Open source intelligence, or OSINT, is a process of collecting data from publicly available sources to be used in an intelligence context. In other words, it’s the act of gathering information from sources that are freely available to the public. This could include social media platforms, websites, news articles, and more.
OSINT plays an important role in today’s business landscape. With the amount of readily available online data, businesses need to know how to collect and use this information to their advantage. OSINT can be used for various purposes, such as intelligence, risk management, and forensics.
Open source intelligence techniques
One of the most common ways businesses use OSINT is for competitive intelligence. This is the process of gathering information about your competitors to gain insights into their strategies and improve your position in the marketplace. To do this effectively, you need to know where to look for information and how to make sense of it once you’ve found it.
How can open source intelligence be used?
Investigating potential employees: when hiring new employees, you want to ensure they are qualified and have the skills they claim to have. Using OSINT techniques, you can verify an applicant’s claims by checking their online presence for evidence of their skills and qualifications.
Identifying potential collaborators: If your business wants to expand its network or form new partnerships, OSINT can alert you to potential collaborators by identifying companies or individuals who share your interests and goals.
Market research: Do you want to know what people say about your product or service? Using social media monitoring as part of your OSINT strategy can help you keep tabs on public opinion to adjust your offerings as needed.
Gathering competitive intelligence: Keep tabs on your competition by using OSINT tools to monitor their online activity. This will help you stay one step ahead in the ever-changing business world.
Although open-source intelligence can benefit your business, it can also have a negative effect when used against you. Security breaches come in many forms and can be attempted by both outside parties and present or ex-employees. These breaches may take the form of piracy of your intellectual property rights, fraud, counterfeiting, or even outright theft of critical data.
Xenace’s open source intelligence solutions have been designed to assist you in detecting if sensitive business information is being published or discussed in any unauthorised areas or whether present or previous employees are carrying out illegal internal actions.
Why choose Xenace’s open source intelligence tools and solutions
Safeguard your sensitive company Information and data
None of your business’ data is too sensitive to protect; we provide security for any type or size company with services tailored towards meeting your individual needs as an organisation.
Comprehensive online Surveillance for total peace of mind
Xenace offers comprehensive online surveillance, monitoring your internal networks and the overall online community to ensure unauthorised information is not being published, discussed, or used against your company in a harmful way.
Gain confidence in your company’s data protection
Our open source Intelligence solutions can help you gain confidence in your company’s data protection, giving you peace of mind for a more focused work environment.
Open source intelligence is a powerful tool that businesses can use to gain insights into their competitors and improve their position in the marketplace. If you’re looking for open-source intelligence tools and solutions to fit your business, speak to Xenace today.