Cary-based analytics firm SAS reported on its new cybersecurity software, stress test technology for banks, its Internet of Things suite, and its new Academy for Data Science at the Premier Business Leadership Series (PBLS) in Las Vegas Wednesday.
SAS notes that the biggest cybersecurity threat facing organizations today is that of attackers lurking in networks undetected and in place for months, poised to steal data or disrupt operations. That’s because the longer they’re in the network, the more they blend in, making detection difficult.
SAS says its new software combs tens of billions of events in real time daily to check for anomalies that indicate an intrusion. “We’re in a good position to tackle this differently than others,” Jim Davis, SAS executive vice president and chief marketing officer tells WRAL TechWire.
The software, he explains, uses behavioral analytics to decide if IP addresses should be communicating with each other and if the frequency and department is appropriate. “We did a proof of concept with a large multi-national bank in New York and processed 25 billion events in four days at the rate of 400,000 to 500,000 a second.” After applying its analytics, the SAS software uncovered a number of potential threats the bank had been unable to see before.”
The idea is to capture threats in real time, not hours or days after an attack.
The bank has since purchased the product, Davis adds.
This month, Ventana Research awarded SAS Cybersecurity a 2015 Information Technology Innovation Award in the IT Analytics category. Ventana Research is a business technology research and advisory firm. With the award Ventana recognized SAS Cybersecurity as visionary and transformative technology that helps organizations solve a huge technology challenge and achieve important business goals.
Stress testing banks
Davis says the new SAS Stress Testing solution suite could help prevent another banking crisis such as the one that led to the all too recent recession.
“Banks are best positioned for stress testing success through a systematic, cross-functional and repeatable process,” said Vince Calabrese, CFO for F.N.B. Corporation in a statement. “Technology like the SAS Stress Testing suite enables banks to effectively manage the significant volume of data the process requires. It also makes it easier to implement complex models and to engage the entire organization in a more integrated program.”
IoT analytics could help lower healthcare costs
“The IoT is all about applying analytics to enormous amounts of data being generated by millions of connected devices,” said Jim Davis, CMO at SAS. “Analytics applied to that data drives real value for business, governments and society as a whole. SAS has an advantage because we’ve identified standard analytic procedures that allow organizations to enhance the customer experience, improve product quality and yield results from connected devices. While others are scrambling to develop scalable analytics to tame the IoT data onslaught, SAS has been analyzing this kind of sensor data for decades,” Davis says.
In particular, patients hospitalized for heart failure or other serious events may be able to go home more quickly because doctors can monitor them remotely. If readings are inappropriate, an alert goes off just like it would at a nurse’s station in a hospital. “It’s a less invasive approach to monitoring biostatistics,” Davis says.
Of course the IoT involves much more in which analytics play a major role. “It’s important to big companies to monitor their assets, to wind or solar farms, and we really see it advancing in automobiles,” notes Davis.
New academy offers certification
The new ASA Academy for Data Science will be based in New York initially and will then expand to other cities. “There is a severe shortage of of data scientists around the world,” Davis says.
Comprised of two distinct levels, each track combines classroom instruction, a hands-on case study or team project, related certification exams and coaching in a six-week immersive experience. By successfully passing certification exams, students earn one of two credentials: SAS Certified Big Data Professional or SAS Certified Data Scientist.
“SAS has been in the business of data science for nearly 40 years, adapting to and addressing customer needs. Right now, our customers need analytics talent,” said SAS CEO Jim Goodnight in a statement. “Employers trust SAS certified professionals not only to manage and analyze data, but also to understand the business implications, communicate results clearly and drive better decisions.”
