Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 57 | Page 27

TRENDING Shawn Valle, Chief Information Security Officer at Rapid7 agreed, stating: “Software developers build based on APIs and then build UI on top of APIs, which is worthy of exploration in SecOps teams. That strategy of building automation from the beginning, we believe, makes analysts stronger and better versus using fewer people.” The report highlights the potential of automation in the SOC but does warn against the over-use of it as it can make an organisation’s actions easier to predict and therefore more vulnerable to threat actors. “Automation itself is a form of vulnerability,” said Sam Curry, Chief Security Officer at Cybereason. “You have to check your blind spot at pseudo-random intervals to see who’s hiding there because the machine will become predictable and therefore exploitable. So, the mission is not to automate for the sake of it but to make the humans more effective, improving the value of their output without weakening the whole.” The CR Think Tank agreed that business and security need to be in lockstep to be proactive whenever possible and avoid the security chase. Processes and efficiency – seating plans as the key to success? Finally, the report highlights the importance of physical proximity when dealing with tech teams. Seating location within an office can make a big difference – many companies opt to put their tech and security teams next to each other to foster creativity, agility and better communication. For example, seating SOC teams next to the product team can improve efficiencies in terms of how they iterate and build new tools. However, for employees who work remotely, communicating with internal teams frequently to ensure alignment on priorities and objectives is key. No matter what an organisation’s SOC setup is, the most important factor is relationships. SOC teams, whether internal or external, need to be invested in the organisation’s mission and its core targets. With talented individuals in short supply, training, upskilling and using technology for efficiency gains are key to transform your SOC team. • www.intelligentcio.com INTELLIGENTCIO 27