Cisco Secure Cloud Analytics

Cisco Secure Cloud Analytics, formerly known as Stealthwatch Cloud, manages detecting and responding to threats across both cloud and on-premises environments by leveraging network telemetry and logs. This SaaS-based solution integrates with cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform, eliminating the need for specialized hardware or software agents.

The technical architecture of Secure Cloud Analytics revolves around collecting a wide variety of network telemetry and logs to identify abnormal behavior and signs of malicious activity. The solution aggregates this data to generate critical alerts, enabling swift investigation and response to security incidents. It uses predictive threat analytics to detect early indicators of compromise, including insider threats, malware, policy violations, and misconfigured cloud assets.

Operationally, Secure Cloud Analytics is designed for ease of use, requiring no special expertise for deployment or management. It extends visibility across both cloud and on-premises environments from a single interface, making it a unified solution for security operations. However, it is important to note that the scalability and performance of the solution can be influenced by the volume of data being processed and the complexity of the network environment.

Key technical details include the ability to receive and analyze a wide range of network telemetry, including NetFlow, IPFIX, and other log data. The solution is part of Cisco XDR, which unifies data from various detection technologies to accelerate investigations and minimize false positives. While it offers robust threat detection capabilities, the solution's effectiveness can be impacted by the quality and completeness of the data it receives, highlighting the importance of comprehensive network visibility and data integrity.