We spend a lot of time and resources ensuring that our networks are secure and our data is protected. It’s an important part of doing business in the twenty-first century. That’s because preparation is key to avoiding data breaches and other security incidents.
In order to make sure we are well protected and prepared to respond to any potential network breaches or attacks, network and cyber security platform health checks are vitally important in putting together a robust and effective security stack. Here’s why.
Selecting the Right Security Platforms
Making the right selection in security platforms is an incredibly important decision for the life of your organization. This will be your main line of defense against cybercriminals and other bad actors, so you will likely spend a significant amount of time and resources evaluating and selecting a suite of platforms that best meet your security needs.
Common Security Platforms
We have a lot of security platforms to choose from. Each offers different service levels, ranging from essential services to premium packages. Your specific needs will determine which platform and service level is right for your organization. You will need to consider things like scalability, technical support, the provider’s cybersecurity expertise, and their ability to provide a holistic approach to cybersecurity, among other factors. Some of the more commonly used platforms on the market include:
- CrowdStrike
- Splunk
- Qradar
- Cisco Umbrella
- McAfee
- Palo Alto Networks
- Fortinet
- Zscaler
- Rapid7
- Darktrace
Once you have picked the platforms that you want to go with, you will have to install and configure them to deliver the security performance your organization needs. This is not always the easiest step. There are a lot of important settings and plugins that must be coordinated in order to deliver the well-rounded protection needed to defend your organization from the range of different threats that could be lurking around any corner.
Some organizations hire a third party to help them through the setup and implementation procedures. This can be a great way to go. The pros know all about these security platforms, and with a little knowledge of your network and your needs, they can customize a tailored approach to security that ticks off all your boxes.
The work doesn’t end when you get your platforms integrated into your network and optimized to deliver on your most pressing security needs. That’s because your needs will change as your organization grows and as threats evolve. Periodic, robust network and cyber security platform health checks will ensure that your security stack keeps up with the times. They will also help ensure that you’re getting the full value out of the platform, and that it is meeting your needs and protecting your organization from this set of constantly evolving cyber threats.
What is a Network and Cyber Security Platform Health Check?
A network and cyber security platform health check, first and foremost, includes a complete review of platform configuration and usage. For SIEM platforms, this also includes reviewing all log sources. Reviewing these factors provides you with a clear picture of your entire security posture, specifics about how security products are deployed and implemented, and how well you are utilizing each of the tools at your disposal.
After review, the next step in a network and cyber security platform health check is to provide specific recommendations on modifications to platform configuration, user behaviors, log sources, and all other operational issues to bring them into compliance with best practices.
How Often Should Assessments Be Conducted?
Cyber security health checks don’t need to be conducted every day, but you don’t want to wait too long between checks either. Failure to assess your network on a regular basis could leave openings for cyber criminals and other threat actors to access your data vaults and other sensitive network information. To provide your organization proper protection, it is recommended that assessments be conducted biannually, or twice per year.
Beyond that, it is recommended that you perform incremental evaluations and modifications quarterly. If this sounds like overkill, rest assured that it’s not. While a single check provides an in depth look at our current security posture, cyber threats are constantly evolving. That check from last quarter may not take into account all of the new realities of cyber threats, so it’s important to consider this an ongoing process of improvement.
There are a number of important benefits that come from conducting quarterly evaluations and biannual cyber security platform assessments.
Benefits of Performing Routine Network and Cyber Security Platform Health Checks
Creating a locked down network with multiple levels of security has some powerful business benefits associated with it. On the other end of the spectrum, poor network security has the potential to open us up to data breaches, lost clients, and huge fines. Here are some of the top benefits of performing routine network security health checks:
You Gain a Better Understanding of Your Current Risk Status
Taking a deep dive into our security stack allows us to see where we might be most vulnerable to cyber threats. That visibility not only shows us where our cybersecurity platforms are falling short, but it also gives us some peace of mind by showing us where those products are performing as expected. The ability to see the difference allows us to improve our security posture in targeted and prioritized ways, and is a huge benefit associated with routine health checks.
You Keep Current With the Latest Threats
We’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. Threats to your network are constantly evolving, and the threats of today may not be the threats of yesterday. In fact, they are often built on newly identified vulnerabilities. The only way to combat this is through regular review and assessment of your network.
Maximizing Value from Deployed Platforms and Identifying Underutilized Features and Capabilities
Another benefit of thoroughly examining our organizations’ security posture is that we can make more informed decisions about which security products are working and which ones aren’t. If we need to make adjustments, we can easily see where those adjustments need to be made through a thorough network and cyber security platform health check.
Those adjustments may range from dropping to swapping products, and sometimes even just involve changing our settings. If we are underutilizing any features or capabilities of our deployed platforms, a simple settings tweak could greatly improve our level of protection.
Properly Managing and Responding to Security Incidents Protects Organizations
We’ve touched on the importance of understanding your organization’s ability to respond to any security incidents that may evade your defenses. The reason we return to this topic is because it is one of the most important parts of a well-rounded information security plan.
Regular network and cyber security platform health checks give you the visibility into your security platforms to prepare you for effectively and efficiently responding to any security incidents that affect your network, potentially saving you huge amounts of money and reputational points. The way we respond to cyber attacks can even make the difference between keeping the doors open and shuttering the company.
Your Organization Will Remain Compliant with Regulatory Bodies
If your organization operates in a heavily regulated industry such as healthcare, finance, or energy, compliance is near the top of your priority lists. A data breach in these industries can lead to the exposure of very sensitive information. Leaks of this kind can cause huge amounts of damage and result in huge financial costs associated with mitigating damage.
Ensuring your organization’s security stack is up to par with the most advanced modern cyber threat detection technologies will make regulatory bodies happy and potentially protect your organization from a catastrophic data breach.
Increased Levels of Trust with Clients, Associates, and Shareholders
Employing robust security measures don’t only make regulatory bodies happy. Clients, associates and shareholders also get a big confidence boost from knowing that the companies they work with take their information security seriously. That confidence can help generate more revenue and help grow the business. Taking the steps to protect your data proves that you care.
The Role of a Third-Party in Platform Health Checks
It can also be very helpful to run your security health checks through a third party. The more we look at our own networks and security platforms, the more everything has a tendency to blend together. This can lead to missed vulnerabilities and overconfidence in systems with potential missing parts. Putting another set of eyes on the system is a great way to ensure we are dotting all the I’s and crossing all the T’s.
Working on our network and cyber security platform health checks with a qualified third party also gives us additional insight into the advanced threats we might face. Utilizing third-party companies allows us to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals and other bad actors, and to make sure we are employing the most comprehensive security solutions available in our IT health checks. Here’s how.
First, many companies work with a Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) for the management of their security platforms. The benefit here is that they tend to be well-versed in best practices for the platforms they support, they typically have deep expertise in the world of network and cyber security platforms, and their experience across a wide array of clients gives them insight that is hard to gain from other sources.
Second, even for clients that self-manage their security platforms, there are big benefits to be had from utilizing a third-party to provide their health checks. Oftentimes in-house teams are busy working on other projects or other typical day-to-day-operations. This preoccupation typically means it can be challenging for them to find the time and perspective to step back and make an objective and thorough network vulnerability assessment.
Bringing in a third party is a smart way to help companies benefit from outside expertise and provide support for their teams in getting the most out of their security platforms.
Conclusion
Performing routine network and cyber security platform health checks is a critical step in ensuring our networks are protected from top to bottom. They give us crucial insight into any vulnerabilities in the system and they allow us to get greater value out of each of the platform’s individual components. It is important that these cyber security checkups happen twice per year, with more general assessments occurring quarterly.
If you don’t have the time or expertise to perform these checks in-house, utilizing a third party is a cost-effective way to make sure you are getting all the benefits of these checks without burdening your own team. Also, IT companies have a much greater understanding of the types of threats we face and the known vulnerabilities cyber criminals use to gain access than the security teams at most organizations. This is because they have seen and responded to these threats before. If you’re ready to perform a network and cyber security platform health check for your own organization, but still don’t know how to get started, reach out for a consultation. We have worked on all kinds of projects for a wide array of clients in numerous different industries, and can help you get the most out of your security platforms.
