The field of cybersecurity has faced a significant rise in complexity in recent years.

This is primarily due to an increase in both the quantity and complexity of security threats, as well as a larger attack surface. Additionally, there is a global shortage of skilled security professionals, which further exacerbates the challenges faced. As a result, many organizations are now focusing on bolstering their security operations centers (SOCs) in order to tackle this difficult situation.

A Security Operations Center consists of cybersecurity experts who employ a range of techniques and technologies to oversee and control the security status of an organization. While larger corporations usually maintain their own internal SOCs, smaller businesses have the option to acquire similar capabilities through either a web-based virtual SOC or a managed SOC-as-a-Service solution offered by a managed services provider.

SOC Solutions

In a recent Censuswide study of IT professionals, an overwhelming 97 percent said they will be evaluating SOC solutions in 2023 as part of their efforts to create a consolidated security environment. Small and midsized businesses are increasingly adopting SOC solutions to improve their ability to handle emerging threats. Meanwhile, enterprises with established SOCs are investing in advanced capabilities to address the changing threat landscape.

SOC teams have traditionally been tasked with collecting, aggregating and analyzing log data from servers, endpoints, applications and security devices to identify and respond to threats. However, this reactive approach is no longer sufficient. Many modern threats can compromise systems and exfiltrate data in a matter of nanoseconds, long before security teams can respond.

A SOC is a dedicated team of cybersecurity professionals who use a variety of processes and technologies to monitor and manage an organization’s security posture.

Today, SOC teams are placing a stronger emphasis on finding and stopping threats before they have a chance to execute. Security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR) platforms and extended detection and response (XDR) solutions are among the tools that support a more proactive approach. SOAR platforms allow SOC teams to observe and assess threat intelligence gathered from the network, subscription services and other sources from a single interface. Meanwhile, XDR solutions combine threat analysis, detection and response to automatically hunt for stealthy threats.

Key benefits of a proactive SOC include:

1. Continuous protection. With around-the-clock monitoring of the IT infrastructure, SOC teams can detect and respond to security events in near real time. Prompt detection and mitigation actions reduce the risk of data breaches and other security incidents.
2. Quick response. Tools such as XDR and SOAR use artificial intelligence to automate data collection and analysis, which enables faster identification of malicious files. This allows SOC teams to actively hunt for potential security threats and mitigate them before they can cause damage.
3. Reduced costs. Rapid response and mitigation reduce costs related to data loss, cleanup, threat removal, reputation damage, lost business and penalties or fines.
4. Threat intelligence. Automated threat intelligence platforms gather and analyze data from a variety of sources to identify an attack’s unique tactics, techniques and procedures. Information about emerging threats, attack trends and vulnerabilities can then be used to develop strategies for mitigating and preventing security incidents.
5. A SOC helps organizations meet compliance requirements by providing the necessary controls, monitoring and reporting. This is particularly important in regulated industries such as finance and healthcare.
6. Resource utilization. Few organizations have enough qualified cybersecurity employees to effectively defend their critical assets. Modern SOCs that support threat-hunting capabilities, increased automation and advanced analytics allow short-staffed teams to do more with less.
7. The SOC implements the organization’s cybersecurity strategy, including coordinating best practices and incident response efforts with different departments as well as with partners, suppliers, customers and other external stakeholders. This ensures everyone is aware of security risks and incidents and can work together to address them effectively.