Closing the gaps in modern SOC visibility

Jamie Moles at ExtraHop explains how Security Operations Centres can go beyond piecemeal monitoring and adopt a unified strategy

 

For years, security teams have relied on Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) to monitor activity on individual devices, and on Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems to aggregate and analyse logs from across the environment.

 

These tools form the foundation of many cyber-defence strategies. But as attackers grow more sophisticated, moving laterally across networks, evading endpoint agents and avoiding logs, EDR and SIEM alone are no longer enough.

 

That’s why Network Detection and Response (NDR), which provides real-time visibility into the internal traffic flowing between systems, is increasingly recognised as the missing piece of a truly effective security operations stack. To detect and contain modern threats, Security Operations Centres (SOCs) must go beyond piecemeal monitoring and adopt a unified strategy.

 

Enter the SOC visibility triad

The SOC Visibility Triad is a framework designed to close visibility gaps that adversaries routinely exploit. Introduced by Gartner in 2015, the triad combines insights from three key telemetry sources: endpoints, logs and network traffic.

 

EDR tools monitor activity on devices, detecting abnormal behaviour or suspicious file execution. SIEM systems centralise and correlate data from across the environment, helping teams uncover patterns or policy violations. NDR, the final piece, provides real-time visibility into what’s happening on the network - particularly inside the perimeter, where attackers often move freely once inside.

 

The founder of the SOC Visibility Triad concept, Anton Chuvakin, recently published a blog adding application visibility to the mix, turning the triad into a quad. For enterprises running cloud applications and deploying AI agents, gaining deeper insights into applications offers an added layer of security and business logic, oftentimes missing from traditional endpoint and network observability.

 

Individually, these tools offer valuable insight. Together, they form a powerful detection and response engine capable of uncovering stealthy, fast-moving threats that might otherwise go unnoticed.

 

NDR completes the visibility picture

The unique strength of NDR lies in its ability to monitor the internal network and east-west traffic where adversaries often operate undetected. While EDR focuses on individual devices and SIEM collects logs, neither provides continuous monitoring of communications between systems. That’s the blind spot NDR fills.

 

Unparalleled network visibility offers a reliable, real-time source of truth that helps analysts spot lateral movement, command-and-control communication and signs of data exfiltration. NDR tools also apply machine learning to detect behavioural anomalies, reducing reliance on signatures or manual rule creation.

 

By adding NDR to the mix, SOC teams gain a dynamic view of threats that complements the endpoint and log data they already have. It becomes significantly easier to distinguish between normal activity and indicators of compromise, accelerating both detection and response.

 

Strength in integration

What truly unlocks the value of these different tools is integration. When NDR works in concert with EDR and SIEM, each tool enhances the others. For example, NDR can share high-fidelity detections with an EDR platform to trigger automated isolation of compromised devices. It can also enrich SIEM data with detailed, structured network telemetry - making investigations faster and more precise.

 

This kind of cross-platform collaboration enables SOC teams to reduce alert fatigue, cut investigation times and take action with greater confidence. It also helps unify security data across tools and teams, reducing complexity and improving operational efficiency.

 

Meeting challenges with a complete strategy

Modern cyber-threats are often quiet, persistent and fast-moving. As such, SOC teams need full visibility into every connection, device and movement across the network. However, the only way to truly gain this visibility is when EDR, SIEM, and NDR are in place and working together.

 

By bringing the three tools together, organisations can overcome the blind spots that often delay detection and response. It’s not about adding another layer of technology for its own sake, but enabling security teams to work with better data, clearer context and a more unified view of their environment. 

 

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Jamie Moles is Senior Technical Manager at ExtraHop, the Network Detection and Response platform

 

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and paci77