Save the Fitbit Steps—Isolate and Remediate Ransomware / Malware Automatically

On a recent Ivanti Interchange IT podcast, during our IT Leadership Summit, we talked a lot about automation. It seemed like this theme of automation came up again and again, enough so, that perhaps we could have automated it. ;-) That’s right, the best things to automate are repeatable processes—especially the ones your repeat often.

One podcast host mentioned he had automated buying soap and detergent for his house through Amazon. I brought up that it might be healthier to jump in the car, walk across a parking lot, maneuver around the store, stand in the checkout line, and then reverse the process to get the groceries home. At least he could get a few Fitbit steps in, right? But according to the host, it was just far too easy to do it through Amazon.

Automate for Efficiencies—and Emergencies

We automate processes because we want to make them easier and more efficient. But we also need to automate processes when there’s an emergency situation. Take for instance the detection of malware on a device. The detection is obviously automated—because it would take far too long for a human to perform all the analysis—but what about the response? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could:

• Detect the malware
• Take the device offline automatically
• Have your IT person or device user take a few Fitbit steps to deliver the device to IT and resolve the problem, or if remote, get the device boxed up and in the mail

But let’s take it a step further. Wouldn’t it be great if you could:

• Take the device offline automatically
• Remote control the device—even though it’s isolated from the rest of the network
• Remediate or reimage the device

Still, we probably haven’t gone far enough. Wouldn’t it be almost magical if you could:

• Take the device offline automatically
• Automatically patch the device
• Receive an alert to remote control the device
• Run a script or software to perform forensic analysis
• Remediate or reimage the device
• View a dashboard or report and see that the issue was resolved and how many other similar issues were caught and remediated

For more details about how this automated isolation and remediation works, refer to Eran Livne’s blog: Operational IT and Security—Breaking the Siloed Approach.

Now that’s automation that would save your organization from a lot of risk, headaches, and expenses. Oh yeah, Ivanti does that! And it seems a little more important than saving you from a few Fitbit steps and a trip to the store, right?

Wherever automation shows up, whether it makes things easier or more convenient or saves you from costly catastrophes with ransomware and other malware, it’s a life-changer. And once you’ve gone to that “auto-magic” world, it’s hard to go back. Even if the journey of a thousand Fitbit steps would help your fitness, the reduced stress may be even healthier.

Adam Smith is a senior product marketing manager overseeing the Ivanti Endpoint Manager solution and is a published author. He also built a successful karate instruction business and earned a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Business and Spanish from Utah State University.