Detection & Response
Readiness
Improve your ability to detect, investigate and respond to cyber threats. Security tools are only useful if they're configured properly, monitored effectively and supported by clear response processes. RTCS assesses logging, SIEM, EDR, identity and cloud detection - and the incident response processes that turn alerts into action.
- SIEM reviews - Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, Elastic, QRadar and others
- Logging coverage and log-source gap assessments
- Endpoint detection and response (EDR) review
- Identity detection across Entra ID, Okta, Google Workspace
- Cloud detection across Azure, AWS and Google Cloud
- Detection use case, rule and correlation review
- Alert triage, escalation and SOC workflow review
- Incident response process and playbook development
- Tabletop exercises and operational improvement plans
Most organisations have tools. Fewer have readiness.
Detection and response readiness is the ability to identify suspicious activity, investigate it quickly and respond before it becomes a serious incident. RTCS helps you understand whether your environment can actually detect realistic threats - and whether your team can respond effectively when it does.
The detection issues that keep showing up.
Attackers often move through systems before they are detected. Weak logging, noisy alerts, missing response steps or unclear ownership delay investigation and increase impact.
Critical logs not being collected
Alerts not mapped to real attack scenarios
Too many low-value alerts
Detection rules not tuned to the environment
No clear triage process
Poor visibility across identity, endpoint, cloud or network
Incident response steps not documented
Escalation paths that are unclear
SIEM and EDR tools not used to their full value
Limited reporting on detection coverage and maturity
A SIEM should provide visibility, not just collect logs.
RTCS reviews SIEM platforms, logging coverage, detection rules, dashboards, retention, alert quality and investigation workflows across Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, Elastic Security, IBM QRadar, Google SecOps, LogRhythm, Rapid7 InsightIDR and other platforms.
Review areas
Visibility across the surfaces attackers actually use.
Endpoint (EDR)
Onboarding coverage, alert configuration, device risk visibility, policy coverage, tamper protection, isolation process, investigation actions, reporting, escalation and SIEM/ticketing integration.
Identity
Suspicious sign-ins, privileged account monitoring, MFA and access signals, legacy auth detection, guest accounts, app consent, admin activity logging - across Entra ID, M365, Okta, Google Workspace and others.
Cloud
Azure activity and security logs, AWS CloudTrail / GuardDuty / CloudWatch, GCP audit logs and Security Command Center, workload alerts, storage access, privileged activity, public exposure alerts and SIEM integration.
SaaS & Apps
Critical SaaS audit logs, admin activity, OAuth consent, data exfiltration signals, integration into the central SIEM and alerting on the activity that actually indicates compromise.
Pair with Cloud Security for configuration review of the same environments, or Identity & Access Management for the controls those identity signals depend on.
Detection only matters if you know how to respond.
RTCS reviews incident response processes, roles, escalation paths and playbooks to confirm they are practical and usable during a real incident.
For full retainer-style IR capability and forensic preparation, see Incident Response Readiness. For leadership-level crisis decisions, see Crisis Management.
Understand to Improve
A practical, staged engagement that turns your monitoring tools into measurable detection and response capability.
Review your environment, tools, team structure, risks and current monitoring processes.
Assess logging, alerting, detection coverage, response workflows and escalation processes.
Identify missing visibility, weak detections, noisy alerts and process gaps.
Provide a practical improvement plan based on risk, effort and business impact.
Strengthen detection rules, response processes, playbooks and operational reporting.
Who It's For & What You Receive
Who This Service Is For
- Use Splunk, Sentinel, Elastic, QRadar or another SIEM
- Need better visibility of threats
- Want to reduce detection gaps
- Need to improve alert triage and escalation
- Want to review incident response readiness
- Need practical playbooks for common incidents
- Want to improve operations without building a full SOC
- Need assurance existing tools are configured effectively
Typical Deliverables
- Detection & response readiness report
- SIEM and logging gap assessment
- Splunk review
- Microsoft Sentinel review
- EDR review
- Detection use case recommendations
- Cloud and identity detection review
- Incident response process review
- Playbook recommendations
- Alert triage improvement plan
- Executive summary
- Prioritised remediation roadmap
Where detection & response connects to the rest of the program.
Incident Response Readiness →
Retainer-style IR, forensic readiness and full incident handling capability.
Proactive Threat Hunting →
Hypothesis-driven hunts that find what detections missed - and feed back into your rule set.
Threat Intelligence →
Use intelligence to drive new detections, tuning priorities and incident preparation.
Cloud Security →
Configuration, identity and exposure review for the same cloud environments you're monitoring.
Identity & Access Management →
The identity controls that produce the signals your SIEM and EDR are watching.
Red Team & Adversary Simulation →
Purple-team detections by running real attacker TTPs and measuring what gets caught.
Crisis Management →
Executive and board decision-making around the incidents your detection capability surfaces.
vCISO & Security Advisory →
Strategic oversight of your detection program and integration into the broader security roadmap.
Good detection and response capability reduces the time between compromise, investigation and containment. Talk to us about detection and response readiness, SIEM review, Splunk review, Microsoft Sentinel review, EDR review or incident response playbook support.
Common Questions
What is detection and response readiness?
Detection and response readiness is the ability to identify suspicious activity, investigate alerts and respond effectively to cyber incidents.
Do you review Splunk?
Yes. RTCS can review Splunk log sources, correlation searches, dashboards, alerts, retention, investigation workflows and detection coverage.
Do you review Microsoft Sentinel?
Yes. RTCS can review Sentinel log sources, analytics rules, incidents, workbooks, retention and detection use cases.
Can you review other SIEM platforms?
Yes. RTCS can review a range of SIEM and logging platforms, including Elastic Security, QRadar, Google SecOps, LogRhythm, Rapid7 InsightIDR and other security monitoring tools.
Can you create incident response playbooks?
Yes. RTCS can create practical playbooks for common scenarios such as ransomware, business email compromise, account compromise, malware and data breach events.
Can you help reduce noisy alerts?
Yes. RTCS can review alert quality, remove low-value noise and recommend detections that better match your risk profile.
Not sure what you need?
Use the enquiry form or email [email protected] with a brief summary. Include your organisation, the service area if known, and any timing requirements.