Cybersecurity approaches vary between organizations. While some take an active approach where they’re prepared to counter an attack, others adopt a reactive approach where responsive actions are implemented following a breach. Both approaches are valid and have worked for various organizations. However, in the new era of evolving cybercrime, hackers are more creative and relentless and use advanced tools and techniques to get around security controls. As such, businesses can not afford to sit around and wait for an attack to happen. 

Remaining secure in the modern turbulent threat landscape requires a proactive cybersecurity approach—strengthening defenses in anticipation of emerging threats. The proactive lets you stay ahead of hackers and puts you in a better position to act before an attack occurs. The best way to achieve this is through proactive monitoring. 

What is Proactive Monitoring?

Proactive monitoring is a cybersecurity strategy that aims to identify potential threats and take appropriate action before they cause harm. It involves taking a more preventive measure for security than the traditional active or reactive approaches that only act after a threat has occurred. 

Proactive monitoring involves continuously scanning networks and endpoints to identify and resolve anomalies. Usually, in active and reactive cybersecurity strategies, the security team looks for indicators of compromise—signs that indicate an attack has occurred. But proactive monitoring examines indicators of behavior (IoB), behaviors that indicate potential breaches. 

Importance 

In the new age of digital transformation, proactive monitoring is more important than ever. The increased adoption of cloud infrastructure, the growth of the hybrid work model, and the spread of the Internet of Things (IoT) devices have expanded the threat landscape significantly. Enterprises must automate network and endpoint monitoring to ensure more robust defense against threats. 

Fortunately, the market features a wide range of advanced monitoring tools, such as the security information and event management (SIEM) system that offers real-time monitoring and analysis capabilities to identify and address threats and vulnerabilities before they get a chance to disrupt operations. The system surfaces user behavior anomalies and uses artificial intelligence to automate threat detection and incident response. 

Benefits 

The benefits of integrating proactive monitoring into a cybersecurity strategy are tremendous. It can have a major impact on strengthening defenses against all kinds of threats. Proactive monitoring for cybersecurity can benefit your organization in the following ways: 

• Be steps ahead of attackers 

Most malicious actors’ MO is exploiting vulnerabilities in a security system and rarely strikes without warning. Since signs of a breach are often imminent, you can pick up on these indicators and take appropriate actions by monitoring your environment proactively. 

• Streamline compliance 

Data security standards and regulations are becoming a norm as the business environment becomes digital. Depending on your industry, some regulatory frameworks may impose strict measures on security monitoring. A proactive monitoring strategy can help you become compliant in such a scenario. 

• Improve efficiency 

Automating threat detection and incident response helps free up the IT team and redirect its time and effort to other critical tasks or areas of the business. 

• Minimize false alerts 

False positives or alerts occur when innocuous activities are flagged as malicious. Usually, when this happens, attention shifts to addressing the alerts, resulting in the wastage of time and resources. A proactive monitoring solution can help reduce false positives. 

How Can Thinline Help? 

The threat landscape is fast-evolving and malicious actors fully know you have the tools to protect yourself from common breaches. They also understand that they must launch attacks you’ve never imagined to infiltrate your network. Proactive monitoring is thus an essential component of a robust cybersecurity strategy today. However, proactive monitoring is broad and complex, and incorporating it into an effective cybersecurity program can be challenging. This is where an experienced managed IT service provider (MSP) comes in. 

Thinline Tech can deliver a tailored proactive monitoring solution to bolster your cybersecurity posture. We can go far and beyond to provide additional tools, resources, expertise, and other security best practices to strengthen your defenses further. Contact us today for more information.