BS Filter

It sounds a bit crude, but a good BS filter can be an analyst's best friend.  Analysts are confronted by an overwhelming amount of information on a daily basis.  Whether it be from blogs, mailing lists, management, a vendor, an intelligence feed, a tool, or one or more log sources, it can be overwhelming.  Diving into the wrong lead can tie up precious analyst resources for hours or even days, often taking away from other events or leads that need to be investigated.  So what is an analyst to do?  Follow only the leads most likely to yield fruit!  Easier said than done, of course.  Knowing how to separate out the good leads from those that are a fool's errand is an acquired skill that takes years of false starts to develop.  It can be a skill that is extremely valuable to an organization though and should be respected.