‍Read time: 6 minutes

Ever feel like you need a security camera for your computer systems? 

‍

If so, then it's time to explore the capabilities of behavior analytics (UBA). It’s like having a vigilant guard monitoring how everyone uses their apps and checking for anything out of the ordinary. 

‍

Why is this so crucial? 

‍

UBA isn’t just about catching the bad guys trying to sneak into your systems; it’s also about understanding your team's daily interactions with technology to streamline their workflows and boost efficiency.

‍

UBA tools continuously gather data, helping companies spot anything from a hacker’s unusual login attempt to an employee struggling with a new software update. 

‍

From ensuring everyone’s clocking in and out on time to catching a mole within your ranks, UBA tools provide the insights needed to make smart, informed decisions that protect and enhance your operations. 

‍

Discover how you can benefit from implementing UBA tools in your organization. In addition, learn how tools like Insightful’s internet monitoring software for business are ramping up their offerings with built-in UBA-adjacent capabilities. 

‍

What is user behavioral analytics?

‍

User behavior analytics is like a security camera for computer systems. It tracks how people normally use their apps and flags any unusual activity. 

‍

User behavior analytics is useful because it helps prevent security breaches by spotting unusual activity that might indicate a hacker is trying to break into a system. 

‍

It can also identify insider threats, like employees misusing their access to sensitive information. 

‍

Additionally, it helps companies understand how users interact with their systems, which can guide improvements to make apps more user-friendly and efficient. 

‍

By keeping an eye on user behavior, companies can keep their systems safe and improve their overall performance.

‍

What are some user behavior analytics tools?

‍

To implement user behavior analytics effectively, you typically need specialized software tools that can collect, analyze, and interpret large amounts of data about user activities. This user behavior analytics software is essential for gathering information, integrating data from various sources, analyzing it to detect anomalies, visualizing the findings, and alerting administrators about potential threats in real time. Here’s a breakdown:

‍

⚙ Data Collection Tools: These gather information on user activities across various systems and applications. Examples include SolarWinds Log & Event Manager for collecting logs and Wireshark for capturing network packets.

‍

⚙ Data Integration Systems: These combine data from different sources to create a comprehensive view of user behavior. Tools like Apache Kafka and Talend are used for this purpose, ensuring data from various streams is accurately merged.

‍

⚙ Analytics Engines: These analyze the integrated data to identify normal behavior patterns and detect anomalies. Splunk and IBM QRadar are powerful tools in this category, providing deep insights into user behavior.

‍

⚙ Visualization Tools**: These help in presenting the data in an easily understandable format, allowing for quick assessment and decision-making. Tools like Tableau and Microsoft Power BI are popular choices for their interactive visualizations.

‍

⚙ Alert Systems: These notify administrators about potential security threats in real time. Datadog and PagerDuty are examples of platforms that can send timely alerts to ensure quick response to potential threats.

‍

Including tools like Splunk, Exabeam, and Rapid7, which integrate well with existing security systems, provides a deeper insight into user behavior, enhancing the overall security posture of an organization. These tools form a comprehensive set that helps in monitoring, analyzing, and responding to user behavior efficiently.

‍

Use user behavior analytics to prevent security breaches.

‍

❗IBM’s 2022 Cost of a Data Breach Report states that the global average cost of a data breach reached $4.35 million

‍

According to cybersecurity research, most security incidents can be identified by deviations from normal user behavior, such as unusual access times or abnormally large data transfers. These can be early signs of potential security breaches that need immediate attention.

‍

To address this, UBA enhances your security measures by continuously monitoring and analyzing how your workforce interacts with digital systems.

‍

UBA tools collect data on user activities continuously, noting typical patterns like login times, data access frequencies, and typical data volumes, establishing what normal behavior looks like.

‍

When anomalies are detected, UBA examines the context of these activities—considering factors like the user’s role, recent permission changes, or concurrent events within the network—to determine whether these actions represent real threats. UBA can reduce false positives by up to 50%. 

‍

For confirmed threats, UBA systems can trigger automatic security responses, such as alerting security personnel, restricting access, or isolating affected systems to prevent further unauthorized activity.

‍

↪ The Outcome:

‍

✓  Enhanced detection capabilities lead to quicker responses to security threats.

✓  Reduced false positives allow security teams to focus on genuine threats.

✓  Security measures are precise and minimize disruptions to normal operations.

✓  Automated responses ensure immediate action, reducing potential damage from breaches.

✓  UBA can increase SOC efficiency by 32%.

‍

User behavior analytics also identify potential insider threats.

‍

❗ The Ponemon Institute's 2020 Cost of Insider Threats Report highlights that organizations take 85 days on average to detect an insider threat.

‍

Using UBA, companies detect insider threats in just 14 days on average. The average containment time also drops from 76 days to 12 days. UBA is critical in identifying insider threats within an organization, which can stem from both malicious and unintentional employee actions. 

‍

UBA tools identify potential insider threats using the same method to detect outside threats, by monitoring and analyzing user activities against established behavior patterns. 

‍

According to the Ponemon study, UBA cuts the cost of insider threat incidents by 48%, from $17.19 million to $8.76 million annually.

‍

Use UBA to improve employee interactions with digital tools.

‍

❗ According to a study by UX Magazine, nearly 70% of productivity issues in the workplace are related to poor usability of digital tools. 

‍

Tools that are difficult to navigate consume more time and reduce operational efficiency. To combat this, UBA can enhance your understanding of user experience by monitoring and analyzing how your workforce interacts with digital resources.

‍

UBA tools gather data on user activities, like which features they use most, how they navigate through applications, and where they encounter issues or slowdowns.

‍

After analyzing the data, UBA can identify common patterns and trends in user behavior. For example, it might reveal that employees frequently abandon a certain process halfway through, which could suggest a usability issue.

‍

When updates or new features are rolled out, UBA can monitor how these changes affect user behavior. This helps companies understand whether the changes have had the intended impact or if they’ve inadvertently introduced new challenges.

‍

UBA data can also be used to customize the user experience based on individual preferences and behaviors. Companies can customize interfaces, recommendations, and support to better meet the needs of each user.

‍

The insights gained from UBA tools provide the information needed to make smarter decisions when deploying and developing digital tools, equipping you to craft targeted improvements to boost user experience and ultimately, employee productivity. 

‍

↪ The Outcome: 

‍

✓  Improved usability can resolve nearly 70% of workplace productivity issues.

✓  Easier-to-use tools reduce mistakes by up to 50%.

✓  Improved usability increases the likelihood that employees will embrace new technologies.

✓  Simpler tools reduce training time by 25-50%, lowering costs and speeding up onboarding.

✓  Usability improvements lead to greater job satisfaction.

‍

Insightful

‍

Insightful PC monitoring software is an employee monitoring and workforce analytics platform that tracks and analyzes employee activities in real time, offering insights into how employees use their time, which applications and websites they access, and their productivity levels. 

‍

Though not explicitly a user behavior analytics tool, Insightful screen monitoring software provides insights into user behavior and can enhance security measures by continuously tracking and analyzing how employees interact with their digital tools and environments. 

‍

It provides:

‍

Automated & Manual Time Tracking: Tracks when employees start and end their work, helping establish a baseline of normal activity patterns akin to UBA's functionality.

‍

Productivity Monitoring: Insightful remote workforce monitoring software assesses productivity by analyzing app and website usage, mirroring UBA's approach to evaluate user engagement and detect anomalies in behavior that could indicate misuse or inefficiencies.

‍

User Activity Monitoring: Tracks real-time usage of apps and websites, providing data that is crucial for identifying trends and patterns in behavior, similar to UBA's role in securing against insider threats by observing atypical activities.

‍

Insider Threat Detection: Insightful computer tracking software mirrors UBA by proactively detecting potential insider risks, offering real-time alerts for unusual activities, and facilitating in-depth analysis and evidence collection for potential security incidents.

‍

Screen Monitoring & Real-Time Monitoring: Allows for periodic screenshots and live views of employee activities, enhancing the oversight capabilities typically found in UBA tools.

‍

Insightful time tracker for remote workers offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to enhance not only productivity but also the security posture of organizations by providing deep insights into user behavior and potential security threats.

‍

Want to know more? Watch our video on how to set up Insightful security alerts and sign up for your free trial today!

‍