September 11, 2024
Author: Shane Weber
Principle Architect, Digital Defense
Long View
Modernizing security operations is essential to stay ahead of evolving cyber threats. Traditional security systems are fragmented and struggle to keep up with sophisticated attacks, making cybercrimes the world’s third-largest economy.
To effectively combat these challenges, it’s crucial to adopt a more integrated and automated approach—enter Microsoft Sentinel.
Interested in learning more about Microsoft Sentinel and leveraging it for data governance and compliance? Watch our full webinar here.
Why Modernize Security Operations?
Security operations are no longer about just responding to threats as they occur, they require a proactive stance that involves correlating data from various sources in real-time.
Thus, data governance and protection are critical areas that need to be addressed in modern security operations. Notably, 92% of breached companies had weak data governance and data loss protection. Positioning data security and compliance as a new frontier is essential to stay ahead of risks.
The modernization of security operations also streamlines processes, making them more efficient and cost-effective. Organizations that embrace these changes are better positioned to protect their assets and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
A Deep Dive into Microsoft Sentinel
Microsoft Sentinel is a cloud-native SIEM system within the Azure Monitor ecosystem, running on Log Analytics. It offers high availability and reliability across multiple regions, essential for global organizations. Sentinel’s architecture provides the scalability and flexibility needed for modern security operations.
One of the key advantages of Sentinel is its cost-effective approach to data management. Unlike traditional SIEM systems, Sentinel allows flexible data ingestion, helping organizations control costs, especially with large data volumes. Its seamless integration with third-party tools makes it a versatile solution for diverse environments.
Get More from Microsoft Sentinel with Purview
You can now get greater ROI out of your Sentinel platform by consolidating security measures and exponentially increasing overall benefits for your organization.
Purview Integration
By bringing together multiple Defender tools under one umbrella and integrating Purview with Sentinel, the unified XDR (Extended Detection and Response) portal boosts coordination and efficiency, allowing security teams to respond more quickly to emerging threats.
The integration of Microsoft Purview with Sentinel enhances the ability to monitor and detect risks related to data governance, data security, and compliance. This consolidation of security operations with data security and compliance efforts provides greater ROI for organizations.
When enhancing your use of Sentinel with Purview, it's crucial to differentiate between security operations staff and those handling data governance and compliance. Effective security requires collaboration, with security teams monitoring and responding to threats, while governance teams ensure data adherence to regulations. Here are some roles you need to consider beyond your SOC analysts:
Extend Microsoft Sentinel’s Standard Capabilities
Unified Portal
Centralizing security operations is critical for effective incident response. Microsoft Sentinel's unified XDR portal consolidates security data across Defender tools into a single interface, streamlining monitoring, detection, and response
AI and Machine Learning
The unified portal also integrates advanced SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) capabilities, further empowering organizations to automate and streamline their incident response processes.
Leveraging AI and machine learning, these capabilities enhance security operations by identifying patterns and anomalies. For instance, tools like Microsoft Copilot for Security automate routine tasks, allowing security analysts to concentrate on more complex issues. This not only boosts efficiency but also significantly increases the overall effectiveness of an organization’s security measures.
API Integration
In addition, Defender for APIs supports security and API integration with third-party services, enhancing Sentinel’s ability to monitor and protect API-driven applications across diverse environments.
You can get a complete walkthrough of the new capabilities in Sentinel from our resident security experts. Watch our “Sentinel in 30” webinar for an immersive experience!
Next Steps with Microsoft Sentinel
To start using Microsoft Sentinel, choose remote monitoring with Long View handling threat hunting and monitoring, or opt for joint threat exploration to integrate Sentinel into your existing SOC. Contact the Long View team to see if your organization qualifies for Microsoft funding to make Sentinel adoption more cost-effective.
Before we wrap up, look out for our upcoming blog on actionable steps to modernize security operations with Microsoft Sentinel.
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