Staying ahead of increasingly complex and sophisticated cyber threats can put a significant strain your IT budget. That’s why it’s crucial to invest in security solutions that not only prevent attacks but also streamline detection, investigation, and response.
Cisco, a leader in the cybersecurity industry, offers a wide range of products designed to protect against sophisticated threats and optimize security operations. Two of Cisco’s solutions, Cisco Secure Access and Cisco Extended Detection and Response (XDR), work together to enhance visibility, provide strong secure access, and utilize AI-driven automation to improve threat detection and response. This powerful combination helps organizations stay resilient against evolving cyber threats while simplifying security management.
Cisco Secure Access
A cloud-delivered Security Service Edge (SSE) solution, Cisco Secure Access provides seamless, transparent, and secure access to data and applications, regardless of location. It simplifies network security by integrating multiple security functions, including:
- Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA): The ZTNA security model ensures no one inside or outside the network is trusted by default. Access is granted based on strict identity verification and continuous monitoring.
- Secure Web Gateway (SWG): SWG protects users from web-based threats by filtering malicious internet traffic and enforcing security policies.
- Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB): CASBs act as gatekeepers between an organization’s on-premises infrastructure and cloud services, ensuring secure data transfer and compliance with security policies.
- Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS): Cloud-based FWaaS provides scalable and flexible network traffic protection without physical hardware.
- VPN-as-a-Service (VPNaaS): Secure, cloud-based VPN services provide encrypted access without the complexity of traditional VPN infrastructure.
- Integrated Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Advanced DLP capabilities help prevent unauthorized data access and leakage by monitoring and enforcing security policies.
Cisco Secure Access is designed to simplify security for your IT team. It ensures your users can connect securely to essential resources while you maintain robust protection against cyber threats.
Cisco Extended Detection and Response (XDR)
Designed to enhance security operations, Cisco XDR provides unified threat detection, investigation, and response across multiple security controls. It collects and correlates data from various sources, including email, endpoints, servers, cloud workloads, and networks, for unified visibility and context into advanced threats while reducing false positives. Key XDR features include:
- Cross-Domain Visibility: Aggregates and correlates security data from endpoints, networks, email, cloud, and identity sources.
- AI-Driven Threat Detection: Uses machine learning and behavioral analytics to identify anomalies and advanced threats while automating threat prioritization to reduce alert fatigue.
- Automated Incident Response: Provides guided remediation with automated playbooks and workflows and orchestrates responses across different security tools to contain and eliminate threats quickly.
- Centralized Investigation & Forensics: Offers a unified console for security teams to investigate threats with timeline-based views. It provides deep forensics and event correlation to speed up threat resolution.
- Simplified Security Operations: Reduces manual workload for security teams by automating investigations and improves security efficacy with policy recommendations based on threat intelligence.
Cisco XDR makes security operations more efficient and effective by prioritizing incidents, providing comprehensive visibility, and enabling organizations to take quick, decisive actions against sophisticated threats.
How They Work Together
Cisco Secure Access and Cisco XDR work together to enhance threat detection, investigation, and response across networks. Cisco Secure Access collects data on internet activity, security events, and user behavior. This data is enriched with global threat intelligence from Cisco Secure Access Investigate, providing insights into potential threats. Cisco XDR uses this enriched data to prioritize incidents, automate responses, and provide detailed reports on security events.
Enhancing Threat Detection and Response
Cisco Secure Access applies least-privilege access principles to ensure users and devices only access the resources they are authorized to use. Cisco XDR enhances this security by aggregating and correlating telemetry data across networks, endpoints, cloud environments, and applications. Together, these solutions enable:
- Early Threat Identification: Cisco XDR continuously analyzes telemetry from Cisco Secure Access, detecting anomalies such as unusual login behaviors, access attempts from suspicious geolocations, or deviations from normal user patterns.
- Automated Response: When a potential threat is detected, Cisco XDR initiates automated containment measures, such as blocking user access, restricting lateral movement, or isolating a compromised device.
- Context-Aware Investigations: Cisco XDR offers detailed contextual insights to help distinguish between legitimate access requests and potential security incidents with higher accuracy.
Simplifying Security Operations
Alert fatigue and operational complexity can be overwhelming. Cisco Secure Access and XDR address these challenges with an integrated approach that streamlines workflows and enhances efficiency:
- Unified Visibility: Cisco XDR consolidates security data from multiple sources, including Secure Access logs, into a centralized dashboard, reducing the need for analysts to switch between disparate tools.
- Threat Prioritization: AI-driven correlation helps security teams focus on the most critical threats, minimizing time spent on false positives.
- Automated Playbooks: Predefined security response workflows allow for rapid threat mitigation, reducing the time required to neutralize an incident from hours to minutes.
Leveraging AI and Automation for Proactive Security
AI and automation are essential in modern cybersecurity strategies. Cisco Secure Access and XDR incorporate machine learning and automation to predict, detect, and respond to threats more effectively:
- Behavioral Analytics: AI-driven insights analyze historical and real-time user activity to identify deviations that may indicate insider threats or credential compromise.
- Adaptive Access Control: Based on risk assessment, Cisco Secure Access can dynamically adjust security policies, enforcing stricter authentication requirements when anomalies are detected.
- Automated Threat Hunting: AI-powered threat-hunting capabilities allow security teams to proactively identify potential security gaps and address them before attackers exploit them.
A Unified Approach to Cybersecurity
Integrating Cisco Secure Access and XDR into your security framework fosters a comprehensive, proactive approach to network protection. This powerful combination enhances threat detection, streamlines security operations, and harnesses AI-driven insights for real-time threat mitigation. Secure Access and XDR reduce operational complexity and provide your security teams with advanced tools for faster, more effective responses to evolving cyber threats.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Partner with Cerium Networks to safeguard your business with cutting-edge security solutions and expert consulting services. Our team will help you optimize detection, investigation, and response, ensuring your IT budget is optimized while keeping your systems secure.
Contact us today to learn how Cerium Networks can help fortify your defenses and provide peace of mind. Your security is our priority.
