Why Legal firms are making SIEM systems a key element of their cyber security strategies
The UK's Legal sector must contend with some of the most stringent compliance and data protection obligations in the current digital landscape. For many years, this has hindered the progress of digital transformation initiatives within firms, but in recent years, in order to meet the challenges of COVID-19, many firms have seized the opportunity to modernise cumbersome legacy systems and develop cutting-edge IT infrastructure that enables their staff to work more flexibly.
The implications for the sector, and its ability to deliver its services to its clients are huge, but at the same time, these innovations must not come at the expense of effective IT governance. This will prove a critical part of providing clients with complete peace-of-mind regarding the management and security of their sensitive data in the years ahead, and so must not be neglected.
Meeting client expectations in the era of omnichannel communications
As omnichannel communications platforms have evolved, many clients are no longer willing to rely solely on exchanging physical copies of critical documents and will expect to be able to collaborate with their teams remotely, through their preferred channels. Considering the large number of sensitive documents legal firms create, share, and store on a daily basis, this creates a considerably wider attack surface for cyber criminals, with each electronic transfer representing a potential security breach.
With this in mind, Legal firms require complete visibility and control of their entire cyber security ecosystem, with the ability to track the movement and development of documents at the micro and macro levels, in order to maintain the integrity of the information they contain, and ensure they are only accessible to authorised individuals.
This may be simple in principle, but in execution, it becomes more complex, as every action - no matter how ostensibly minor - must be logged and retained. This would present an impossible burden for internal IT teams, making it impractical for them to execute the BAU activities that firms rely on in their daily operations.
So, how can firms ensure their IT infrastructure supports their evolving ways of working, without affecting their longstanding compliance obligations? SIEM systems can potentially offer a strong foundation on which to build.
With this in mind, Legal firms require complete visibility and control of their entire cyber security ecosystem, with the ability to track the movement and development of documents at the micro and macro levels, in order to maintain the integrity of the information they contain, and ensure they are only accessible to authorised individuals.
This may be simple in principle, but in execution, it becomes more complex, as every action - no matter how ostensibly minor - must be logged and retained. This would present an impossible burden for internal IT teams, making it impractical for them to execute the BAU activities that firms rely on in their daily operations.
So, how can firms ensure their IT infrastructure supports their evolving ways of working, without affecting their longstanding compliance obligations? SIEM systems can potentially offer a strong foundation on which to build.
What are SIEM systems?
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems streamline and automate the process of tracking, logging, and analysing the security data generated by real-time monitoring of corporate systems, applications, and infrastructure. By bringing together information and event management in a single platform, organisations are able to pre-empt any cyber security attacks, utilising sophisticated AI to identify potential attack vectors and anomalous user behaviour.
When delivered as a fully managed service, under the supervision of a world-class Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC), a properly implemented SIEM provides Legal firms with the launchpad for true data-driven decision-making around the development of their cyber security ecosystems and the protection of their clients' data, while eliminating the need to manually analyse and interpret high volumes of data.
If you would like to discuss whether a managed SIEM platform is the right path for your firm, do not hesitate to contact us. Our team will explore your requirements in depth, and based on our findings, will propose bespoke solutions that support your firm's ongoing growth.
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