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Several hours before the sun is scheduled to rise and I’m already sucking on my third cup of morning coffee; even now my mind is drawn back to those early days when I began my career as a network admin in ’93—dialing my way into managing voice and data mux over PSTN. Fast forward 20 years, and well, here I am, still in the cyber trenches, now leading PJ Networks, working on behalf of clients to combat threats far more sophisticated than the Slammer worm that kept everyone up all night on every continent.
Today I want to peel back the covers and reveal how threat intelligence, specifically from Fortinet’s FortiGuard Labs, enables our SOC (Security Operations Center) to do more than just chase alerts.
If you’ve ever wondered what people in the SOC are really doing when they report a need for “threat intelligence,” this is the deal. CTI is to the cybersecurity world what the detailed weather report is to meteorology — an endless update on what’s out there, who’s attacking you, how they’re doing it, why they’re going after you, and many, many other hurricanes, earthquakes, floods or heatwaves.
It’s more than just alerts or antivirus names. It’s context and insight, providing a sense of the when, where and how of cyber threats so that we can anticipate and defend.
Consider it like this – if managing your network is similar to driving a car, then CTI is the equivalent of your GPS, with real-time traffic updates. It can tell you when there are accidents, roadblocks, bad weather or even bad drivers up ahead and help you avoid disaster. Without that, you’re just driving blind, hoping for the best.
Here’s the thing – basic security tools (for today, let’s say your ordinary antivirus, firewalls with it’s standard rules) are like airbags and seatbelts – they are necessary but they are not sufficient. Generic security is reactive. It waits for threats to come in and then attempts to limit the damage.
But cybercriminals? They have evolved faster than ever. Fresh malware, zero-day exploits, phishing attacks with laserlike accuracy. That said, if you’re only leaning on old school defenses, like straight up signature-based scans, you’re essentially driving a rotary phone in a 5G world.
That’s why here at PJ Networks, we do not believe in one size fits all. We combine threat intelligence feeds to proactive security planning. Because if you’re not thinking about what the attacker will do next, you’re already a step behind.
FortiGuard Labsの勢力: グローバル脅威インサイト
Throughout the years, one thing has remained, and that is the importance of strong threat intelligence vendors. One of the better ones is offered by Fortinet’s FortiGuard Labs. Why? And to that end, they’re scanning and analyzing data from hundreds of millions of sensors around the globe, at a global level, and with the power of 400 researchers.
It’s the equivalent of having the eyes and the ears of a large cybersecurity army roaming the planet around the clock.
FortiGuard does more than just give out raw information:
So here’s my point of view: lots of solutions sell themselves as AI. I’m skeptical. This isn’t some magical black box for FortiGuard’s intelligence. It’s decades of experience working in tandem with smart automation and real human expertise. That combination? Priceless.
So you have this huge river of intelligence flowing in — but then what? Here is where the magic (and work) occurs at PJ Networks’ SOC. It’s not simply enough to know that there’s a threat. We have to move that knowledge into action, quickly.
Our SOC design focuses in three areas:
In culinary terms, it’s like cooking a multi-course dish with fresh, high-quality ingredients delivered just-in-time. If the ingredient (intelligence) is poor or outdated, the dish (defense) does not turn out so great.
And yes, things fall through the cracks sometimes. I will allow for some hair-pulling moments early in my career where we missed signs. But each is a lesson, honing our playbook.
OK, so there are a lot of robust, elegant, elaborate computer systems that stand between a collection of threat data and your fully protected fortress. So allow me to lead you in the journey from raw threat data to castle walls:
This is not a one-and-done cycle. It’s continuous and dynamic and precise. For customers like the three banks we guided to zero-trust architectures recently, this intel feed isn’t just nice-to-have — it’s the lifeblood of their modern security posture.
Having been in the trenches since the early 2000s, I’ve learned one very clear thing: Cybersecurity is a marathon, not a sprint. Technology changes, threats change, and — yes — sometimes you have to push back on conventional wisdom (I’m looking at you, absurd password complexity policies).
PJ Networks continues to go the extra mile—nation after nation of investment in cutting edge SOC talent, endless training (I just returned from DefCon’s hardware hacking village, absolutely amazing time) – and marrying in global threat intel (courtesy of badasses such as FortiGuard Labs).
Our clients are not purchasing tech. They’re getting a partner. Someone who transforms cyber threat intelligence into meaningful security results. Because at the end of the day, there’s no point in a flood of alerts unless your team can turn it into timely, effective action.
Here’s my advice: Don’t treat cyber threat intelligence as some sort of buzzword du jour. Find ones that have practical experience and tested technology. And don’t forget—your people and processes behind the SOC turn intel into action.
To all the SysAdmins, security pros and business leaders out there reading this – you’re not alone. PJ Networks is now upping the alert-to-action ante, because your defenses are more than a firewall with some default rules.
Now if you’ll just excuse me, I believe I’ll pour a fourth cup and get into the logs. There’s always something brewing in the world of cyber. Sure, but we’re not just looking for threats — I hunt them.
Sanjay Seth
Cybersecurity Consultant
PJ Networks Pvt Ltd
