How can you streamline incident response with SOAR platforms?

1 What is SOAR?

SOAR is a term coined by Gartner in 2017 to describe a category of software solutions that integrate various security tools and data sources, orchestrate and automate incident response tasks, and provide a centralized platform for managing and reporting on security incidents. SOAR platforms aim to reduce the manual work and complexity involved in incident response, as well as enhance the collaboration and communication among different security teams and stakeholders. SOAR platforms typically have three main components: orchestration, automation, and response.

2 How does orchestration work?

Orchestration is the process of connecting and coordinating different security tools and systems, such as firewalls, antivirus, SIEM, threat intelligence, and ticketing systems, to enable a seamless and consistent incident response workflow. Orchestration allows you to define and execute standardized and repeatable processes for handling different types of incidents, such as phishing, ransomware, or DDoS attacks. Orchestration also helps you to leverage the data and capabilities of each security tool and system, and to share information and actions across them, to achieve a faster and more accurate incident resolution.

3 How does automation work?

Automation is the process of using predefined rules, scripts, or algorithms to perform certain incident response tasks without human intervention. Automation can help you to speed up the incident response cycle, reduce the workload and errors of your security analysts, and improve the consistency and quality of your incident response actions. Automation can be applied to various stages of the incident response process, such as detection, analysis, containment, eradication, recovery, and learning. However, automation does not mean replacing human judgment or oversight. You can still control the level and scope of automation, and intervene when necessary, to ensure the appropriate and ethical handling of incidents.

4 How does response work?

Response is the process of managing and monitoring the incident response activities, outcomes, and performance. Response helps you to track and document the status, progress, and results of each incident, as well as the actions taken by your security tools and analysts. Response also helps you to generate and share reports and dashboards that provide insights and metrics on your incident response performance, such as the number, type, and severity of incidents, the time to detect, contain, and resolve incidents, and the impact and cost of incidents. Response can help you to evaluate and improve your incident response processes, policies, and procedures, as well as identify and address any gaps or issues in your security posture.

5 What are the benefits of SOAR?

SOAR platforms can drastically reduce the response time and resolution rate of incidents by automating and orchestrating the incident response tasks and workflows. They can also enhance the situational awareness and decision making of your security analysts, providing a comprehensive and unified view of the incident data and context. Furthermore, SOAR platforms can increase the productivity and efficiency of your security teams, by eliminating manual work and complexity involved in incident response. Additionally, they can improve collaboration and communication among your security teams and stakeholders, by facilitating information and action sharing across different security tools and systems. Finally, SOAR platforms can strengthen your security posture and resilience, by enabling you to learn from each incident, applying the lessons learned to your incident response processes, policies, and procedures.

6 How to choose a SOAR platform?

When selecting a SOAR platform for your IT organization, you should assess several factors, such as the compatibility and integration of the platform with your existing security tools and systems, as well as the flexibility and scalability of the platform. Additionally, consider the functionality and usability of the platform, its security and reliability, and the support and service of the provider. Furthermore, examine the ease and cost of implementation and maintenance, its ability to adapt to changing security needs, its orchestration, automation, and response features, its ability to protect sensitive data and systems, and its technical assistance, training, and updates.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?