Bigger, Faster, Stronger: How Defense and Aerospace are Leading the Way in Big Data Security

As the big data market is expected to exceed $32 billion dollars in 2017, its implementation has moved well beyond its initial use in proof-of-concept projects and into daily operations of high value, such as security. Big data analytics are being used to service two specific purposes in the field of security: securing the information of the organization, as well as its clients; and using the analysis gained from it to predict security events and prevent security breaches. When it comes to leading the way, no industries have made better use of big data for these purposes than those of defense and aerospace.

Before big data came onto the scene, information was stored in relational databases that did not scale in either performance or cost. Now, well designed archives can better manage data by enhancing protection and restores, and by easing searches and e-discovery. Defense and aerospace, noting this potential, were the first to start testing big data in this way.

The reasons for this are obvious: big data’s use in information security has proven most optimal in ‘large enterprises with sophisticated information security architectures.’ Few industries fit that description better than defense and aerospace, whose applications call for innovative information storage solutions to deliver increased capacity, security, and speed. These interdependent industries have a wealth of mission-critical data across a huge number of technology, communications systems, and devices, for which the importance of security is second only to operational accuracy.

The necessity for big data security storage and analytics has only become more apparent in recent years, as the world has seen a rise in direct threats to information, including hacking, cyber-espionage, and cyber-terrorism. The necessity for increased information security has long been evident to the United States government, leading to the Big Data Research and Development Initiative, which was launched by the Obama administration in 2012. Since then, defense and aerospace have continued to leverage big data across the full scope of their security operations.

Autonomy investments that have stemmed from that initiative have led to big data security analysis which ‘recognize trends, adapt to real-world conditions, and succeed in complex, dynamic environments…’, while collaborations with human-systems investments have further shored-up security operations.

These industries also recognized the demand for certified security onboard the vehicles—both manned and unmanned—which they produce and deploy. Mobile vehicle systems are now standard, which means that their storage modules are regularly transported back and forth between ground stations and vehicles. It is crucial that critical data-at-rest be protected during this process, and big data’s ability to analyze and segment information helps streamline it, especially since the various levels of security clearance that are involved can often confuse things.

As defense and aerospace continue to rely on big data for its security storage and analysis, companies across other sectors should use them as a model for their own integration. Organizations will continue to become increasingly data-dependent, therefore it is necessary that they build a corporate culture that is highly knowledgeable in the area of big data, and which puts the concerns of information security at the very top of its priorities.