Your business has invested in security tools. You have firewalls, EDR solutions, and cloud protections in place. But here’s a startling reality we see every day in the field: in four out of five security incidents, there were pre-existing alerts that went unnoticed. The tools were working, but no one was watching. 

This is the challenge that Acen, a key security partner within the Cronos ecosystem, is built to solve.  

In a recent conversation with Federico, a security expert at Acen, we explored how they deliver a Managed Detection & Response Service that provides true accountability, powered by Google SecOps. 

Accountability in 48 hours

The core issue for most organizations isn’t a lack of tools, but a lack of time, expertise, and process to manage them. As Federico puts it, customers are paying for more than just technology: “In essence, you’re paying us for accountability. You get a team that makes sense of your security events and delivers the right response.” 

Acen’s approach is to deliver this accountability at incredible speed. Their MDR Service offering can be operational in just 48 hours. This rapid time-to-value is crucial for businesses that need to improve their security now. 

How is this possible? 

• Rapid Onboarding: Leveraging Google technology, Acen can onboard a customer in hours. Connecting to cloud data sources like Microsoft 365 or EDR solutions takes mere minutes. 

• Response-Centric Approach: Acen handles 80%+ of alerts without contacting customers through containment and intelligent filtering.  

• A Proven Methodology: A detection strategy that operates on two critical levels to deliver comprehensive MDR coverage. First, ingesting and processing alerts from all existing applications. Second, by onboard logs and applying Acen’s proprietary detection use cases to catch threats sensors might miss. Lastly, Acen has an in-house CSIRT to provide Incident Response services whenever required. 

Powered by Google SecOps

At the heart of Acen’s service is the Google SecOps stack, a unified platform that combines the best of Google’s security portfolio. 

“It’s the heart of our stack,” Federico says. “If you want to have a SOC, you need at least a SIEM, a SOAR, and threat intelligence” 

Google SecOps delivers all three: 

1. SIEM: To ingest and analyze massive volumes of logs, events, and alerts from virtually any source. 

1. SOAR: To automate responses through security orchestration and remediation, allowing Acen to take immediate action. 

1. Threat Intelligence: To enrich every alert with unparalleled threat context powered by VirusTotal’s analysis of 50+ billion files, 2 million daily analyses and Mandiant’s frontline intelligence from 1,100+ annual incident response engagements. 

Crucially, this platform is entirely platform-agnostic. With over 400 integrations, Acen can protect a client’s entire IT landscape, whether it’s on-premise, cloud or SaaS. 

Putting AI to practical use

The conversation around AI in security is often full of hype. Acen takes a pragmatic “human and machine” approach. They believe people still want a human touch, but they use AI to make those humans smarter and faster, significantly improving response time and containment capabilities. 

“Google is a leading player in the AI market. They control the entire stack, from the underlying infrastructure to the models” says Federico. 

Acen is actively researching more advanced applications. This allows them to explore the potential of agentic AI while maintaining human oversight where it matters most. 

The complete picture

Having a solid Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service is like having a security guard for your digital front door. It’s crucial. But being truly safe means more than just catching trouble; it’s about preventing it in the first place.  

That’s where Acen looks at the bigger picture. They also dive deep into the fundamentals, like managing who gets access (Identity), securing core infrastructure (Platform), and making sure you meet all the rules (Governance). It means they’re not just reacting to alarms; they’re helping you build a stronger, safer foundation from the ground up. 

At the end of the day, even the best technology is only as good as the people running it. That’s the connection we make here at GC innovate. We connect our clients with the best technology, like the Google Security ecosystem, and the best experts, like the team at Acen.
For you, this means you get a security setup that doesn’t just look great on paper but actually works for your business. Interested? Get in touch.