How to Properly Implement SIEM and SOC in Your Managed Services Organization
Today, cybercrime is more sophisticated than ever before. Help your business catch cyberattacks before they start by implementing proper SIEM and SOC services.
As cybercrime becomes more pervasive and sophisticated, there is an ever-growing demand for better security detection and management. An integral part of an effective cybersecurity solution is the set-up of a dedicated SOC using SIEM. This enables companies like yours to identify cyber threats immediately and sound alarms that lock down your data and networks.
Still, there are some standards that must be followed in order for suitable SIEM and SOC service to be implemented properly. Below, we’ll delve into why this is crucial and how to overcome some of the challenges that often accompany SIEM and SOC implementation. But first, let’s pause a moment and define some integral terms.
What Are SIEM and SOC Services?
SIEM stands for security information and event management. These are essential tools used by a SOC (security operations center) to detect and manage security issues.
The wisest businesses and organizations have their own SOCs. These operation centers are in charge of the business’s cybersecurity. As you may imagine, along with the heightened awareness on cybersecurity these days, businesses are no longer satisfied with a cybersecurity protocol that only involves IDSs (intrusion detection systems) and passive firewalls. While these tools can certainly be effective, the better way to handle cybersecurity is to construct a SOC with a strong and capable team of experts.
These experts are in charge of setting up security protocols and monitoring your business’s networks and systems for any possible breaches. If a security breach is detected, measures will be taken by the security operations center (SOC) immediately to amend the problem.
The question here is: How can a SOC adequately monitor every aspect of a business’s systems and networks for possible anomalies and security breaches?
At a large company, this is nearly impossible to do without technological assistance. That assistance comes in the form of SIEM (security information and event management). SIEM tools provide all of the necessary data that the SOC needs in order to see breaches and other security problems. In particular, SIEM services gather all pertinent data from a company’s network logs, end-point services, system logs, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and more. What’s not pertinent is left out in a process called normalization.
SIEM services then assess the pertinent data based on predetermined rules to see if any anomalies are present. From there, the (human) team members belonging to the SOC are able to analyze and scrutinize these anomalies, taking action whenever serious problems arise.
Challenges Relating to SIEM and SOC Services
It’s obvious that SOCs and their useful SIEM tools are absolutely necessary for detecting criminal cyber activity and taking action as soon as possible. However, challenges are bound to arise with these services.
One of the biggest challenges is how SIEM systems can properly weed out the “noise” that isn’t pertinent for analysis where security is concerned. The best way for SIEMs to do this is by “training” these systems to continuously fine-tune themselves, basing the information they find pertinent on previously assessed intelligence and, most importantly, context.
Another common challenge relating to SIEM and SOC services has to do with how data from multiple security tools can be aggregated into a single system for analysis. To be sure, it’s no piece of cake to compile massive amounts of data (after weeding out the “noise”) from different sources and to correlate that data into the proper form of intelligence for a SOC to analyze.
Regarding both of these challenges, it is critical that businesses choose the proper cybersecurity company to select, design, implement and manage SIEM and SOC services. Further challenges related to SIEM and SOC tools can be handled by choosing the proper IT team as well. Most notably, a quality IT team with experience and expertise in cybersecurity will know how to cut the often-costly expenses associated with implementing SIEM and SOC tools.
They’ll also be able to limit the extensive amount of time and troubleshooting often associated with SIEM and SOC design and deployment. The complexity of these tools can surely not be underestimated; however, as a business, you shouldn’t have to wait months to see implementation and results from SIEM and SOC services.
By detecting possible security threats immediately and meeting related challenged proactively, SIEM and SOC services can help your business stop cyberattacks before they become risks that will put your business in peril. Choose an IT company with a great record regarding SIEM and SOC, and you’ll be setting your business up for success with a robust wall of cybersecurity protocols.
