How do you secure a building? Is locking the doors enough? Are the windows secured? Is there a fence and lights? Do you have guards walking around and key cards to provide conditional access to different people?
Protecting a physical building requires multiple systems. The same applies to cybersecurity. Digital businesses are complex and fast-moving, so their security solutions need to be diverse and integrated to keep up. Otherwise, cybercriminals exploit the resulting gaps.
Several key technologies create robust cybersecurity. By combining them in balance with an organisation's requirements, they can detect and repel online attacks and breaches. But like every industry, cybersecurity loves its jargon and acronyms, which hamper the very business minds that benefit from that security.
What are the most essential security concepts? This quick guide helps clarify them:
Security Operations Centre (SOC): The SOC forms the central coordinating hub for security management. A SOC integrates and consolidates reports from other security systems, creating a 24/7 central observation and action hub for security teams. A managed SOC monitors the security of multiple companies. It can save a business the cost and complexity of creating their own SOC and SOC team, or augment and support an internal SOC team.
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM): A SIEM combines security information management (SIM) and security event management (SEM) to create a single reporting source for security information. SIEMs automatically gather information logs from multiple devices and applications across a network, using machine learning and automation to ensure security operations receive clear and comprehensive information about events. A SIEM specialises in converting the noise of many security systems into a coherent signal, and integrates with a SOC.
Identity and Access Management (IAM): IAM systems have several roles. They provide a policy and behaviour framework for identity and access practices in an organisation. They manage identity and access processes and audits. They also oversee and control access technologies. IAM is instrumental for features such as single sign-on and multi-factor authentication, and integrates identity management into a company's larger security systems, such as the SOC and SIEM.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP): A DLP system monitors data behaviours against rule sets, flagging and intervening when required. For example, a DLP system can spot if someone is attempting to copy files to a USB or if there are data transfers at odd hours and intervene to block access. DLP logs are also useful for tracking data activity.
Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR): EDR systems monitor endpoint devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, PCs, servers, and Internet of Things devices. It provides a centralised system that monitors behaviours from endpoints, covering users, bots, and automated processes. Also called endpoint detection and threat response (EDTR), EDR scans behaviour based on rulesets and takes action if it detects anomalies.
Extended Detection & Response (XDR): XDR is EDR's bigger-picture companion and, in some cases, its successor. XDR monitors every step in transactions and behaviours on a network, including cloud workloads and distributed systems. It has become particularly advantageous as company IT systems decentralise and federate, and is crucial when using cloud services or supporting remote access to business systems.
Several other security technologies help make organisations cyber-safe and protect them against external and internal digital threats. But the most protected environments use a combination of the above security solutions, implemented by skilled partners such as Performanta.
We've taken this further, developing our Safe XDR philosophy: blending technologies such as SOCs, SIEMs and XDRs with our experienced people and integrated 24/7 managed security services. Wherever we align Safe XDR with our clients and their business needs, we've created strong security and rebuffed cybercrime attacks.
Don't feel overwhelmed by security jargon. We'll help you choose the best combination of technologies to ensure your people, data, networks, operations, and bottom line are all cyber-safe.