For many SOC teams, the challenge is not a lack of security tooling, but too much noise. Modern anti-virus (AV) and EDR platforms generate vast volumes of alerts, yet only a small fraction represent real risk. When analysts are overwhelmed, genuine threats can be missed, response slows, and confidence in the system erodes. Reducing alert fatigue has therefore become a critical operational priority for many delegates attending the Cyber Secure Forum…
Start with a clean baseline
Effective tuning begins with understanding what “normal” looks like. Baseline activity should be established across different asset types, user roles and operating environments. Servers, developer endpoints and frontline user devices will naturally behave very differently. Without this context, EDR platforms tend to flag expected behaviour as suspicious.
Best practice is to invest time early in baselining during deployment or major upgrades, then revisit it regularly as environments change. This includes documenting approved tools, scripts and admin behaviours so they don’t trigger unnecessary alerts.
Prioritisation over volume
Not all alerts deserve equal attention. High-performing SOCs define clear prioritisation rules based on impact and likelihood, not just severity labels assigned by vendors. A low-confidence alert on a domain controller should rank higher than a high-confidence alert on a low-risk test machine.
Context is key. Integrating asset criticality, user privilege level and exposure into alert scoring allows teams to focus on what matters most. Many organisations also suppress or downgrade alerts tied to known benign patterns, freeing analysts to concentrate on genuinely abnormal activity.
Automation with purpose
Automation is essential for scale, but only when applied thoughtfully. In 2026, the goal is not to automate everything, but to automate repeatable, low-risk decisions. Examples include isolating endpoints after confirmed malware execution, enriching alerts with threat intelligence, or closing alerts that meet clearly defined benign criteria.
Crucially, automated actions should be transparent and reversible. SOC teams need confidence that automation is helping, not creating new problems.
Playbooks that reflect reality
Well-designed playbooks reduce cognitive load and speed up response, especially for less experienced analysts. The most effective playbooks are concise, scenario-based and regularly tested. They specify not just technical steps, but decision points: when to escalate, when to involve IT, and when to notify leadership.
Playbooks increasingly cover end-to-end response, from initial detection through containment, recovery and post-incident review.
Metrics that actually matter
Finally, measure what drives improvement. Alert volume alone is a poor indicator of success. Leading SOCs track metrics such as mean time to triage, mean time to contain, false positive rates, and analyst workload distribution. These metrics help leaders see whether tuning efforts are improving resilience or simply shifting work elsewhere.
Reducing alert fatigue is about ensuring that when an alert fires, it deserves attention. SOCs that tune for clarity, context and speed will be best positioned to respond when it matters most.
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