The Internet of Things (IoT) is reshaping not only devices, but the consumers, businesses, and industries that use those devices. IoT technologies are an exciting development in the modern business world, but the increased use of these devices and capabilities has created an increase in risks, too.
Even though IoT makes greater accessibility and scalability possible, those same benefits can make IoT devices vulnerable to cybersecurity threats. That’s why managed detection and response (MDR) for IoT is becoming a priority for businesses all around the globe. Learn more about how MDR IoT efforts can protect your organization!
What is Managed Detection and Response (MDR)?
Managed detection and response (MDR) is a cybersecurity service that protects assets by efficiently detecting threats and quickly responding to breaches in security. MDR primarily relies on threat intelligence and proactive threat hunting to get the job done, leveraged by experts who monitor your endpoints, networks, and cloud environments and respond to cyber threats around the clock.
Using an MDR service is more than just security, too. By outsourcing your cybersecurity efforts, your business is under constant protection from professionals who understand the digital and IoT landscape. A managed service like MDR offers:
- 24/7/365 protection. Your assets are always being monitored for threats so that teams can quickly respond, even during off-work hours, holidays, etc.
- Tailored attention. A good MDR team will understand your business, the primary risks it faces, and the priorities your organization has when it comes to security.
- Certified experts. Internal IT teams are often spread a little too thin to constantly monitor for potential threats, but MDRs have fully certified cybersecurity experts that give your business all the security attention it needs.
- Top technology. When you pay for outsourced services, you’re also paying for cutting-edge technology that will best protect your organization and its digital assets.
Ultimately, MDR is designed to find and respond to threats using a team of experts and the best security technology on the market.
What is IoT?
IoT stands for Internet of Things, which describes the network of devices and other objects that have sensors, processing ability, software, and other technologies; all of these devices connect and exchange data with other devices and systems via the internet. Industries everywhere are implementing IoT devices and strategies to increase how efficient and productive the tools and workflows people use to keep their operations running. Components of IoT include sensors, protocols, gateways, managed platforms, traditional web applications, and cloud technologies in backend services.
How MDR Provides Protection for IoT
These components make some incredible processes possible, but it’s also harder to keep your data and information secure with so many potentially vulnerable endpoints. IoT by nature deploys a massive fleet of devices and objects, so staying secure at scale is just one security challenge. Plus, IoT is usually managed on both web- and cloud-based platforms, which are also at risk. MDR designed for IoT can help keep your operations secure with the following strategies.
Detection
When it comes to threat detection, MDR services can monitor an IoT fleet by monitoring the traffic at gateways and network levels. This means your MDR should be able to handle data analytics at scale. MDR security must perform effective detection methods across a hybrid environment, too, whether on the web or in the cloud.
It’s also essential for MDR technology to employ abnormality detection, pattern recognition, and outlier detection. This differs from what might be considered typical MDR solutions that use a rule-based monitoring system. Understanding how to detect and flag exceptions is more important than ever in modern IoT environments.
Response
IoT threats tend to be targeted, so once a threat has been detected, it’s essential to troubleshoot quickly to understand the impact of the breach. MDR for IoT can discover the attack campaign and assess the full impact using analytics on historical events. Once a threat is discovered and understood, the threat needs to be contained at machine speed so that all of the many connected devices and systems aren’t also put at risk. This includes quarantining a device, blocking a connection, reconfiguring system parameters, etc. All of this incident management can be optimized using automation, incident playbooks, and other similar tools.
Microsoft Defender
When you’ve already invested in Microsoft assets and the accompanying security tools, an MDR can make the most of that investment by integrating and configuring those Microsoft-specific security measures for optimal protection. With Microsoft Defender for IoT and Microsoft Sentinel, customers’ operational technology (OT) assets and IoT environments can remain just as secure as IT environments. This helps your business reduce attack surfaces and MTTR, achieve the highest level of visibility, and create a holistic security program.
Ontinue ION for IoT
To stay competitive in your industry, your operations will need to adopt IoT solutions if it hasn’t already. And, if you have IoT devices (and the attached risks), you need MDR services that are designed for the IoT landscape. Ontinue leverages Microsoft Defender for IoT to get deep visibility into IoT and OT environments.
Ontinue ION is the MXDR service of choice for Microsoft security customers that want to accelerate MTTR, proactively reduce risk, and reduce costs. ION combines a cloud-native platform, AI-driven automation, and designated security and Microsoft expertise to get faster at detection and response, prevent threats, and optimize Microsoft security tools.
If you want greater security, less stress, and an uninterrupted work environment, learn more about MDR + IoT with Ontinue ION IoT and contact us today.