Organisations, including MSPs, are very familiar with Security Operations Centres (SOC). They enable organisations to identify when a security incident has happened, enabling them to respond quickly on behalf of a customer. However, in this podcast, Matt Middleton-Leal, managing director of EMEA North and South at Qualys, explains the importance of the Risk Operations Centre (ROC).
Qualys recently launched its cloud-based ROC. The platform consolidates security risk data from Qualys and its partners, including Microsoft, Forescout and Oracle. What makes this different from a SOC? Middleton-Leal explained, “The ROC is looking proactively ahead to try and stop that alert ever happening in the first place.”
While there is an overlap between the two, risk management is an area that boards are more familiar with and understand. Qualys works with its partners to help organisations articulate technological risk metrics through a lens that they understand: numerical numbers against a financial impact.
The Business Opportunity for MSPs
Middleton-Leal sees the SOC as a huge opportunity for MSPs. He describes four sets of services that partners can deliver to their customers.
- Cyber Risk Quantification, which could be a very detailed look at a business unit and an analysis of associated risk
- Implementing the SOC, onboarding customers and demonstrating the value it delivers
- Setting up and monitoring the risk landscape and ensuring value is derived from the platform.
- Helping organisations to fix any issues that surfaced, whether that is through transferring, mitigating, reducing or eliminating the risk
He also explains why this is so important for all customers today, with security breaches now almost expected.
“I do worry people are getting a little bit blasé about it. I do worry because it’s happening so often that it’s now that we’re insured for cyber insurance in place, do I really need to worry about putting in technical controls at the same level? Do I need to continue my level of investment? I do think there is some of that in the marketplace.
“We need to help organisations change the mindset by helping them solve some real problems because, to date, I fear, we’ve spent so much money and so much time, and we haven’t seemed to solve the problem. Based on the ransomware statistics out there, people are getting a little bit disenfranchised.”
Middleton explains the ROC and how it differs from other tools. He also explains where Qualys is seeing the biggest interest, both geographically and by industry, with the financial services sector the most interested. He notes that DORA has changed how organisations must look at risk.
To hear what else Middleton-Leal talked about, listen to the podcast.
Where can I get it?
You can listen to the podcast by clicking on the player below. Alternatively, click on any of the podcast services below and go to the Enterprise Times podcast page.
