The rapid evolution of cyber threats has necessitated many organizations to create and implement constant security monitoring measures. This includes setting up a security operations team dedicated to protecting an organization from potential cybersecurity threats.
However, not every company has the resources and capacity to institute a functional cyber security unit. As a result, enterprises are hiring and deploying security solutions to enhance their security postures by detecting vulnerabilities and mitigating potential threats. This is the essence of a security operations center (SOC).
Here is a detailed overview of how managed SOC services can help you take your security to the next level.
Understanding Security Operations Center
A Security Operations Center is a structured unit in an organization consisting of technology, processes, and security analysts. The center is committed to monitoring the enterprise’s security systems in real time. Security operations centers function like centralized command posts from where a company’s IT systems, databases, devices, and networks are scanned for vulnerability detection.
On the other hand, a managed Security Operations Center is an external service provider equipped with resources and the expertise to evaluate a company’s evolving cybersecurity threats. Interested organizations outsource the professional services of a managed SOC team through a subscription-based model. Essentially, the security strategy within which managed SOC teams operate is defined by the hiring organization.
Functions of a Managed Security Operations Center
Managed SOC service providers are outsourced to undertake a portfolio of security services, including the following;
• Continuous Cyber Security Monitoring
The primary role of a managed security operations team is to scan an organization’s IT systems and networks for possible suspicious activity. The scope of cyber monitoring cuts across enterprise applications, software, devices, clouds, and all cyber endpoints.
• Threat Intelligence
This is the collection, processing, and analysis of cyber-focused data to better understand the contextuality of existing cyber threats. SOC teams can prioritize threats and deploy the necessary solutions at the right time through threat intelligence. Generally, threat detection is considered the go-to measure for overall data protection and reduced risks.
• Log Management
SOC security experts are also responsible for analyzing the log data of all events within an organization’s network. This way, normal activities can be aggregated to form a baseline for threat detection. Most SOC teams undertake log management using SIEM solutions. A security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system is designed to take a real-time view of an IT infrastructure, consolidate available data, and correlate data elements to produce actionable cybersecurity information.
• Incident Response
Incident or threat response is the performance of actions by a security operations unit to mitigate the impact of a threat on a company’s IT systems. Incident response applies where there is an actual threat with the primary aim of ensuring less impact on business continuity. Functions of threat response include file deletion, endpoint isolation, password resets, traffic rerouting, and root-cause investigation.
• Root Cause Investigation
After the occurrence of security incidents, a SOC team will investigate the factors surrounding the attack. During this investigation, security analysts evaluate cyber information, such as log data, to establish the cyber loopholes that gave way to the attack.
• Remediation and Recovery
SOC teams will help you in recovering and remediate your systems and networks. This includes restoring closed-off applications, reconfiguring systems, and restoring isolated endpoints. The idea is to reinstate systems in their original or better state than they were before the attack.
• Compliance Management
SOC security services are not complete without implementing a functional compliance management system. These are practices that ensure your organization remains compliant with the global and local standards and regulations of data security. Such standards include PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR.
Optimizing Your Security Operations
Real-time cybersecurity goes beyond the human effort of a managed SOC team. While SOC as a Service is a great way to stay ahead of potential threats, the evolving cyberattack landscape may have plenty of loopholes that go undetected. This requires you to learn and adopt advanced cybersecurity strategies that are running leading organizations. Here is an overview.
• Implement Machine Learning for SOC
Machine learning scans through millions of data and data patterns to correlate security incidents for a prompt response. The technology behind machine learning can cluster, classify, and predict security events.
• Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence analyses big data to learn security behaviors and patterns of data categories.
The advantage of enhancing your SOC with machine learning and artificial intelligence is that these next-level technologies are adaptive. The more data you process, the more the systems learn.
• Adopt a Cybersecurity Framework
A cybersecurity framework describes the guidelines, standards, policies, and procedures necessary for enhancing security controls in the organization. The framework is adopted by teams as the standard against which cyber risks are detected and mitigated.
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