How Does Cyber Range Training Make Life Easier for SOC Managers?
How Does Cyber Range Training Make Life Easier for SOC Managers?
By Dr. Edward Amoroso, TAG Cyber
This blog is part of a series from TAG Cyber that focuses on using cyber range and simulation training for security operation center (SOC) teams to improve individual and team effectiveness. The Cloud Range platform is used throughout the blog series to illustrate world-class range training for these teams. Check out the first, second, and third blogs of the series.
While cyber range training is obviously geared toward SOC team members, it also provides great benefits to managers. This article explains this important property of cyber range training in the context of the commercial Cloud Range offering.
One of the more difficult obligations in enterprise security involves managing the security operations center (SOC). The SOC manager position requires skills from many different disciplines, and the consequences of not being successful can be significant. As a result, SOC managers are always looking for methods that can ease their day-to-day workload and improve their likelihood of success. Three key challenges they face are listed below.
Rapidly Changing Technology
The typical SOC manager first must be concerned that the pace of technology does not outrun the team’s ability to keep up with the latest protocols, tools, systems, and software. Few team members have the time to engage in programs of self-learning (e.g., through degree programs), so it becomes the SOC manager’s responsibility to provide the time and resources for the team to learn together.
Constantly Evolving Cyber Threats
The SOC manager must also be concerned about the rapid rate at which new threats are being developed by offensive actors. With the introduction of nation-state adversaries to the mix, this is an especially difficult task, and like the challenge with evolving technology, SOC staff do not have the time to engage in programs of self-learning for new cyber threats. The SOC manager must therefore also find ways to fill this gap.
Need to Drive Team Collaboration
Finally, the SOC manager has the tough task of finding ways to ensure that technical staff are collaborating and communicating effectively as a team. That is not an easy assignment because technical work has always attracted professionals who excel at individual tasks, such as coding or data analysis. SOC managers thus must find ways to help their people integrate into a functioning team.
Three Major Challenges of SOC Management
Cyber Range Training for Managers
Cyber range training offers a means for SOC managers to address these key challenges – and the approach has matured to include many useful management options. For example, aptitude testing, candidate assessments, skills development labs, and live-fire team training in modern cyber range offerings help managers deal with the ongoing skills gap that makes cybersecurity such a difficult discipline to manage.
In addition, cyber range training should provide metrics to track progress, offer insights into performance, and help SOC managers measure aggregate cyber risk. Such support is essential to the modern SOC manager who might feel pressure to demonstrate cyber preparedness and ongoing security posture maturity to the senior executive team or board. The commercial solution from Cloud Range is an excellent choice in this regard as it includes effective support for managers in the areas discussed above.
Stay tuned for the next blog in this series in two weeks!
Contact Cloud Range to learn why SOC managers and security leaders worldwide depend on our customized services to reduce risk and response time, without adding more work to your plate.
About TAG Cyber
TAG Cyber is a trusted cyber security research analyst firm, providing unbiased industry insights and recommendations to security solution providers and Fortune 500 enterprises. Founded in 2016 by Dr. Edward Amoroso, former SVP/CSO of AT&T, the company bucks the trend of pay-for-play research by offering in-depth insights, market analysis, consulting, and personalized content based on thousands of engagements with clients and non-clients alike—all from a practitioner’s perspective.
Copyright © 2023 TAG Cyber LLC. This report may not be reproduced, distributed, or shared without TAG Cyber’s written permission. The material in this report is comprised of the opinions of the TAG Cyber analysts and is not to be interpreted as consisting of factual assertions. All warranties regarding the correctness, usefulness, accuracy, or completeness of this report are disclaimed herein.
