Cybersecurity presents an ever-escalating challenge for most C-level executives. As the average cost of a data breach continues to grow, the sheer volume of attacks threatens to overwhelm resource-strapped IT organizations.
In response, many executives are looking to AI-enabled SOAR solutions (Security Orchestration Automation and Response) to help shorten threat response times, optimize high-value security personnel, and reduce overall business risk.
Too many security alerts, not enough security analysts
Organizations face a growing attack surface as they accelerate cloud adoption and expand services to the remote workforce. As a result, many companies receive over 10,000 security alerts every day, and 1 out of 4 SecOps teams witnessed a 10x increase over their previous alert volumes. Tech Republic reports that, while nearly half of all alerts are false positives, 75% of companies spend as much time managing the false positives as actual attacks.
A chronic shortage of qualified security analysts only exacerbates the situation. A survey conducted by the Enterprise Strategy Group found that 57% of respondents said their organizations were impacted by the global cybersecurity skills shortage and 62% of those affected said the skills shortage has increased staff workloads.
As a result of these challenges, many organizations cannot keep pace with alert volumes, compromising their ability to identify and resolve cyber threats and creating unacceptable operational and financial risks.
How SOAR shortens response times and increases productivity
SOAR technology is designed to address these challenges. According to some industry analysts, even large security teams with well-established, tested processes are adopting SOAR for general productivity, efficiency, and consistency improvements in their security operations centers (SOCs). Using SOAR improves incident response times and boosts analyst productivity—in some cases by tenfold.
While the complexity of legacy SOAR solutions was initially a barrier of entry for many organizations, next-generation SOAR solutions have been designed for flexibility, efficiency, and ease of use. Cloud-based SOAR solutions enable companies of all sizes to reap the benefits of SOAR, and next-gen SOAR tools are easier to integrate with existing security systems and processes.
Faster response reduced security risk — four benefits of SOAR
Many organizations that deploy SOAR technology achieve significant security, operational and financial benefits, including:
- Reduced risk by improving threat response times. The longer a cyber attack goes undetected, the greater the potential for operational disruption and financial loss. SOAR’s automation capabilities allow users to respond to many threats in minutes instead of hours.
- Improved security with enhanced threat hunting capabilities. SOAR’s AI capabilities improve threat detection by delivering a more thorough threat analysis that enables security teams to make more informed, timely decisions.
- Greater efficiency. Automating mundane tasks like tool orchestration, generating reports, and documentation allows security teams to do more with fewer resources and analysts to prioritize high-value activities.
- Improved employee satisfaction and retention. Freed from repetitive, low-value tasks, security professionals can take on more challenging and rewarding work.
Cloud SOAR: Six Key Considerations for MSSPs
While SOAR technology can reduce security risks and help optimize resource requirements, not all solutions offer the same performance and functionality.
Savvy MSSPs are shifting their attention to cloud-based SOAR and demanding an associated open architecture. As an MSSP, you should seek out a solution that delivers these six benefits:
- Faster deployment. The solution should require little staging and virtually no premises infrastructure, enabling quick set-up and deployment.
- Scalability. Demand an offering that can quickly be scaled up or right-sized to meet new business requirements.
- Availability and security. Ask about how the platform ensures maximum availability and the security of customer data.
- Reduced capital spending. Make sure the solution requires minimal hardware and software capital spending.
- Ease of integration. Demand an open architecture that allows partners, customers, and other third parties to develop their own solutions around the platform.
- Ongoing enhancements. Make sure the platform is extendible.
Is SOAR right for your organization?
Implementing SOAR can reduce threat response times, improve security performance and resource allocation, and create a more positive, productive environment for security professionals.
Next-generation solutions like Sumo Logic Cloud SOAR are redefining SOAR technology by simplifying implementation, improving utility and performance, and expanding use cases beyond traditional security. Today’s SOAR solutions can deliver significant operational and security benefits for many organizations while providing compelling business value with a positive (and measurable) return on investment.
Learn more about becoming a Sumo Logic partner here.
Author Dario Forte is VP and GM of Sumo Logic. Read more Sumo Logic guest blogs here. Regularly contributed guest blogs are part of MSSP Alert’s sponsorship program.
