How to future-proof your business against the evolving bot threat (and a checklist of bot solutions)

We are more online than ever and hackers are doing their best to profit from it. They are constantly looking for new ways to infiltrate your business with increasingly sophisticated bots, scripts, and algorithms. Cybersecurity solutions don’t evolve as fast as hackers, and you’ll quickly fall behind and leave your business unprotected.

This article provides the key qualifications you must look out for if you want waterproof protection. At the end of the article, there’s a handy checklist of bot solutions to narrow down your shortlist to a single provider.

Key Qualifications for Bot Management Solutions

It must be powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning

Today’s advanced bots leverage the same technology that powers ChatGPT and Deepfakes. Modern bot management solutions must also incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to optimize their accuracy in identifying new threats while maximizing efficiency and scalability.

It must be integrated with other solutions

Modern security stacks leverage numerous toolsets, with robot guarding being a key component. The last thing you need is siled software that complicates an already diverse security and CDN/cloud deployment.

Your bot management solution needs to easily integrate with other tools and systems. A solution with multiple integration features will help you prevent blind spots, avoid silos, and consolidate alerts and notifications for your team.

It must comply with the regulatory framework

Depending on your industry and geography, your bot and online fraud protection may have to meet specific regulatory and compliance requirements, such as data privacy and sovereignty laws. Unfortunately, some government agencies have ruled that bot mitigation tools like reCAPTCHA use data for purposes other than security and do not automatically comply with GDPR.

Make sure the solution you choose is designed to meet relevant requirements and has the flexibility to respond to future compliance changes and challenges.

It must be easy to deploy and maintain

Robot management solutions must be easy to deploy and maintain to minimize operational disruption and maximize return on investment. Consider any potential supplier’s performance and track record with ongoing support and maintenance. You should verify the quality of customer support by checking ratings and reviews from peer organizations.

It must be flexible and customizable

Organizations have different needs when it comes to bot management, often due to factors such as different threats, fraud use cases, and customer experience KPIs. Therefore, cybersecurity leaders must evaluate whether solutions provide the necessary level of customization, flexibility, and support to meet organizational requirements—from onboarding to troubleshooting.

It must have a proven record of innovation

The bot and online fraud landscape is changing every day. Security vendors must stay on top of the latest technologies and tools used by cybercriminals. The only way to ensure your solution stays ahead of fraudsters is to choose a vendor with a proven team of threat research experts analyzing and updating detection models 24/7.

Another important factor is the robot management vendor’s record of product innovation and performance. Do they anticipate the evolution of bots and adapt by regularly adding new features, or is the tool still the same as it was ten years ago? Looking back at past performance can give you an idea of ​​a vendor’s maturity and ability to deliver value over time.

Bonus: Checklist of Robotics Solutions

Here are some key considerations to prioritize when narrowing down your shortlist of bot management solutions to one provider. You can download a checklist here to assist in comparing providers.

Best variety and package solutions

• Focus on dedicated robot management: Make sure the solution is dedicated to bot management rather than becoming a secondary feature of the wider suite.
• Advanced bot management features: Look for tools that go beyond basic static rules and provide dynamic behavioral analysis to combat complex bots.
• Proactively adapt to threats: Choose from evolving solutions to effectively combat emerging bot threats.

Breadth of solutions, use cases and supporting endpoints

• Multi-platform protection: Confirm that the solution covers all digital platforms, including websites, mobile applications and APIs.
• Comprehensive detection technology: Verify the presence of server-side and client-side detection to protect all endpoints from advanced bots.
• Efficient SDK for various devices: Check if there is a lightweight SDK that has been proven to successfully deploy on a variety of devices without affecting performance.
• Scalability and flexibility: Make sure the solution scales with your traffic and adjusts as needed to protect new use cases.

Easy to implement and use

• Seamless integration: Look for a solution that can easily integrate with existing technology stacks with minimal customization.
• Autonomous operation: Choose a system that operates efficiently in the background and requires minimal human oversight.
• Intuitive user interface: Make sure the solution provides a user-friendly interface for easy monitoring and management.

Accuracy and quality of robot detection and protection

• High detection accuracy: Confirm the solution’s effectiveness in identifying bots with a low rate of false positives.
• Continuous improvement and transparency: Look for a solution that instantly updates its detection mechanisms and provides transparent reporting on its effectiveness.
• Balanced performance: Ensure the solution balances detection accuracy and user experience without compromising data privacy or speed.

Performance: Provides uncompromising protection

• Effective request management: Verify that the solution is able to manage and interrogate requests without significant delays.
• Global infrastructure support: Make sure your provider has adequate infrastructure to support your global performance needs.
• Proven latency benchmarks: Request real-world latency benchmarks to validate the performance of your solution.

Deep expertise, including threat research

• Robot protection experience: Assess the vendor’s experience and longevity in bot protection.
• Industry-specific expertise: Confirm that the vendor has expertise relevant to your specific industry and its challenges.
• Powerful threat analysis record: Evaluate the vendor’s history and effectiveness in analyzing and responding to bot threats.

Peer review and industry recognition

• Customer and user recognition: Look for positive reviews and high ratings from current users.
• High Net Proposed Value (NPS): Check a supplier’s NPS as an indicator of customer satisfaction.
• Industry analysts recognize: Research vendors’ positions in industry reports from analysts such as Gartner and Forrester.

Implementation records

• Successful implementation cases: Investigate case studies and customer testimonials to learn about vendor implementation successes.
• Customer satisfaction with integration: Evaluate feedback on onboarding processes and integration ease of use.
• Feedback analysis: Review positive and negative feedback to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the solution.

Service and support

• Value-added professional services: Ensure suppliers provide expert services that provide additional value and best practices for robot protection.
• 24/7 expert support: Confirm 24/7 support and Security Operations Center (SOC) availability.
• Respond to customization requests: Check whether the supplier proactively addresses unique needs and customizations.
• Reliable and timely support: Ensure the supplier has a good track record of responsive support and problem resolution.

Transparent and predictable pricing

• Clear pricing structure: Verify that pricing is transparent and stable over time, including upon renewal.
• Strategic long-term savings: Evaluate how a solution’s effectiveness contributes to long-term cost savings and strategic resource allocation.