What are the best ways to secure NOCs?

1 Implement a NOC security policy

A NOC security policy is a set of rules and guidelines that define the roles, responsibilities, and procedures for NOC staff and stakeholders. It should cover aspects such as access control, authentication, authorization, encryption, logging, auditing, incident response, backup, recovery, and disaster recovery. A NOC security policy should be aligned with the organization's overall security objectives and standards, as well as the regulatory and industry requirements. It should also be reviewed and updated regularly to reflect the changing network environment and threat landscape.

2 Use a NOC security framework

A NOC security framework is a collection of tools and processes that help you implement and enforce your NOC security policy. It should provide you with a holistic view of your network status, performance, and security posture. It should also enable you to detect, prevent, and respond to network anomalies, threats, and incidents. A NOC security framework should include components such as network monitoring, network segmentation, network access control, firewall, intrusion detection and prevention system, antivirus, anti-malware, vulnerability scanning, patch management, configuration management, and security information and event management.

3 Train and educate your NOC staff

Your NOC staff are your first line of defense against network security breaches. They should be trained and educated on the best practices and standards of NOC security and compliance. They should also be aware of the common types and sources of network attacks, such as phishing, ransomware, denial-of-service, malware, insider threats, and advanced persistent threats. They should also be able to identify and report any suspicious or abnormal network activities or behaviors. Additionally, they should be familiar with the tools and processes of your NOC security framework and how to use them effectively and efficiently.

4 Perform regular NOC audits and assessments

NOC audits and assessments are the processes of evaluating and verifying the effectiveness and compliance of your NOC security policy and framework. They should be performed regularly and systematically to identify and address any gaps, weaknesses, or issues in your NOC security posture. They should also be conducted by independent and qualified auditors or assessors who can provide you with objective and actionable feedback and recommendations. NOC audits and assessments should cover areas such as network inventory, network configuration, network performance, network security, network incidents, network backups, network recovery, and network documentation.

5 Adopt a NOC security culture

A NOC security culture is a mindset and attitude that values and prioritizes network security and compliance. It should be fostered and promoted among your NOC staff and stakeholders. It should also be embedded in your NOC policies, frameworks, processes, and practices. A NOC security culture should encourage and reward network security awareness, education, training, communication, collaboration, reporting, and improvement. It should also discourage and penalize network security negligence, ignorance, indifference, violation, and compromise.

6 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?