| Explanation & Hint:
The term used to describe the process of identifying the Network Security Monitoring (NSM)-related data to be gathered is data reduction.
Data reduction in the context of NSM refers to the process of determining and collecting only the relevant data necessary for security monitoring purposes. This can involve filtering out irrelevant or low-value data to focus on the high-value information that will be most useful for detecting and analyzing security incidents. This is an important step because it can significantly reduce the volume of data that needs to be stored and analyzed, making the monitoring process more efficient and effective.
- Data Archiving: This refers to the process of moving data that is no longer actively used to a separate storage device for long-term retention. Archived data is kept for compliance or reference purposes and is generally stored in a way that preserves the original content and metadata. In the context of NSM, data archiving is important because it ensures that historical data is available for future reference or investigation, potentially years after it was initially collected.
- Data Normalization: This process involves standardizing and formatting data from various sources into a consistent format. In NSM, data normalization is crucial because it allows security tools to analyze and correlate data from different systems and formats. By normalizing data, analysts can more easily spot trends, identify anomalies, and apply consistent security measures across disparate data sets.
- Data Reduction: This is the process of identifying and collecting only the most relevant and necessary data for the task at hand. For NSM, data reduction involves filtering out noise, such as irrelevant traffic and benign events, to focus on the data that could indicate potential security threats or incidents. This is important because it allows security professionals to concentrate their efforts on high-priority issues without being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of data.
- Data Retention: This term describes the policies and processes that determine how long data is kept by an organization. Data retention is guided by regulatory requirements, operational needs, and storage capacities. In NSM, establishing a proper data retention policy is essential for ensuring that data is available for as long as it is needed for analysis and compliance purposes, but not longer than necessary, which can help in managing storage costs and data privacy concerns.
All these processes are part of managing the lifecycle of data in an NSM system, from the moment it is collected to when it is eventually archived or deleted. They help ensure that the data is usable, secure, and available for as long as needed. |