How SOC-As-a-Service and Managed Detection and Response Can Improve Your Customers’ Security Posture

Security operations center as a service (SOCaaS) and managed detection and response (MDR) are managed cybersecurity services that provide intrusion detection of ransomware/malware and malicious activity in the network and assist in rapid incident response to eliminate those threats with concise remediation actions. Typically, SOCaaS and MDR combine with technology solutions that have outsourced security analysts to extend security technologies and team.

The standard scope of SOCaaS and MDR security includes: 

• Threat Detection and Response: Constant monitoring of data and filtering alerts for analysis
• Network Detection and Response: In-depth visibility into network traffic and monitoring of local area network to quickly discover threats that bypassed security defenses and the gateway
• Endpoint protection and detection: AI-driven static and dynamic behavioral analysis to monitor and log all executable behavior, both before and during runtime, to collect critical intelligence and expose even the most evasive zero-day malware
• Threat analysis: Examination of potential threats to discover its origin, scope, and risk level
• Incident response: Notification of any issues and removing the threat 

Less expensive than having an internal team, SOCaaS and MDR solutions provide everything necessary to keep an organization’s network safe and secure by providing 24/7 monitoring, strong threat hunting and intelligence, incident analysis and alerts, and quick and affective threat response to protect against damages of attacks and breaches.

Use to Solve Common Security Challenges

Too many alerts can overwhelm a small security team. Alert fatigue leads to inadequate monitoring, causes workers to neglect other tasks, and leaves a network open to an attack. SOCaaS and MDR help handle the volume of alerts that need to be checked individually. Once set up, these solutions do all the monitoring in the system, leaving the staff with ample time to focus on other duties.

It is hard to identify severe threats from alert noise. A malicious element may appear to be a random alert, while common errors can raise red flags across the system. To determine the cause, scope, and status of a problem, an IT team must analyze the situation. By investing in SOCaaS and MDR, a company secures advanced analytics tools and security experts capable of interpreting events in the network.

A poorly trained IT team can struggle when faced with an advanced threat. SOCaaS and MDR providers are staffed with security specialists capable of keeping up with cyberattacks. By investing in these security solutions, you ensure the industry’s best talent is monitoring the organization’s networks and devices!

Businesses often lack funds, time, or skills to train operators to use EDR tools properly. SOCaaS and MDR solutions come with high-end EDR tools and the personnel who know how to use them. EDR tools are integrated into detection and response processes, removing the need for in-house endpoint protection expertise.

Benefits of SOCaaS and MDR

Standard tools for cybersecurity are good at stopping simple breaches and attacks. However, preventive tactics are not enough to secure an entire infrastructure. SOCaaS and MDR solutions offer a thorough method of ensuring network safety. Instead of focusing solely on prevention, these solutions go after threats before they get an opportunity to cause damage. 

When a SOCaaS or MDR tool detects a problem, the team first verifies the validity of the threat. If the issue has a malicious cause, operators inform the customers about the situation and eliminate the threat. Isolating the threat is another significant component of these solutions. If a potential attack is spotted, the issue is contained within a single system. The threat is then unable to spread to other sectors of the network, reducing damage caused by a successful breach.

When a standard security control runs into an alert, it sends unchecked alerts to operators. The process of separating false signals from real dangers can drain time and resources. SOCaaS and MDR solutions perform an in-depth investigation of every suspicious activity in the network. Each threat is analyzed to check its status. Alerts that reach the security team require immediate action, so there are no pointless distractions.

Setting up a custom detection and response system requires time. One would need to license software tools, set up the system, create procedures and security policies, and train the staff. SOCaaS and MDR solutions require little configuring and follow cybersecurity best practices.

The quicker a threat is detected and dealt with, the easier and cheaper it is to remove it. Without SOCaaS and MDR security, it takes an average of 280 days to identify and contain a breach. MDR improves detection levels and reduces dwell time of breaches resulted from malware and APTs.

All major SOCaaS and MDR providers ensure their defense procedures are compliant with regulatory bodies. In strictly regulated industries such as healthcare and finance, it is imperative that these requirements are met or risk hefty fines and disciplinary action.

SOCaaS and MDR solutions can provide your customers with the necessary security protection that they need without the time and financial lift of having a security operations center and handling detection and response in house. Attend TBI’s NexGen Virtual Connect: Security on October 29^th to learn the latest on SOCaaS, MDR and other leading security solutions benefiting businesses right now.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
An accomplished and seasoned security expert, Jim brings 20+ years of in-depth knowledge in engineering powerful security solutions. Having worked with notable companies in finance, healthcare, manufacturing, technology and more, he advises on complete security infrastructure, from assessments, vulnerabilities and risk management to phishing training/simulation, DDOS mitigation, endpoint protection and Managed SOC.You can reach Jim at jbowers@tbicom.com or connect on LinkedIn.