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Target recently opened a state of the art Cyber Fusion Center to protect customer data from online threats. Part of the $1 billion in planned investments in technology and supply chain this year, the center is designed for a quick, team-based approach to security events, according to the company's A Bullseye View blog.
In the large, open space, Target's key information security teams are encouraged to work together faster and with more agility than in the past, reducing the amount of time between the alert and containment of security events. The teams sit in an open format, arranged based on the logical flow of information.
"With no walls between any of the groups, members can connect to share information quickly and make fast and accurate decisions," said Dave Baumgartner, VP of cybersecurity at Target. "The entire team can come together in a moment's notice. And thanks to the open format, everyone always has direct access to leaders, and we're quick to turn failures into measureable improvements."
Photo: Target
To help staff the center, Target has posted 54 jobs on its "Target careers" web pages with titles such as principal engineer, cybersecurity; cyber threat intel senior analyst; lead security architecture; and incident triage analyst.
"Data security is a top priority at Target," said chairman and CEO Brian Cornell. "So we continue to invest heavily in top talent, as well as technology, and focus on continually evaluating and evolving our processes as the landscape changes."
Several teams share the center's space along with other information security experts:
- The Cyber Threat Intelligence team monitors and analyzes trends and patterns in cyberspace to help make decisions.
- The Cyber Security Incident Response team develops Target-centric detection techniques and keeps watch over systems and networks, ready to respond to any incident in a moment's notice.
- Security Testing Services evaluates new and existing technology to identify areas of concern, from proper coding or configuration to necessary patches.
- The Red Team simulates real-world attacks on Target's environment to uncover defensive control weaknesses.
- Continuous Improvement experts document the teams' learnings, capture metrics and reporting, and prioritize team efforts.
"My team develops content for monitoring the network, so I'm constantly working with the other teams to improve detection," said Lori Murray, security engineer. "Problem-solving requires understanding others' perspectives, which is why I appreciate the open atmosphere within the center."