A Security Operations Center is, as the name suggests, a crucial security solution for businesses. The Security Operations Center, or SOC, plays this role by preventing, monitoring, detecting, investigating, and responding to cyberthreats around the clock.

Here is what you can expect from a  Security Operations Center:

• Presence of experienced and expert team members who take care of all the security aspects of the organization
• Protection of the organization’s assets including intellectual property, personnel data, business systems, and brand integrity.
• Knowledge of how to protect the organization from all types of data bridges and cyber security threats.
• Creation of a detailed and comprehensive strategy that can be used to defend against all types of cyber-attacks.

Now that you have some idea of the abilities of a Security Operations Center, it is time to understand the role that it performs. In this way, you will be able to better understand the significance of having a Security Operations Center assist with the protection of your organization’s assets against cyberattacks.

What Does a SOC Do?

An agency’s or organization’s centralized SOC effectively uses people, automation tools and software, and other technologies to constantly evaluate and detect the weak defense posture of the company while avoiding, recognizing, analyzing, and reacting to cybersecurity issues.

Note that different SOCs have different numbers of team members but all of them perform the same function. Let’s have a look at some of the major roles of the Security Operations Center.

●    Prevention & Detection

The most preferred step in the cyber security strategy of the Security Operations Center is to prevent data breaches and cyber security attacks from happening. It is undoubtedly the most effective way to prevent the organization from experiencing any kind of cyber issue. However, in the case that a problem occurs, the team members will immediately detect the problem.

Remember that a SOC monitors the network constantly rather than reacting to risks as they arise. The SOC team is then able to identify unwanted activities and stop them before they have a chance to do any harm.

It is the core responsibility of the SOC members to keep an eye on all kinds of harmful activities that may be performed by cyber attackers. If they detect anything suspicious that can be harmful to the safety and security of the organization and its assets, they immediately try to gather as much information as they can. In this way, they can perform detailed investigations and find solutions.

●    Investigation

Once suspicious activities have been detected, the SOC team will begin the investigation stage. During this stage, SOC analyzes the severity of the security problem, the extent to which it can affect the assets of the organization, its nature, and how it can affect the whole infrastructure.

By comprehending how attacks develop and how to react appropriately before they get out of control, the analyst may identify and assess many sorts of security issues. For a successful triage, the SOC analyst integrates knowledge of the network with the most recent global information security research, which includes insights on offender capabilities, strategies, and tendencies.

●    Response

After the SOC team detects the issue and completes the investigation, they will move on to the response stage and devise a solution. A coordinated response is a practical step toward solving the problem. In this stage, the SOC performs various tasks to rectify the problem and bring the organization back to its previous safe condition. The SOC responds by addressing all the possible cybersecurity issues and performing actions that can solve them immediately.

By proceeding with endpoint isolation, malicious process termination, blocking execution, file deletion, and other measures, the SOC strives to enhance the security strength and retrieve any damaged or exposed information following an event. In the case of malware infections, this can entail restoring workable files to get around ransomware, erasing and resuming terminals, reorganizing infrastructure, or deleting and resetting access points.

Looking For the SOC For Your Organization? Choose Les Olson!

Les Olson IT operates a cutting-edge Network Operations Center (NOC), where its staff of IT experts supports the communications infrastructure. Their help desk has a group of qualified, highly skilled professionals who provide next-level customer service. With their Managed IT Services Help Desk and Remote Monitoring and Management, they can take care of all the details of your IT requirements, including the time-consuming and hectic repairing of network computers and other devices, giving your company a sense of security.

There’s a strong probability that when you seek out to resolve an issue, and are proactively trying to fix it.

Your organization’s smooth operation depends on the technology that you rely on. Your business is at risk when your infrastructure isn’t functioning properly. You can guarantee your infrastructure and assets are online and always running as effectively as possible with Managed IT Services from Les Olson Company. To reduce expensive downtime, their technical professionals are continually working in the background. They are your partner in using technologies to assist you in accomplishing your corporate objectives.

It’s time to let the security and functionality of your company’s network and devices be managed by Les Olson’s award-winning IT specialists. Their Managed IT Services offer a wide range of technological options, such as remote network assessment and tracking, user customer care assistance, and much more.

Reach Out To Les Olson SOC Experts Today[/cz_title]

We know we are selling ourselves hard in this article, but you probably searched a phrase like “Computers and printers near me, in stock,” to have this article recommended to you by Google. With that being the case, you are probably looking for a company that can deliver products or services to you right away.

If that’s the case, fill out this form and we will be in touch shortly to share what we have available and can deliver to you right now.[/cz_title]

We are not entirely unaffected by the supply chain problems, but for common items like laptops, laptop accessories, multi-function printers, printer supplies, and more, we have full warehouses in each of our 9 locations.[/cz_title]

9 Locations and Over 13 Service Areas!

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to find out what we have available and how we can help you right away.

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Have you ever avoided improvements and upgrades to technology in order to reduce costs?

Have you outsourced certain aspects of your technology?

Do you look toward technology as a way to establish or increase efficiency?

Have you leveraged document management tools?

Do you have a technology plan in place that is guiding your decisions for future investments?

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To celebrate the 1-year anniversary of Windows 10, Microsoft has announced some major updates to the new operating system. The update is free for all Windows 10 users and includes some fantastic new features, based on feedback from some of the 350 million users of Windows 10. There are plenty of great new features, here are just a few of our favorites to help enhance productivity.

Windows Ink

For all of us who’ve embraced a digital, paper-free lifestyle, many of us still haven’t outgrown our need to hold a pen in our hand. Taking notes, writing down quick thoughts, bringing ideas to life with a sketch; these are all things people still like to do with a good old-fashioned pen and paper. Why? Probably because there hasn’t been an intuitive way for us to do this on our electronic devices. In fact, students have been proven to better retain information when they write it out by hand.

Microsoft Ink attempts to bridge the gap between the digital and physical worlds by allowing users to quickly and easily take down notes, annotate on top of screen shots, or even draw.

New and Improved Cortana

You know Cortana, “your personal digital assistant”. Maybe you’ve found Cortana to be useful in the past, maybe not. Either way, Microsoft has made it easier to interact with her. You can now ask Cortana for help, even when your screen is locked; this makes Cortana more readily available to do things like answer questions, set reminders, or play music for you. Cortana remembers things like your flight details so you don’t have to; and if you’re more of a visual person, Cortana can even save images as reminders. Also, Cortana can seamlessly give you notifications across all Cortana-enabled devices.

Microsoft Edge Tweaks

Let’s be honest, in recent years Microsoft’s original web browser, Internet Explorer, wasn’t exactly the first choice of many internet users. The release of Microsoft Edge sought to change Microsoft’s role in the web browser world, and so far people seem to like it.

With the anniversary update, they’ve made some improvements to Edge that are sure to make users smile. For starters, there are some great extensions available to personalize your browsing environment including Pinterest’s “Pin It” button, Amazon Assistant, AdBlock, and LastPass. You can also now create pinned tabs to keep your most used sites and apps readily available.

And let’s not forget, some of the best features are the ones you don’t notice at all. To that point, Microsoft has made some power-saving improvements to Edge, minimizing the impact of background activities, consuming less memory, and using fewer CPU cycles.

Better Start Menu

Microsoft has kept us all on the edge of our seats, frequently making drastic changes to their Start Menu. Here’s hoping this latest overhaul of the Start experience will be more intuitive and efficient for users. The “most used apps” and “all apps” are now combined into a single view. The menu has also been elevated to the top of the user interface to reduce clicking and scrolling. Access your apps, settings, power, and file explorer all with one click.

And last but certainly not least, custom folders you choose to appear in the start menu will be immediately visible upon clicking Start; you’ll no longer have to click an additional button to access them.

Taskbar and Calendar

This latest version of Windows provides badge notifications for apps on your taskbar. Much like Apple or Android, you will now see small notifications on top of your app icons, with the number of unseen notifications, as well as other more specific symbols.

The date and time flyout is now integrated with the calendar app. Your daily events will now show under the calendar and when you need to view additional details, it’s as easy as clicking the event to open the calendar app. Creating appointments is equally easy, just click the plus button.

Here’s how you can get the update:

Don’t have the update yet? Never fear, according to Microsoft, the Windows 10 Anniversary Update is being rolled out to PCs in phases, starting with the newest machines. If you’ve chosen to have updates automatically installed on your device, you don’t have to do anything to get the Anniversary Update. Just sit back and let Microsoft do the work.

If you just can’t wait, click here for directions on manually installing the update on your PC.

Note: if you’re using a Windows 10 PC for work, check with your I.T. Administrator before updating.[/cz_title]

COST

Let’s first establish a fact, laptops are generally more expensive than desktop computers. Not only is the hardware itself more expensive, but laptops are also usually more difficult and costly to repair. In addition, desktop workstations can be upgraded more easily and cost-effectively, which allows you to use the same computer for longer, even after your needs outgrow its capabilities. That said, if the cost is your ONLY concern, then your decision should be an easy one. Go with a desktop.

PORTABILITY

If portability is a priority, then the solution seems obvious. A laptop computer will give your employees the freedom to work from anywhere. Now you just need to decide whether that’s something that would be valuable to your business. For many businesses, portable computing means more flexibility and opportunities for collaboration.

Of course, it all comes down to the end-user. If we’re talking about someone who regularly meets with others, travels outside of the office or has the need to work remotely, a laptop would be a great fit. But for an employee that always works from a designated area, it may be hard to justify the additional cost of a laptop. However, you should ask yourself if such an employee could become more productive with the power of a portable workstation. Just because they have a stationary workstation now doesn’t mean it’s the most effective way for them to work.

PERFORMANCE

This is where the balancing act gets more intense. Many laptops that offer lightweight portability lack high-performance computing capabilities. On the other hand, many high-powered laptops are large and heavy – which may make you think twice about lugging it around with you. Wasn’t portability what you needed in the first place? And then there’s the ergonomics of using a laptop vs. a desktop computer. Is a 15 or 17″ screen enough for you? Are you comfortable using an integrated keyboard and a trackpad? Some people are comfortable using a laptop for extended periods of time while others never quite get the hang of it.

If your work is graphics-intensive, you may want to consider a powerful desktop computer with a nice big screen. But don’t forget that you can also dock a laptop for use with an external monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers. This allows you to combine the convenience of a laptop with the user-experience of a tower. Another option if portability is a must – pair a desktop computer with a tablet for the best of both worlds.

Still not sure which is right for you? Les Olson Company offers high-quality laptop and desktop computers for all types of applications. Let us work with you to find the perfect devices for your business. We also offer custom computer build services.[/cz_title][cz_gap]