The multiplication of alerts, lack of context, and abundance of noise signals make it more difficult than ever today to understand what is truly happening within an information system. Yet, data remains a central element, both to illuminate past events and to better anticipate the future.
During my experience at Trend Micro, I observed how the technology-centered paradigm was showing its limits. Nowadays, the focus shifts more towards protecting users and maintaining the company’s operations. In this context, multi-channel detection, embodied by Cross Detection & Response (XDR), brings new momentum to security by offering enhanced and more coherent visibility.
The correlation of information from different sources allows for more effective identification of threats through unprecedented data sharing. This synchronization of products also facilitates investigation by standardizing data integration and improving remediation capabilities.
With this in mind, it becomes necessary to fully leverage the automation capabilities offered by solutions like SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation and Response). Thanks to predefined security playbooks, teams can automate part of the alert handling process, reduce operational load, and focus their efforts on investigating and responding to the most sophisticated threats. Moreover, this automation allows for quicker exclusion of false positives while maintaining a detailed history of events to facilitate audits and compliance.
Furthermore, it is crucial to implement a strategy for the continuous evaluation of the effectiveness of security tools. Beyond selecting the best solutions on the market, it is essential to measure their real impact on risk reduction, particularly through key performance indicators (KPIs), regular incident simulation exercises (tabletop exercises), and penetration tests (pentests). This continuous improvement approach, combined with strong partnerships with suppliers and domain specialists, ensures better protection adapted to the constantly evolving threat landscape.
However, in the face of this new ecosystem, several questions remain: Should we only select the best solutions on the market? How can we handle and reduce false positives? How can we prove and measure the effectiveness of our SIEM? Should we fear engaging with a security partner? And most importantly, do we know how to fully leverage our SOAR?
In any case, the experience I accumulated during my time at Trend Micro convinced me that there is no unique “miracle recipe.” Only a comprehensive approach, combining adapted technologies, good governance practices, and continuous team training, can effectively meet the challenges of modern cybersecurity.