How XDR makes soulful work simpler

By Brett Hannath · June 28, 2022

Soulful shouldn’t mean stressful

We’ve all heard of high-profile ransomware attacks, but those are just one of many cyberthreats to worry about. Social engineering, advanced persistent threats, denial of service, and breaches due to security misconfigurations and unpatched systems make up 53% of all attacks.

As the first line of defense against threats, cybersecurity professionals have a lot on their plate. And it’s important, soulful work. The SOC team helps:

• Keep people’s vital health, financial, and other data safe
• Protect government’s most critical assets, including essential infrastructure
• Defend hospitals against attacks on important medical equipment

Cybersecurity draws people who want to do meaningful work. Nearly one in five professionals got into cybersecurity because they were looking for a cause—a way to contribute to the greater good of society. But that responsibility comes with a lot of pressure.

A single mistake in detection and response could lead to compromised personal data, loss in revenue and public trust, or major supply chain interruptions. And in some cases, that single mistake could cost the analyst their job.

These are high stakes, and for many SOC team members, the pressure and unpredictable nature of cyberthreats can be too much. Without the right tools to efficiently do their jobs, analysts and engineers are left feeling overwhelmed and undervalued. The subsequent burnout then leads to attrition, putting even more strain on understaffed teams.

But with a powerful extended detection and response (XDR) platform, meaningful cybersecurity work can shift from arduous to empowering.

Reduce complexity with XDR

Currently, half of all SOC managers admit their security technology is a problem.

And when organizations continue to add more point technology on top of their current systems, security environments become disconnected, which perpetuates the problem of complexity in the SOC.

Endless streams of security alerts are hard to triage with the all-too-common disjointed tools that analysts have at their disposal. The lack of integration between security tools and poor visibility across their environments not only creates complexity, but leads to tiring, repetitive tasks.

XDR brings together endpoint, email, network, and cloud solutions. This consolidation and connection gives teams full visibility, so they’re better equipped to quickly adapt and protect their entire ecosystem.

Tap into AI and machine learning

With a simplified and unified landscape, teams can take advantage of the next benefit of XDR: automated workflows.

In many enterprises, analysts are limited by dated strategies and technology, leading to valuable time wasted combing through an overwhelming volume of alerts and manually identifying threats. In a survey of IT security and SOC decision makers, respondents said they spend 27% of their time dealing with false positives, while actual threats can easily be missed.

With increased intelligence, XDR helps you not only quickly detect threats but predict attacks—and even automate responses in real time. In other words, XDR works nonstop while employees decide strategically where to focus their time and maintain a reasonable work schedule.

Powered by AI and machine learning, XDR doesn’t remove the human element, but rather enhances the existing human knowledge and experience.

Take advantage of embedded expertise

Finally, the right XDR platform will come preloaded with defensive playbooks. SOC teams can instantly access recommended tactics and countermeasures, taking advantage of the advanced intelligence and industry expertise built into the platform.

If an organization is exposed to new malware—like HermeticWiper—its security experts can consult a step-by-step guide to learn what apps it’ll target, what controls they need to apply, and what actions they can take to mitigate the attack.

If a business discovers it’s vulnerable to Log4j, its SOC team has a better idea of how to patch machines, secure file servers, and more.

As a result, teams gain the insight they need to confidently keep their organizations safe from threats.

Get to the heart of the work

According to one report, 92% of security professionals agree that cybersecurity is purposeful, soulful work that motivates them. By consolidating tools, embracing machine learning, and using best-in-class platform expertise, XDR helps SOC teams clear the noise to focus on the meaning in the work.

These professionals can continue to make a difference with their incredible contributions to security while maintaining a sustainable workload and boosting work satisfaction.

To take the next step in making soulful work simple, speak to a Trellix expert.