CIO Influence Interview with Chris Morales, CISO and Head of Security Strategy, Netenrich

Chris Morales, CISO and Head of Security Strategy, Netenrich, chats about security operations, Resolution Intelligence Cloud technology, cybersecurity threats and more in the following Q&A:

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Hi Chris, welcome to our CIO Influence Interview series. Please share your professional journey in cybersecurity and your role at Netenrich.

 I’ve worked in the cybersecurity field for more than two decades and during that time, I’ve had the opportunity to work with a wide range of technology and security companies. My focus has always been on designing and leading security strategies. As the CISO for Netenrich, my primary responsibility is ensuring the company doesn’t pose a supply chain risk to our customers. In the same vein, I work to ensure our platform and services are resilient against potential adversarial attacks.

I joined Netenrich a little over three years ago, and what attracted me to the company was its ability to scale and automate operations and incident resolution processes at an impressive cost-performance ratio. We’ve grown to serve thousands of customers and have an extremely high retention rate. The company’s vision to redefine security operations with a proactive, shift-left approach resonates with me because it aligns with what I believe cybersecurity and operations professionals need to succeed in their roles.

Also Read: How CFOs and CIOs are Collaborating to Drive IT ROI

Netenrich emphasizes a proactive, shift-left approach in security operations. Can you elaborate on the importance of this strategy in today’s cybersecurity landscape?

Taking a “shift-left” approach to security operations means we’re embracing the concept of Autonomic Security Operations (ASO). Inspired by site reliability engineering principles, this approach enables the operational scale to keep up with a dynamic attack surface and unpredictable operating environment. Organizations face a wide array of threats each day, but not all of them pose the same level of risk or disruption. Taking a proactive approach to pre-empting threats means not only enhanced security but also less time wasted responding to potential issues and dealing with operational disruptions.

By adopting ASO, we’re striving to automate most of our security operations, continuously improve our company’s security posture, and effectively handle both existing and future challenges. This involves implementing practices like continuous detection and continuous response (CD/CR), allowing us to adapt swiftly to new threats and vulnerabilities.

Essentially, we integrate security into every step of the process from the start. This way, we can spot and address weak points early, strengthening the entire system and making it more resilient against cyber threats. We focus on building a resilience strategy that enables organizations to anticipate, withstand, recover, and adapt to cyber threats.

Ultimately, by shifting security ‘left,’ we’re integrating it into every step of an organization’s process. This approach helps us catch issues early and make our systems more resilient. It’s like having a security check at every stage, so when threats arise, we’re already prepared rather than playing catch-up.

Netenrich’s Adaptive MDR solution is powered by the Resolution Intelligence Cloud™. How does this technology enhance your security operations, and what benefits does it bring to your customers?

The Netenrich Adaptive MDR solution is a comprehensive managed detection and response (MDR) service that offers a dynamic, intelligent, and flexible approach to security operations. It transforms traditionally reactive and alert-driven security operations centers (SOCs) into more efficient and effective strategies. Adaptive MDR uses AI and big data to analyze an organization’s vast amount of data and turn it into part of the solution, not the problem.

A key component of our approach is enhancing situational awareness. This means we’re not just reacting to threats but continuously aligning our activities with environmental changes that cause exposure and ongoing threat activity. Our solution crosses traditional technology boundaries and connects separate functions in real time, providing a holistic view of the security landscape.

With this approach, our customers can anticipate and automatically respond to threats and proactively adjust to better respond to future challenges. It’s like having a crystal ball that not only predicts problems but also starts solving them immediately. Moreover, our solution is designed for operational scalability. As the volume of data and potential adverse events grows, our system can adapt and scale accordingly, ensuring consistent protection even as the organization expands or faces new challenges.

Our Adaptive MDR, powered by the Resolution Intelligence Cloud, operates on a continuous loop of data, detection, and response engineering. This dynamic cycle allows us to constantly evolve and improve, ensuring our customers’ security operations are always one step ahead of potential threats. It’s like having a continuous learning system that gets better at defending your business the more it’s used.

Given Netenrich’s specialization in Chronicle SecOps as a Google partner, how does this partnership enhance your security offerings, and what unique advantages does it provide to your clients?

Our close partnership with Google and seamless integration of Adaptive MDR with Google SecOps technologies gives our customers a crucial advantage. We harness Google’s advanced and innovative security infrastructure (including SIEM, SOAR, Mandiant, Duet AI, and UEBA) and combine it with our technology to create a continuous, agile loop of data, detection, and response engineering. This approach significantly speeds up threat detection and response.

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Our customers benefit from this speed, plus the added insights from Google’s vast data resources and intelligent learning systems. It’s more than just using Google’s tools; it’s about creating a unique blend that offers top-notch, scalable security that keeps improving.

By integrating Google SecOps with our Adaptive MDR, we’re not just speeding up detection and response; we’re enhancing overall operational resilience. This means that as threats evolve, our system evolves too, providing our clients with a security solution that continuously adapts and improves, ensuring they stay ahead of potential risks.

How does Netenrich’s integration with Google SecOps and Google Cloud enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of security operations for your clients, and what unique capabilities or advantages does this partnership bring to your overall security strategy?

Our integration with Google SecOps and Google Cloud gives our security operations a turbo boost. By tapping into Google’s powerful threat detection and cloud capabilities, we’re able to offer rock-solid security solutions that scale with our clients’ needs. It’s like having a super-smart, super-fast assistant to analyze vast amounts of data in the blink of an eye.

This partnership means our clients get faster, more accurate threat detection and response. We’re combining our security smarts with Google’s tech muscle to deliver top-tier protection that’s both powerful and efficient — something we’re incredibly proud to offer our clients.

This partnership also allows us to adopt a more quantitative approach to managing digital risks. By leveraging Google’s advanced analytics, we can provide our clients with insights that are not just faster but more precise, allowing them to make smarter, data-driven decisions about their security strategy.

What are some of the most pressing cybersecurity threats that businesses must be prepared for today, and how is Netenrich addressing these threats with its innovative solutions?

Today’s digital world is full of cyber dangers, such as ransomware, phishing scams, persistent attackers, and even insider threats. With more devices connected to the internet and more people working from home, the risks increase significantly. It’s like leaving more doors and windows open for potential intruders.

At Netenrich, we tackle these threats head-on with our intelligent security solutions. Our systems are always on guard, using the latest intel to spot dangers and automatically respond to threats around the clock. However, we also recognize the importance of the human element, so we focus on training programs to help our clients build a security-conscious culture. It’s a comprehensive approach — we’re not just responding to incidents but also building resilience into the organization’s culture and processes. By using smart tech like AI, we can identify and tackle risks faster and more accurately, helping our clients stay one step ahead of the bad guys.

We emphasize the importance of situational awareness and operational resilience, ensuring our clients can see the big picture and respond effectively. Our solutions are designed to provide a common operational picture so that when a threat arises, our clients have all the information they need to make quick, informed decisions.

Can you discuss the role of AI and big data in modern cybersecurity and how Netenrich is leveraging these technologies to stay ahead of cyber threats?

Our Resolution Intelligence Cloud™ uses intelligent algorithms to analyze security data, effectively monitoring a multitude of data points at once and instantly spotting anything suspicious. By connecting the dots between different pieces of information, we can better anticipate and respond to new threats. This means our clients can react more intelligently. Our AI systems work alongside our human experts, enhancing their decision-making capabilities and allowing them to focus on complex problems that require human insight and creativity.

It’s about working smarter, not just harder. Machines excel at processing large volumes of data to derive insight. Humans excel at leveraging analytical skills to identify nuance and interpret results for meaning. Working together, we have a better chance of scaling operational capabilities to where they need to be.

Ultimately, we aim to move towards autonomic security operations, where AI and big data continuously optimize our security posture. This means our systems are not just reacting but learning and evolving, ensuring that our clients are always a step ahead of the latest threats.

Looking ahead, what are some emerging trends in cybersecurity that you believe will shape the industry in the next decade?

Cybersecurity is a data problem, and data will drive outcomes. For example, Autonomic Security Operations (ASO) is gaining traction, using data to better align continuous detection and response with organizational risk.

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Machine learning techniques will continue processing increasing volumes of data to extract insight and meaning, giving security teams better situational awareness and improving their decision-making.

We’ll also see more focus on securing the whole supply chain, meaning businesses need to think beyond their walls and consider the security of their partners and suppliers. Another crucial trend is the growing importance of asset management in cybersecurity. As organizations’ digital footprints expand, understanding and securing all assets becomes increasingly complex and critical. This field is still developing, and there’s significant room for growth in both tools and skills.

At Netenrich, we’re actively working to stay ahead of these trends, seeing them as opportunities to improve our services and bring more value to our clients. We’re particularly focused on developing comprehensive asset management capabilities as part of our ASO approach, ensuring our clients have complete visibility and control over their digital assets.

Moreover, we’re seeing a growing recognition that traditional prevention-focused strategies have limitations. The future of cybersecurity lies in building resilience—the ability to anticipate threats, withstand attacks, recover quickly, and adapt defenses. At Netenrich, we’re championing this shift from a prevention-only mindset to a more holistic resilience strategy. It’s about creating an adaptive security posture that can evolve with the threat landscape rather than trying to build an impenetrable wall.

Resilience is the future of cybersecurity. It’s not just about preventing attacks but being prepared to recover quickly and adapt. At Netenrich, we’re leading this shift towards a resilience-focused strategy, ensuring our clients can bounce back stronger from any threat.

Thank you, Chris, for sharing your insights with us.

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