Illustrations by Greg Leighton.

Welcome to “In Security,” the web comic that takes a lighter look at the dark wave of threats crashing across business networks, endpoints, data and users. Get acquainted with the team and catch up by reading Episode 001, Episode 002, Episode 003, Episode 004 and Episode 005.

Let’s be frank — the Great Dawnack’s prediction on the future of cybersecurity is bleak and vague. While not incorrect, this prognosticating only highlights the problems plaguing the future of cybersecurity, not the solutions needed to keep what’s already a record number of attacks at bay.

Fortunately for you, dear reader, and our cartoon comrades, the RSA Conference was recently held in San Francisco. RSA is to cybersecurity solutions and offerings what CES is to the latest gadgets and gizmos. Essentially, this year’s 33,000 attendees were treated to the smarter security solutions that will be thwarting the ever-growing organizational skill and savvy of cybercriminals the world over.

To showcase some highlights from RSA that will stop tomorrow’s ransomware from ramshackling IT infrastructures, we asked the Great Dawnack to divine the contents inside a few hermetically sealed envelopes. Before we open the first envelope, though, we’d like to offer a big thanks to Johnny Carson’s alter ego, Carnack, for letting us borrow his bit.

What Range Is Hotter Than an Electrolux With Road Flares on Top?

The answer is the IBM Security X-Force Command Center. From this bat cave for corporate protection, RSA attendees learned how IBM Security analysts can simulate the latest attack vectors against almost any corporate IT configuration. Like a real firing range, the command center’s cyber range scenarios enable companies to prepare for the worst without the danger of downtime or loss of data.

Much More Than Elementary!

Also unveiled at RSA was the IBM answer to the hottest topic of 2017 in and outside of cybersecurity — machine learning. With IBM’s Cognitive Security Operations Center (SOC), powered by Watson for Cyber Security, human analysts receive a new shield against threats that continue to mount in sheer number and sophistication.

Today’s security analyst is faced with between 10 to 20 incidents per day, and each incident could have thousands of articles, blogs and other research resources needed to stop and then remediate the issue. With IBM QRadar Advisor with Watson at the heart of tomorrow’s SOC, cognitive research sits at analysts’ fingertips to cull through materials, correlate relevant research and provide human-ready remediation steps to rectify threats and keep networks to endpoints safe and secure.

Down With IoT — Better Get Ready!

The ultimate lesson from RSA, though, is preparedness. As the Internet of Things (IoT) expands the enterprise footprint with rapidly reproducing endpoints, waiting for attacks will be a surefire recipe for disaster. For every new tracking device, printer, thermostat or even smart coffeemaker brought into the office, cybercriminals are already ahead of the game to use these seemingly benign devices as entry points into other systems and more valuable data.

Thankfully, IBM and other security vendors are here so you don’t have to visit flea markets looking for a functional crystal ball.

Watch the on-demand webinar to learn more about the Cognitive Security Operations Center