Security Monitoring and Threat Detection

This question asks about your security monitoring tools and processes - essentially, how do you catch bad actors trying to break into your systems? Universities want to know you're actively watching for hackers, insider threats, and unusual activity. They're asking: 'What's your security alarm system, and how does it work?'

Robust security monitoring is non-negotiable for university contracts. Without documented monitoring capabilities, you're essentially telling institutions you won't know if student data is being stolen. This kills deals instantly. Strong monitoring systems demonstrate maturity, reduce cyber insurance costs, and can become a competitive differentiator. Many breaches could be prevented or minimized with proper monitoring - showing you have these systems protects both your business and your customers' reputations.

The biggest mistake is listing tools without explaining how they work together. Simply saying 'we use antivirus' isn't sufficient. Universities need to understand your detection strategy, response procedures, and how quickly you identify threats. Another pitfall is relying solely on default cloud provider tools without additional layers - this suggests you're doing the bare minimum rather than taking security seriously.