Microsoft targets big data and machine language security
What to expect from Microsoft's 2Q15 earnings (Part 11 of 11)
Microsoft’s position in big data and machine learning
As we mentioned earlier in this series, Microsoft (MSFT) acquired Aorato. This acquisition is expected to significantly boost Microsoft’s active directory’s security with machine learning and big data technology.
If Microsoft’s Equivio acquisition is able to improve Office 365’s capabilities, it will benefit Microsoft investors. It will also benefit ETFs—like the Powershares QQQ Trust ETF (QQQ) and the Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK)—that have high exposure to Microsoft.
Aorato highlights security flaws
Through its security technology, Aorato is expected to provide Microsoft customers with “a new level of protection against threats through better visibility into their identity infrastructure.” Its security technology provides anomaly detection by “intelligently” base lining the normal behavior and flagging anything outside that normal behavior.
According to Takeshi Numoto, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Cloud and Enterprise Marketing, “With Aorato we will accelerate our ability to give customers powerful identity and access solutions that span on-premises and the cloud.”
Aorato’s security technology works on a similar line as the active directory on the application and system side. The above chart shows how Microsoft Azure’s active directory works. Aorato’s technology includes user login, behavior, and usage.
To understand this mechanism, we’ll look at an example of how it works. If someone from an accounting department logs in to make a change for the first time, the behavior will be flagged, highlighted, and stopped—even if they have full access to do so. The same action will occur if no one in their group has logged in previously.
This is expected to be a good solution to solve insider threats and insider stolen intellectual property problems. Cyber security drew a lot of attention and funds from technology companies like Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and Cisco Systems (CSCO).
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