OSU faced an extensive cybersecurity incident that revealed gaps in their security operations. The incident involved criminal efforts and required a considerable amount of manual work to manage. This experience highlighted the need for enhanced security measures and led to the establishment of their Security Operations Center (SOC) to improve their security posture.

OSU opted for Microsoft solutions, integrating Microsoft 365 A5 licensing and adopting a Zero Trust approach. They deployed Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Defender, which significantly improved their security capabilities. For instance, they reduced their daily open incident count from thousands to approximately 30, and they can now detect incidents in minutes instead of weeks.

Microsoft Copilot for Security is being used to enhance OSU's cybersecurity measures by increasing automation and improving operational efficiency. It allows security analysts, including students, to focus on high-priority tasks and refine detection processes. This initiative aims to lower operational costs and drive the incident ticket count down to zero, while also serving as a valuable learning tool for students involved in the SOC.