Maximizing Efficiency and Security: The Art of Safe Automation

Automation is no longer optional for companies looking to scale and operate their cyber defenses. It enables organizations to do more with less, eliminating rote and mundane tasks to free up valuable human resources for more strategic initiatives. However, if not used carefully, automation can amplify existing problems, making something bad even worse. So, how can we use automation effectively and safely?

The key lies in leveraging best practices and advanced tooling that allow us to confidently apply automation for maximum benefit while minimizing the risk of mishaps. One recent example is the integration between DNSFilter and Rewst, a collaboration that promises to elevate operational efficiency for businesses dealing with time-consuming processes or escalations.

DNSFilter and Rewst: A Synergy for Scale

DNSFilter has recently completed an integration with Rewst, an automation platform designed specifically for managed service providers (MSPs). This integration aims to deliver seamless automation of routine tasks, reducing the time and effort required to manage DNS security policies and responses.

The community you protect always seems to be one-click away from getting hacked, so the ability to process and analyze vast amounts of data in real-time is crucial. Today, DNSFilter handles over 130 billion DNS requests per day—consistently categorizing and filtering with unparalleled reliability. By integrating with Rewst, DNSFilter enables MSPs to automate responses to security events, update policies, and streamline workflows without human intervention. Let's go!

Statistics show that automation can lead to a 30% reduction in operational costs and a 25% increase in productivity. For MSPs managing multiple clients and vast networks, automation isn’t just a convenience—it’s a necessity. It allows them to operate at machine scale, ensuring that more than 80% of processes are automated, leaving the complex problem-solving tasks to human experts.

The OODA Loop: A Framework for Effective Automation

automated, or fully automated—I often reach for the OODA loop, a concept originally developed by military strategist Colonel John Boyd. The OODA loop stands for Observe, Orient, Decide, Act, and it’s a continuous cycle that’s highly applicable to automation.

• Observe: Collect data from various sources.
• Orient: Analyze the data to understand the situation.
• Decide: Determine the best course of action based on the analysis.
• Act: Implement the decision and monitor the outcomes.

In the context of automation, the OODA loop helps in creating systems that are not only reactive but also adaptive. You may have many systems feeding all types of observations to orientation, and then decisions drive actions, and this in turn changes the world by which new observations begin. By continuously cycling through these stages, automated processes can adjust to new information and changing conditions more effectively.

Applying the OODA Loop with Rewst

Turning the focus to your operations and integrating Rewst into your workflow allows you to apply the OODA loop efficiently. Common use cases include: 

• End-to-end onboarding and offboarding of customer accounts 
• Automating service tickets that have clearly defined steps
• Automating incident response to security events
• Automating backups and recovery of critical assets 
• Automating processes related to blocked domain names or policy violations

An example being:

• Observe: Rewst collects real-time data from DNSFilter and other integrated tools.
  
  
• Orient: Rewst has configured a number of playbooks it has modeled in a OODA-like model (i.e., what to do if certain conditions are met).
  
  
• Decide: When these logical conditions are met, automated actions are taken.
  
  
• Act: Actions are taken on the environment closing the loop and starting the cycle anew.

This not only accelerates response times but also reduces the likelihood of human error, ensuring that your network remains secure while your team focuses on strategic tasks.

Threat Modeling Your Automation

While automation offers numerous benefits, it’s essential to approach it with a mindset of security and risk management. Threat modeling your automation involves identifying potential vulnerabilities within your automated processes and implementing safeguards against them.

Ask yourself:

• What could go wrong if this automated process fails?
• How can malicious actors exploit this automation?
• What are the fail-safes in place if the automation behaves unexpectedly?

By proactively addressing these questions, you can design automation workflows that are resilient and secure.

Modeling Success: Evidence-Based Automation

Before fully deploying automated processes, it’s crucial to model success and gather evidence that they will work as intended. This can involve:

• Pilot Testing: Implement the automation in a controlled environment to observe its performance.
  
  
• Metrics and KPIs: Establish key performance indicators to measure the effectiveness of the automation.
  
  
• Feedback Loops: Create mechanisms for continuous feedback and improvement.

For instance, after integrating Rewst, you might track metrics like the reduction in response time to security incidents or the decrease in manual workload for your team. This data provides tangible evidence of the automation’s value and highlights areas for further optimization.

Conclusion

Automation, when applied thoughtfully and securely, can be a game-changer for organizations operating at machine scale. By leveraging integrations like DNSFilter and Rewst, and frameworks like the OODA loop, businesses can enhance efficiency, improve security, and free up human resources for higher-level strategic initiatives.

In a world where cyber threats are ever-evolving and data volumes are skyrocketing, automation isn’t just an advantage—it’s a necessity. But it’s a necessity that must be approached with care, foresight, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

By threat modeling your automation and modeling success through evidence-based practices, you can harness the full potential of automation while mitigating risks. It’s about making automation work for you, not against you, and setting your organization on a path to sustainable, secure growth.