Increase Visibility 

Microsoft’s new Digital Defense Report is out, and they revealed that attackers have accelerated their innovation over the past year and rapidly developing new techniques bypassing traditional security measures. They have become more advanced and adaptable, using new strategies such as AI tools for phishing campaigns and multi-stage attack chains. However, the report also outlines a contrast. Although they evolved, most threats continue to exploit well-known vulnerabilities. Vulnerable web assets, remote services, and unpatched systems are still the prime targets and are being exploited. To protect what matters, organizations must have visibility across their entire digital estate continuously, intelligently, and in real time. across their entire digital estate continuously, intelligently, and in real time. 

Black Cell, a Microsoft Security and Modern Work Solutions Partner with multiple advanced specializations, is here to help to organizations of all sizes: either with a full-scale SOC based on Sentinel, or with a more cost-effective Mini SOC based on Microsoft Defender XDR. A proprietary assessment enables risk-based decision making on the appropriate technological measures and monitoring capabilities to be implemented.

The Frontlines Must Be Protected. 

Today’s cyberattacks are faster, stealthier, and more precise. Threat actors exploit weak configurations and hide within trusted services. As the report points out, “Adversaries aren’t breaking in, they’re logging in.” 

According to the report, government organizations, IT companies, and academic and research institutions are the most targeted sectors right now. These entities possess valuable intellectual property, sensitive personal data, all of which are prime material for espionage, extortion, or ransomware. 

However, many of these organizations have legacy systems, limited security budgets, and small IT teams, which makes visibility and early detection even more important. For them, we have two solutions that can help strengthen their defenses and improve detection.  

Continuous Assessment 

Regularly assessing configurations and workloads helps you identify weak spots in your environment.  

Cloud security benchmarks are available that check your configuration against the baselines provided by CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) and CIS (Center for Internet Security) baseline for securing cloud environments and endpoints. 

However, one benchmark is not enough because configuration drifts can – and let’s be frank, will – happen. Configuration drift is when operating environments deviate from a baseline or standard configuration over time. Continuous assessment is recommended to ensure that your secure configurations remain in place. Also, benchmarks evolve over time, so there can be new recommendations and checks. 

Therefore, we recommend a continuous, automated assessment where: 

• Configuration changes and misalignments can be detected. 
• Permissions and access controls are regularly revalidated.

This will transform compliance into an active defense solution that goes beyond a mere checklist. 

The Mini SOC, Powered by Microsoft XDR 

For many of the most targeted sectors, maintaining a large, dedicated Security Operations Center is unrealistic – even as an outsourced option. This is where a Mini SOC changes the equation. 

By combining Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Defender for Identity, and Defender for Cloud and Defender for Office 365 organizations can create a lightweight, integrated security operations model that provides enterprise-grade protection at an affordable cost. 

It provides: 

• A single pane of glass with all security events, alerts, and response actions in one portal. 
• Preserving detection capabilities: Defender XDR continues to detect most threats without compromise. 
• Full visibility across the Microsoft ecosystem: Thanks to native integration, Defender XDR provides unified visibility over endpoints, identities, emails, and SaaS applications. 
• Enhanced response actions from Black Cell SOC’s seasoned security analyst experts based on 24/7 monitoring. 

It’s possible for organizations to achieve 24/7 situational awareness, even with small IT teams. This means that they can see attacks before they spread and act decisively when it matters most.  

Conclusion: Visibility Is the New Perimeter 

In a world where attackers no longer need to break in, but simply log in, visibility has become the ultimate defense. By combining continuous assessment with a Mini SOC powered by Microsoft XDR, even small IT teams can achieve enterprise-grade protection by seeing more, responding faster, and building true digital resilience. 

The future of defense isn’t about more tools. It’s about seeing further, sooner, and smarter. 

Learn more about our solutions!