Maintaining a strong cybersecurity posture is critical for organizations of all sizes. But for small- to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) that have limited resources, keeping security defenses up and running can be challenging. That’s where proactive monitoring comes in.
By implementing a proactive monitoring solution, you can take a more holistic, strategic, and cost-effective approach to your cybersecurity. In this blog post, we’ll discuss what proactive monitoring entails and how it can help improve your SMB’s security posture.
What is proactive monitoring?
Proactive monitoring is a security strategy that focuses on identifying and addressing potential threats before they cause harm. This approach is in contrast to traditional, reactive security approaches that only address threats and issues once or after they’ve occurred.
With proactive monitoring, your SMB can take a more preventative approach to security. Tools like security information and event management (SIEM) systems allow you to collect and analyze data from your various digital assets in real time. You can use this to glean insights into your organization’s current security posture and potential vulnerabilities.
You can also hire a managed IT services provider (MSP) to help you implement proactive monitoring solutions as well as other security best practices. MSPs can provide your SMB with the tools, resources, and expertise needed to bolster your cybersecurity posture, and one of the most comprehensive solutions they can offer is a fully outsourced security operations center.
Related reading: 7 Benefits of having a security operations center
How does proactive monitoring benefit SMBs?
Proactive monitoring can help your organization in a number of ways:
Gives you a fresh perspective
Proactive monitoring is often delivered as a managed service, which means you can tap into the expertise of a team of security professionals. This can give you a fresh perspective on your organization’s security posture and help you identify areas that need improvement. What’s more, these experts can provide guidance on the latest security trends and offer recommendations on how to stay ahead of the curve.
Enables you to be one step ahead of attackers
Malicious actors rarely strike without warning, and there are often signs that an attack is imminent. By proactively monitoring your environment, you can pick up on these indicators and take steps to thwart an attack before it happens.
Streamlines compliance
Depending on your industry, you may be required to adhere to certain security standards and regulations. For instance, healthcare organizations must comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), while retail businesses must adhere to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). Both of these compliance frameworks have strict requirements for security monitoring.
A proactive monitoring solution can help you meet these requirements and streamline your compliance efforts. For instance, most SIEM solutions come with built-in compliance reports that can show you which requirements you’re meeting and where you need to make improvements.
Reduces false positives
False positives are alerts that flag innocuous activity as malicious. This can lead to wasted time and resources on investigating these false alarms.
A good proactive monitoring solution can help reduce false positives by providing more accurate and actionable data. For example, SIEM systems use correlation and analytics to identify and prioritize genuine threats, helping your security team focus on the most serious threats to your business.
Improves efficiency
By automating the monitoring process, you can free up your IT team’s time so they can focus on more important tasks. For instance, you can set up SIEM rules to automatically investigate and respond to certain events. This can help your team resolve issues more quickly and improve your organization’s overall security posture.
Proactive monitoring is a critical component of any SMB’s security strategy. By taking a more proactive approach, you can stay ahead of attackers, streamline compliance, and improve your team's efficiency. And, with the help of an MSP, you can implement these solutions quickly and easily.
So, what are you waiting for? Contact our experts at outsourceIT today and start reaping the benefits of proactive monitoring.
