What Alert Fatigue Is and How to Combat It
MSPs must have a better understanding of what alert fatigue is and how to combat it.
Drew Sanford, VP of global security operations at ConnectWise, talks about alert fatigue, also known as alarm fatigue. When a large number of alerts causes distraction to the employee who needs to respond to certain tasks, it leads to fatigue. While a single alert is easy to respond to, with a number of alerts in succession can interrupt the normal work or free time of an employee.
To perform their duties successfully, managed service providers (MSPs) rely on a wide range of software programs and tools. Although these tools are essential for giving their consumers top-notch service, they are not without drawbacks. For instance, each software program or utility has its own set of alerts and notifications. As a result, alert fatigue is a condition that MSPs overseeing an entire IT system may experience. This happens when an MSP employee is subjected to a barrage of system alerts and warnings to the point of desensitization.
Alert fatigue on the field could cause serious issues that are disastrous. This issue might happen in many IT environments, but MSPs are particularly prone to experience alert fatigue. A seemingly never-ending stream of auditory warnings and pop-up messages can result from the wide variety of tools and software platforms MSPs employ to serve their clients. As a result, MSPs must have a better understanding of what alert fatigue is and how to combat it within their own teams.
Implications on Cybersecurity
It is not difficult to make the connection between an incoming deluge of notifications and missed cybersecurity alarms. Anyone in the IT industry can attest to how serious the problem of alert fatigue can become. MSPs are continually informed of any suspicious activity or harmful files endangering the systems of their clients by software solutions, including anti-malware, antivirus, threat response systems and others.
In the present digital business environment, there is a record number of cyber-attacks, so it’s vital to be on high alert. However, if there are too many unimportant warnings, they may overpower the more important ones. MSPs and other IT professionals must be cognizant of alert fatigue and take all necessary steps to reduce system notifications.
See More: Why Businesses Are Fed Up With MSPs And Top Tips to Win Back Their Trust
Best Practices
While alert fatigue is an increasing issue in the MSP industry, the good news is that this occurrence is absolutely avoidable. MSPs who want to manage alert fatigue in their teams can take the following actions:
- Repetitive alerts should be consolidated: 56 percent of major corporations report handling more than 1,000 security alerts every day. When possible, alerts should be consolidated and decreased. The ensuing alert load will be more manageable, and team members will begin to pay more attention to them.
- Concentrate on actionable notifications: Alerts that are unclear or ambiguous might waste a lot of team time and energy. Specific, actionable alerts can help prevent employee exhaustion.
- Regularly review your procedure: Every organization is unique. What works for one team may not work for another. Consider every failure of your alert fatigue measurements a learning opportunity. Schedule regular evaluations of your alert management process and probe your system with questions to keep improving.
- Hiring third-party management: It may not be possible to add more jobs to your team’s plate, depending on their size, bandwidth and experience. In this instance, you’ll need external help to handle and filter the influx of alarms and notifications.
Training on Proper Alert Response
One of the most important stages in preventing cybersecurity alert fatigue is ensuring that your team is in the best possible position to respond to notifications. Your team can be trained in a variety of ways for alert response, but the ultimate objective is to make it as simple as possible.
Prioritizing alerts is one method of streamlining alert response. If your organization is having trouble establishing a hierarchy for your notifications, consider this:
- Critical risks that require an immediate reaction fall under Priority 1.
- Threats that are still high priority but can wait 24 hours for a response are classified as Priority 2.
- Priority 3: Malicious notifications that can be addressed in the next several working days but are less urgent.
See More: Top Tips on Enhancing IT Efficiency & Cutting Your Energy Bills
In addition to prioritizing critical alerts, consider utilizing checklists. The airline industry is a prime example of this concept. A great deal of caution must be exercised with each phase consisting of a tremendous number of processes, especially since an emergency situation could arise from something small like a missing nut, bolt or screw.
Checklists are designed so that an IT employee can start going through them as soon as they see a specific alarm. This “automates” the process to some extent, even if it doesn’t rely on software tools to do so. This method will become second nature to your staff through repeated training and simulated “trials,” which will greatly improve the efficiency of your cybersecurity center. Employees can act without having to stop to consider the appropriate response when a certain signal comes through the system.
It’s easy to let too much noise and alerts overwhelm or discourage IT, teams. However, putting the proper proactive measures in place can not only greatly reduce your risk of being the victim of a cyberattack, but also empower your IT team to do the best job possible.
How are you managing alert fatigue at work? Share with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Image Source: Shutterstock
MORE ON SECURITY GENERAL
