Enhanced SecOps with a Cloud Data Platform
A key benefit of building a security operations (SecOps) program on a cloud data platform is that it integrates security and IT, combining two siloed teams and operations into a single platform. To meet the challenges posed by today’s cybersecurity threats, forward-looking organizations are restructuring their current cybersecurity architectures to enable seamless cross-team collaboration and deploy advanced cloud security solutions. In this article, we’ll share how a strong security operations program protects digital infrastructure and data from compromise and the role the modern security data lake plays in supporting SecOps.
What Is SecOps?
When security and IT operations teams work in isolation, organizations are more vulnerable. Traditionally, the primary role of IT operations has been to create and maintain an enterprise technology environment that promotes productivity and efficiency, while the cybersecurity team has taken ownership of securing the company’s networks, including its data, digital assets, and the systems that run in the environment. SecOps is a management methodology that brings these two teams together, combining tools, processes, technology, and personnel required to integrate security into every level of planning and development.
With the artificial barrier between the teams removed, security and IT operations can collaborate more effectively, reducing the likelihood that cybersecurity threats go unnoticed. The Security Operation Center (SOC) is a centralized command center within an organization where both teams work together. In some businesses, the SOC is a physical space; in others, it’s virtual. The SecOps team works collaboratively in this space to continuously monitor and improve an organization's security stance while actively preventing, detecting, and responding to cybersecurity incidents.
Why Organizations Need a Powerful Security Operations Program
Cybersecurity incidents pose a significant threat to business continuity and customer trust. But organizations that invest the time and resources required to build a robust, connected operations program substantially improve the security of their operations. Following are just five of the many reasons why business leaders should invest in modern SecOps teams and platforms to protect their businesses.
Stronger security stance
When ownership of security extends beyond the security team, organizations are less vulnerable to compromise and better able to detect and mitigate threats. From building more secure applications to safeguarding digital infrastructure and data, a robust security operations program integrates best practices at every level of the organization.
Greater efficiency
Modern security workflows automate many formally manual processes. This allows security teams to streamline operations and frees them to focus time on higher-level work such as threat hunting and identifying and resolving known vulnerabilities. With clearer reporting and improved accountability, teams can spend more time on creating the structural changes needed to build a more efficient and secure operation.
Better visibility
When security data is supplemented with data from other business areas and third-party sources, security teams gain context, allowing them to more readily identify suspicious activity and abnormal behaviors that may indicate the presence of an external or internal threat.
Enhanced incident response
As cyber intrusions become more sophisticated, bad actors need less time to exploit a security vulnerability. Fully integrated security with operations enables organizations to mount a faster, more thorough response when incidents occur.
Improved regulatory compliance
Cybersecurity breaches are not only costly but can also create regulatory headaches when confidential data is lost or stolen. A robust cybersecurity program reduces the risk of a security breach occurring, and security teams are better positioned to intervene quickly when one does occur, minimizing the resulting fallout.
The Role of a Modern Security Data Lake in SecOps
Security operations programs that invest in cloud-based SecOps platforms are well-positioned to address today’s cybersecurity threats. A security data lake (SDL) is one of the SecOps platform tools that helps security teams capture and analyze security data faster and easier. Here’s some advantages of a SDL:
Long-term data retention allows effective threat hunting
Low data storage costs enable fast ad hoc investigations and breach analysis
Ability to see trends and patterns over time, enabling security leadership to understand key performance indicators and make data-driven decisions
A SDL built on a powerful data platform can store and search high-volume data, leading to faster results
Many security tools today have analysis and forensics limitations around search performance, data retention, and capabilities for year-old data. By eliminating these challenges, SDL has become an important component of modern SecOps.
Scaling Security Operations with Snowflake
With unified data, near-unlimited visibility, and powerful analytics, Snowflake for Cybersecurity provides the tools and capabilities modern SecOps teams depend on. Unlock virtually unlimited storage, scalable compute, and powerful analytics for high-fidelity threat detection and swift incident response. Build a modern security data lake in the Data Cloud to enable powerful analytics, accelerated detections, and speedy investigations. Accelerate security analytics while adding leading security content and capabilities to your cybersecurity strategy with Powered by Snowflake and Marketplace partners.
Read Security Operations at Scale with Snowflake to learn how a modern security data lake, deployed in the Snowflake Data Cloud, can deliver comprehensive visibility and powerful automation across five security use cases.