Hyper Automation

Hyper Automation in the SOC refers to the consistent automation of all recurring steps. This includes enrichment, correlation, prioritisation, and pre-approved response actions.

How it works

Every Alert first passes through an automated chain. It adds information about the account, device, IP address, and threat intelligence. Known harmless patterns are closed automatically. Related Alerts are then combined into a single Case. Only then does an analyst review the Case. For clear patterns, the chain can also intervene directly, for example by removing a phishing email from all mailboxes.

For example, twenty employees might report the same suspicious email. The automation detects the duplicates and checks the sender and link. It then removes the message and blocks the domain. An analyst reviews the procedure and closes the Case in minutes.

What to look out for

• Guardrails: Automated actions require clear boundaries and approval for each type of action.
• Data quality: Poor asset and identity data can lead to incorrect decisions.
• Maintenance: Playbooks and integrations must be maintained. Otherwise, they can fail silently when systems change.
• Measurability: You should measure how many Alerts are handled correctly without human intervention.

How it differs from SOAR

SOAR is the technology used for building playbooks. Hyper Automation describes the ambition to apply this technology consistently. It now also includes agents that can analyse unstructured information.

The limits of automation

Not every decision is suitable for automation. Isolating a production server or blocking a management team member's account has direct operational consequences. Such actions should be conditional on factors like system criticality. A graduated approach has proven effective: automatic for clear patterns, with approval for critical systems. Furthermore, every automated action needs a documented rollback procedure.

How we implement it

We automate enrichment and routine decisions consistently and use Agentic AI for analysis. Interventions with operational impact remain subject to your mandate and our analysts' approval.