Strengthening Security Operations with ServiceNow SecOps: A Guide for C-Level Executives

With cyber risk now business risk, cybersecurity has become paramount for organizations of all sizes. And, as cyber threats grow more sophisticated and increase in volume, proactive security measures are essential for safeguarding sensitive data and maintaining business continuity.

ServiceNow SecOps helps organizations transform their security strategy in this way by offering a comprehensive platform designed to bolster security operations and streamline incident response (IR). In this blog post, we’ll take a deep dive into how it all works. Read on to:

• Gain a thorough understanding of ServiceNow SecOps.
• Learn how it can enhance your organization’s security posture.
• Discover key features that help users mitigate security events.

Understanding ServiceNow SecOps

Let’s start with the basics. What is ServiceNow SecOps? At a high-level, it simplifies and automates threat and vulnerability management and response to reduce cybersecurity risk and drive cyber resilience. Part of the Now Platform®, ServiceNow SecOps encompasses a suite of robust components, including:

• Security Incident Response (SIR): The cornerstone of ServiceNow SecOps, SIR integrates seamlessly with third-party threat detection systems and security information and event management (SIEM) solutions. This integration enables organizations to correlate security events and prioritize incidents based on their business impact, ensuring that critical threats receive immediate attention. Moreover, SIR enriches security incidents with threat intelligence, empowering analysts with contextual information to make informed decisions. Automation and workflows within SIR reduce manual tasks, streamline incident resolution, and foster collaboration between IT, end users and security teams.

• Threat Intelligence (TI): ServiceNow SecOps includes a sophisticated TI application that empowers incident responders in their quest to identify indicators of compromise (IoCs) and proactively hunt for emerging threats. The application automatically searches threat feeds for relevant information when an IoC is detected, leveraging industry standard formats such as Structured Threat Information eXpression (STIX) and Trusted Automated eXchange of Indicator Information (TAXII). Additionally, ServiceNow supports multiple threat feeds, ensuring that analysts have access to comprehensive TI data. The results are reported directly in the security incident record, enabling analysts to quickly assess the severity of the threat and take appropriate action, thus saving valuable time and resources.

• Vulnerability Response: Vulnerability Response offers seamless integration with market-leading vulnerability scanners and the National Vulnerability Database (NVD). This integration allows organizations to prioritize vulnerable items based on asset context and exploit enrichment, ensuring that resources are allocated efficiently to mitigate the most critical vulnerabilities. Automation capabilities within Vulnerability Response enable organizations to automate patch requests, expedite remediation efforts and reduce exposure to potential threats. Furthermore, Vulnerability Response seamlessly integrates with IR tasks, change requests and problem management processes, facilitating a holistic approach to vulnerability management. Additionally, Vulnerability Response updates the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) with scan data, ensuring asset inventories remain accurate and up to date.

• Event Management for Security Operations: This component enables organizations to aggregate, correlate and analyze security events from various sources, providing visibility into potential security breaches and anomalous activities.

• Major Security Incident Management: Major Security Incident Management provides a structured framework for managing and resolving significant security incidents, ensuring they are escalated, prioritized and resolved in a timely manner. Running SecOps within the ServiceNow instance offers additional security measures and confidentiality. For example, through role-based access control mechanisms, sensitive security data is accessible only to authorized personnel within the security team.

Integration: A Key Advantage of ServiceNow SecOps

In our blog, “How Automated Are you? Best Practices for Utilizing ServiceNow Applications In A Unified Workflow,” we talked about the importance of replacing a siloed approach to security, where tools run independently, with an automated and integrated approach that drives cybersecurity and cyber resilience. ServiceNow SecOps helps organizations facilitate a unified approach to security by seamlessly integrating with existing security tools and technologies. By interoperating with SIEM platforms, threat intelligence feeds and endpoint protection systems, organizations can consolidate disparate data sources and streamline security operations.

Real-World Use Cases for ServiceNow SecOps

ServiceNow SecOps caters to various industries and sectors, offering tailored solutions to address specific challenges. Here are a few cybersecurity obstacles that organizations are relying on ServiceNow SecOps to tackle:

• IR Automation: Streamlines IR workflows to automate routine tasks and foster collaboration between IT, end users and security teams.
• Threat Hunting and Detection: Equips organizations with proactive TI capabilities to identify and mitigate emerging threats before they escalate into major incidents.
• Compliance Management: Automates compliance workflows, streamlining audit preparation, documentation and reporting to ensure adherence to regulatory requirements.
• Vulnerability Management: Prioritizes and mitigates vulnerabilities based on asset context and exploit enrichment, integrating seamlessly with IR tasks and change requests.
• Security Orchestration: Automates and orchestrates security workflows, enabling organizations to respond rapidly to security incidents and minimize their impact on business operations.

The Implementation Process

The security benefits sound great, right? Now that you’re on board, let’s talk about implementation. The ServiceNow SecOps implementation process involves meticulous planning, deployment, configuration, training, testing and ongoing support. While it can seem overwhelming upfront, with a partner such as Navisite, you can get it done quickly and easily for a long-term reward.

Here is a snapshot of a typical implementation roadmap:

• Planning and Assessment: Define objectives, assess current security processes and identify key stakeholders.
• Deployment and Configuration: Set up the ServiceNow SecOps platform, configure security policies and integrate with existing security tools.
• Training and Education: Provide comprehensive training to security personnel on using ServiceNow SecOps effectively and foster a culture of security awareness.
• Testing and Optimization: Conduct thorough testing, fine-tune configurations based on feedback, and continuously monitor and optimize the platform.
• Ongoing Support and Maintenance: Provide ongoing support, address any issues promptly, and stay informed about updates and new features released by ServiceNow.

Expected ROI from ServiceNow SecOps Implementation

ServiceNow SecOps represents a strategic investment for organizations seeking to enhance their security posture and resilience in the face of evolving cyber threats. By leveraging the power of ServiceNow’s unified platform and robust security components, organizations can automate manual processes, fortify their defenses, streamline IR and safeguard their digital assets with confidence. This powerful combination ensures business continuity, allowing your company to operate seamlessly despite external threats – and that is a significant return on investment for any organization. Navisite’s team of ServiceNow experts are standing by to help you become more cyber secure and resilient. Contact us today!