Best Practices for the System Action Center

The System Action Center helps you receive different types of notifications when important system events take place; for example, when a connector isn't seeing data or when your license limits have been exceeded. The best practices covered in this topic can help you get the most out of the System Action Center. See the following sections for details:

General Best Practices

  • Understand the Types of Notifications Available – Familiarize yourself with the available notification mechanisms. All notifications appear in Stellar Cyber's built-in Notification Center. In addition, you can also set up notifications using email. Eventually, you'll also be able to configure both Slack and API notifications. These mechanisms let you receive alerts and notifications related to Connector performance, Case Management, and License data integrity.

  • Perform Historical Notification Analysis – Use the System Action Center to review recent and historical notifications. Analyzing past notifications can provide insights into recurring issues or patterns, helping you take proactive measures to prevent data integrity problems.

  • Collaborate – Determine the appropriate response to notifications with your team. Work to establish a process for investigating and resolving data integrity issues. Ensure that clear communication channels are in place to escalate critical alerts and facilitate timely actions.

  • Fine-Tune Continually – Regularly review and refine your notification settings based on the changing needs of your organization. As you add or modify connectors and log sources, be sure to adjust the monitoring settings and notification thresholds accordingly. Continual fine-tuning ensures that your data integrity monitoring remains effective and aligned with your evolving requirements.

By following these best practices, you can leverage the System Action Center to monitor Connector data integrity effectively. The timely detection of data flow issues will enable you to maintain the integrity of your security operations and ensure uninterrupted data analysis.

Best Practices for License Monitoring

Configure License Enforcement and Usage Notifications – As an Operations Analyst or MSSP Operations Manager, it is crucial to monitor license usage. Set up notifications to receive alerts when license limits are exceeded. This helps you track usage and take necessary actions, such as provisioning additional licenses or optimizing resource allocation. The tables below provide some sample license enforcement and usage notifications for common situations.

License Enforcement Examples

The Need

The Notification
I want to monitor our entire account license status overall and need to configure a license enforcement notification. I configured a notification to send myself an email when the license state drops to warning, violation, or out-of-compliance.
I want to monitor our entire account license usage overall and be notified if the usage is exceeded. I configured a notification to send myself an email when the license limit is exceeded on a given day.

License Usage Examples

The Need

The Notification
I have multiple customers with different licenses and need to track their license usage. I configured a notification for each individual tenant to send myself an email when the assets exceed a limit on a given day.
I have multiple customers with different licenses and need to track their license usage. I configured a notification for each individual tenant to send myself an email when ingestion exceeds a limit on a given day.

Best Practices for Connector Monitoring

Observing the following best practices for Connector monitoring can help alert you to potential data integrity issues as they take place:

Monitor Connector Data Flow – Extend your data integrity monitoring to include connectors. Identify critical connectors and set up notifications to receive alerts when a connector fails to send data within the specified time window. For example, you can configure a notification for connectors that do not provide data for more than 12 hours.

Customize Notification Windows by Connector Type – Understand the requirements of your organization and tailor the notification windows accordingly. Some connectors may require tighter notification windows (for example, an hour) while others may be more tolerant and can be monitored with longer windows (24 hours, for example). Adjust the notification thresholds based on the criticality of the data and the potential impact of its absence.

Examples

The Need

The Notification
I have a connector (for example, Crowdstrike) configured to collect logs every five minutes. I want to know when it is not sending data.

I configured a System Action to send myself an email when data isn’t received on this connector for longer than 12 hours.

Next steps: Once the email is received, check the connector status and data. If you continue to have issues, reach out to Stellar Cyber’s Customer Success Team.

Choosing a Sensible Interval for Connector Monitoring

Most connectors have a customizable time interval for pulling data. Generally speaking, a good place to start when configuring notifications for connectors that haven't sent data is at an interval of 12 hours. Monitor both your notifications and the Visualize | Ingestion dashboard to keep an eye on how much data is coming in on each connector and whether your settings are providing the visibility that you need. Then, adjust as needed. For example, if a given connector has a lot of data ingestion, you may need to use a smaller interval to see data integrity issues in real time.

When configuring connector monitoring notifications, keep in mind that the following connectors have static run times:

  • MSSQL – 5 min

  • Mimecast – 5 min

  • Proofpoint on Demand – 1 min

  • Azure Eventhub – 2 min

  • AWS CloudTrail – 5 min

  • Broadcom WSS – 5 min