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4 Tips For Security Analytics Solutions (That Everyone Forgets)

Findings: The Forrester Wave: Midsize Managed Security Services Providers, Q3 2020

security analytics solutions tips

So you have your security analytics solution deployed in your IT environment. You’ve made the careful selection from the catalog of security analytics solutions, trained your employees and managers in how to work with it rather than against it, and integrated it with your other cybersecurity solutions.

But…now what? You know security analytics solutions aren’t set-it and forget-it affairs, but how do you maintain an active role in your cybersecurity platform? It can be a real challenge to properly implement a security analytics solution, yet the benefits of doing so are incalculable. In that vein, we’ve compiled some oft-forgotten tips for IT security teams and CISOs looking to make the most of their security analytics solutions:

Keep Your Security Analytics Solutions Updated

We mentioned something similar in a previous article providing advice for endpoint security solutions, but it equally applies to security analytics solutions. It’s an easy objective to miss in the flurry of activity because the severity of ignoring it may not be apparent until it is far too late.

Security analytics solutions will receive patches and updates from their vendors to fix potential or discovered security bugs or exploits in their programs. Neglecting to implement these updates makes your enterprise look like a juicier target to hackers, especially for the inexperienced hacker looking for an easy heist.

There is no reason not to keep your security analytics solutions updated with the latest versions. Keep the lines of communication open with your security solution provider to stay informed of any updates. If your solution provider hasn’t released any updates in a considerable period of time, check to make sure they still support that solution. If not, it may be time to evaluate your security analytics solutions and determine if you are due for a next-gen option.  

Make Security Analytics Management Engaging

It’s no secret that of all of cybersecurity, SIEM and security analytics solutions demand the most attention from your IT security team. Indeed, they can prove a serious resource and psychic drain yet to get the optimal performance out of those solutions, you need your team to be engaged while dealing with them.

Threat hunting is the most enjoyable (for a majority of IT security team members) and thus the easier to make engaging. There have been reports of some enterprises making entire weekends out of threat hunting, treating it like actual hunting trips complete with cookouts. If your enterprise isn’t interested in hosting such an extravagant event, you can instead foster everyday friendly competitions for most completed alert tickets or most threats found and removed in a month.

But what about the more humdrum or dull activities required by security analytics solutions such as dealing with false positives (a persistent problem in SIEM and security analytics)? Or going through all of the compiled security event logs? Your enterprise can foster competitions for the most processed false positives, but you can also have employees share the most amusing false positives on bulletin boards. Look into gamification options for encouraging an environment that balances the seriousness of the role with some levity.

In other words, look into how you process your security analytics solutions findings and figure out what your employees need to make work a place they look forward to going to instead of a place they dread. Remember: experience still counts for a lot, even in the most automated platforms. The best solution can be hampered by the absence of the right minds to make it work. Treat those minds with respect.

When Deploying, Start Slowly

A common mistake enterprises make when using security analytics solutions is that they rush into their selection too quickly. They dive into the full range of capabilities, become overwhelmed, and start neglecting it as a result.

Instead, look at where you need security analytics the most and what kinds of threats you are looking for, and deploy the solution there first. Allow your IT security team to get a feel for the security analytics solution and its basic capabilities before expanding out to the rest of your enterprise or utilizing its more advanced functions.

You may be impatient to get secure today, but moving forward with patience can lead to the improved long-term health of your enterprise’s network.   

Look for What You Aren’t Expecting

As bizarre as that sentence may seem, it’s just another way of saying “look for threats you may not be aware of.” One advantage hackers possess in the cybersecurity war is that they are constantly rolling out new threats and modifying existing ones to evade detection software or searching eyes. So keep an eye out for suspicious activity that may indicate a new kind of threat. It just might be one.


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