Redefining Cyber Security: Cisco's New Automated Response System Takes On Advanced Threats

As cyber threats become increasingly advanced and persistent, businesses are struggling to keep pace. Breaches are more frequent and their impact on businesses is becoming more severe. This surge in cyber attacks isn't random, but has been driven by multiple factors, including the rapid digital transformation propelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, increasingly sophisticated attack methods, and expanding attack surfaces due to the proliferation of remote work and cloud technologies.

Given these challenges, Cisco (News - Alert) continues to focus on fortifying enterprise cyber security and has recently launched its Extended Detection and Response (XDR) solution and enhanced features for Duo multi-factor authentication (MFA (News - Alert)). The goal is to help organizations better protect the integrity of their entire IT ecosystems.

Many research firms have projected the global XDR market to grow significantly over the next several years - meaning this is the right time for Cisco and others to harden their security solutions with XDR capabilities.  Omdia projects the XDR market will eclipse $3 billion by the end of 2026, an 800% growth surge in just five years.

Jeetu Patel, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Security and Collaboration at Cisco, emphasized the importance of these new solutions: "With Cisco XDR, SecOps teams can respond and remediate threats before they have a chance to cause significant damage. We are positioned to deliver integrated solutions that simplify securing today's increasingly complex, hybrid multi-cloud environments without compromising user experience."

The new XDR solution leverages Cisco's expertise in network and endpoint visibility to simplify security operations. Its cloud-first design aids in the investigation of incidents and enables security operations centers (SOCs) to immediately remediate threats. By utilizing analytics, the solution not only detects but also prioritizes responses to incidents, shifting the focus from endless investigations to remediation of high-priority incidents through evidence-backed automation.

Frank Dickson, Group Vice President, Security & Trust, IDC (News - Alert), points out that, "The true measure of XDR is its ability to deliver actual security outcomes, real and measurable benefit to organizations - early detection, impact prioritization, and effective and efficient response."

In response to the increasing number of attacks targeting gaps in weaker multi-factor authentication (MFA) implementations, Cisco has redefined what is essential for access management. As of May 1, 2023, Cisco started adding Trusted Endpoints to all its paid Duo Editions, which means only registered or managed devices can access resources.

These enhancements offer a robust framework for businesses to protect their digital assets from escalating cyber threats. As cyber attacks become increasingly sophisticated, solutions like Cisco's XDR and enhanced Duo MFA are critical to ensuring that businesses can stay ahead of potential threats and protect their digital infrastructures. By integrating advanced threat detection and response capabilities, businesses can significantly reduce the risk of data breaches and minimize their potential impact.

Cybersecurity is a continually evolving field and the tools and strategies used to combat them must adapt accordingly. Cisco's new XDR solution take a step forward in this ongoing battle against cyber threats.

The platform is designed to analyze and correlate key telemetry sources - endpoint, network, firewall, email, identity, and DNS - to provide a comprehensive picture of an organization's security posture. For instance, on the endpoint, Cisco XDR leverages insights from 200 million endpoints with Cisco Secure Client (formerly AnyConnect) to offer process-level visibility where the endpoint meets the network.

Apart from Cisco's native telemetry, the XDR solution integrates with other third-party vendors to increase interoperability and deliver consistent outcomes, regardless of vendor or technology. This integration amplifies the solution's potential by providing an overarching view of the security landscape and facilitating more streamlined investigations. It's also a critical approach because it moves away from a single-vendor model, which Cisco has traditionally embraced and, instead, recognizes the opportunity in delivering security solutions that aren't tied to only its own technology.

It also means Cisco's partners are able to more effectively translate business' needs for advanced secury into meaningful revenue through multiple deployment models.

"With the launch of Cisco XDR, we can finally provide our customers with XDR outcomes as a solution or managed offering," said Brad Davenport, Vice President of Technical Architecture at Logicalis (News - Alert). "We see this as a natural progression for us along the security maturity journey. Logicalis is very excited to put our combined expertise to work for our clients and offer Cisco XDR to help them achieve their business outcomes."

Meanwhile, the enhanced features for Duo MFA are another essential component of Cisco's new cyber security strategy. As businesses increasingly rely on multi-factor authentication to safeguard their digital assets, Cisco's enhancements provide the added layer of protection that organizations need. By delivering Trusted Endpoints alongside Single Sign-On, MFA, Passwordless, and Verified Push within the entry-level Duo Essentials edition, Cisco is providing a secure, cost-effective, and user-friendly access management solution.

Together, Cisco's XDR solution and the enhancements to Duo MFA illustrate the company's commitment to helping organizations counter the rising tide of cyber threats. By prioritizing the detection and response to these threats, Cisco is giving businesses the tools they need to protect their digital assets and maintain the integrity of their IT ecosystems in an increasingly complex and threat-prone digital world. As cyber threats continue to evolve, businesses can rely on solutions like these to navigate the cyber security landscape confidently.

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