How can you effectively select tools and technologies for cyber operations?

It’s really important to understand what your requirements are by having well defined goals and objectives. Doing an extensive research on current security threats and technologies. And then you can go for tools that actually align to the business needs and can be easily integrated to the existing infrastructure.

In my view, keeping things simple is an art on its own. When it comes to cybersecurity, it's crucial to pick tools that are powerful but also easy to understand. This way, you don't waste time figuring out how the tool works, making your cybersecurity efforts more effective.

I would recommend reviewing your currently available software and cybersecurity tools, to assess whether or not a new tool is actually needed, and determine if you are overpaying for duplicate resources.

It is essential to conduct a thorough assessment of organizational needs and requirements. This involves identifying specific objectives, considering scalability and compatibility with existing systems, evaluating vendor reputation and support, and conducting pilot tests or proofs of concept. Furthermore, involving key stakeholders and conducting cost-benefit analyses can help ensure that the selected tools and technologies align with the overall strategy and provide the necessary capabilities for effective cyber operations.

This may include defense against cyber threats, security incident investigation, auditing and compliance, among others. Therefore, it is important to carry out a complete assessment of needs before selecting the appropriate tools and technologies. This will ensure that you have the most effective security coverage for your organization.

Não siga apenas relatórios de quadrantes mágicos, pois eles seguem padrões para atender aos interesses de corporações, que muito provavelmente não atendem aos seus requisitos e padrões de qualidade. Antes, entenda a necessidade do negócio, os requisitos, onde se quer chegar, e conte com o apoio de parceiros estratégicos ou empresas especializadas no seu nicho de atuação e segmento de mercado. Assim, obterá apoio consistente e especializado, sem comprometer a sua credibilidade.

Begin by conducting thorough research on the available tools and technologies in the cybersecurity market. Stay informed about the latest advancements, emerging trends, and the reputation of various vendors. Consider factors such as the tool's features, scalability, user-friendliness, and compatibility with your existing infrastructure. Engage with industry forums, attend conferences, and seek recommendations from trusted cybersecurity professionals to gather insights into the most effective and reliable tools for your cyber operations. This research phase is crucial for making informed decisions and aligning your cybersecurity strategy with the current threat landscape.

I would get buy in from employees, especially those who will be utilizing the proposed cybersecurity tools, by encouraing open discussions to brainstorm thoughts and explaining what goals you hope to accomplish by acquiring new products.

Understand what is currently done in the market. Do your research to see what tools can fulfill your current need. Analyze your current resources, such as, your budget, skill set, etc. Then, prioritize and establish a plan for implementation.

When comparing tools, you want to have well-defined criteria, and you want to be able to map them to as many tools as possible. A great start for solutions like EDR systems are the MITRE ATT&CK and D3FEND matrices. They provide you with attack vectors and defensive capabilities. You can evaluate that matter for your organization and evaluate your tools accordingly.

Count the implementation costs of your team's top three cyber security tool choices, weigh them against your budget, and determine which tools will yield the greatest ROI.

1. Evaluate the economic factors, taking into account both upfront and ongoing expenses such as upkeep and education. Analyze the financial gains and the effect on operations. 2. Seek guidance from cybersecurity professionals and refer to user reviews to gain practical insights into the performance and dependability of the solution. 3. Conduct a pilot program using the most promising options to evaluate their practical implementation, ensuring they fulfill operational requirements and seamlessly integrate with current systems. 4. Make an informed decision by selecting tools that are in line with your objectives, financial resources, and expansion plans, while also complying with industry norms and regulations.

Make sure the solutions work seamlessly with your existing infrastructure and can scale to meet future demands. Check for compatibility with existing systems and evaluate the ease of integration. Look into the vendor's support structure as well as the tool's maintenance requirements. Long-term operational stability requires dependable vendor support and simple maintenance. Based on your tests and evaluations, choose a choice that balances performance, security, usability, and pricing. Check that the instruments you use are in line with the objectives of your cyber operation and the larger strategic goals.

Create a non-production environment for testing the cybersecurity tools, to face challenges head on and learn from potential mistakes, which will prepare you to address any negative impacts before they manifest into more costly issues in production.

The Security Team and the Legal Team need to review the Terms and Conditions of the cybersecurity tools, as well as the End User License Agreement (EULA), to ensure they align with company policies as well as any laws and regulatory requirements.

Regularly review your cybersecurity tools and technologies to ensure they continue to meet your organization's evolving needs. Stay informed about emerging threats and advancements in cybersecurity technology. Regularly update your tools to incorporate the latest security patches and features.

I will put it this way, that review and update of tools is even more important then initial selection of tools because, with not updated and ineffective/obsolete tools you are even more susceptible to attack as you feel that you are protected but actually you are not. The key is seeing your own network statistics, staying abreast, regular tech scan for latest technologies and solutions for identification of new/improved tools. Updation of existing tools is inescapable if you really want to stay protected as cyber threats change/security infra changes everyday. Also there are changes in prices, subscriptions, renewals etc so keep track of the same to get worth of every penny and not spend organisation funds where it is not required

Always make sure that the tools actually bring value to your operations and not there just to feel like you are "secured". Also, verify it doesn't enter in conflict with other technologies you have in place.

Here i want to emphasise on the importance of renewals of subscriptions/licenses. Many times what have seen in my practical experience is that with plethora of tools and services running, many times organisations miss out on th renewals of services and that makes the service/tool ineffective whereas the user/organisation continues to think that all is working fine. Hence, to conclude there is a requirement to automate renewals of services/ tools/ subscriptions so as to avoid situation that tools stop working due to non renewal/payment.