In the world of managed IT services and network systems management, there are many terms which may be unfamiliar to small and medium sized businesses. But the services which are available to streamline and optimize your data center operations are many and varied – and it is important for those responsible for their company’s IT performance to understand the options they have.
A security operations center, also known as an SOC, is a centralized department that oversees organizational security issues, both on a business and technical aspect. Within as office environment, the SOC houses the staff in charge of site supervision, dealing with all security actions via their networks. Generally, a SOC is able to handle system monitoring, as well as physical controls such as lighting, alarms, gates and barriers.
Elements of a Security Operations Center
A more specialized version of the SOC is the ISOC, or information security operations center. The ISOC is a dedicated site for monitoring and defending enterprise wide applications, such as web sites, servers, databases, networks and data centers. There are two important areas of service you should know about: managed detection and response, and endpoint detection and response.
Managed Detection and Response: Many organizations, especially smaller companies with limited resources, struggle to identify and mitigate risks to their networks. In fact, even being aware of the possible risks is a full time effort they find impossible to stay on top of. Managed detection services provide expertise; both for detection of the threat, and executing the proper response.
Managed detection and response services typically share common elements and characteristics, including:
- MDR concentrates on threat detection, utilizing the manages services provider’s own tools and technologies and executed at the users’ site.
- The provider is generally responsible for managing and monitoring Internet gateways, and can also detect threats which have managed to breach the traditional security methods.
- Managed detection and response necessarily relies on security event management and advanced data analytics.
- While automation may be utilized, MDR most often involves humans to monitor your network 24 x 7. These professionals analyze security events, determine a course of action and correction, and alert the client as needed. Very often, the client has direct communication with a live human being rather than having to consult a dashboard or portal to know what is going on with their network. In this regard, the MDR personnel become an extension of your own workforce.
- Managed detection and response service providers also perform additional services such as identifying elements areas of possible compromise or reverse engineering of malware or cyber threats. They are also a great resource for helping to orchestrate the overall security strategy of the organization.
Endpoint Detection and Response: Even a small IT department manages hundreds of endpoints across its organization’s network. These include not only the traditional desktop monitors and servers, but laptops, tablets, smartphones, internet of things (IoT) devices, and even smart watches. In an increasingly mobile world, each of these endpoints has the capability to be victimized by a cyberattack. While ever-evolving antivirus solutions can identify and stop many new threats, hackers continually create more. EDR services combine real-time endpoint monitoring, and the collection and analysis of data. The main functions of an EDR system are to monitor and amass activity data from vulnerable endpoints; analyze data to identify threat patterns; automatically respond to threats to remove or contain them, and to alert employees tasked with security.
If your organization is looking for up its security game but you feel you do not have the knowledge or resources to do so – call Alliance IT. Our experienced professionals can help you to set up a security operations center to identify and deal with the threats against your organization, and to protect your data.
