To help counter the growing threat of cyber-attacks against the nation’s financial, energy, health care and other critical systems, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) issued the “Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity” in February 2014.

Among other things, the document included a comprehensive collection of standards, guidelines, and practices common among critical infrastructure sectors.  This was intended to help at-risk organizations assess their level of security preparedness and benchmark themselves.

Although this was a useful first step, it has since become apparent that using the framework does little to prevent cyber-attacks. This is because the guidelines and regulations have not evolved to deal with the constantly changing threat landscape.

The problem is made worse by the sheer volume of data that must be analyzed before a cyber-attack can be detected. Even with industry-leading technology in place to detect intrusions early on, the alerts can be buried under an avalanche of data which prevents a timely response before real damage is done.

Ultimately, proper security measures and best practices are just one part of the solution.  Continuous monitoring and real-time analysis are essential elements in the security equation.

DataLink can assist with system monitoring, analysis and vulnerability remediation to safeguard your organization’s IT resources. Contact us today at 410.729.0440 or sales@DataLinkTech.com.