the rest of the year,” she said.

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the RSA Conference:

Photo: SiliconANGLE