What is a Security Operations Center (SOC)?

Businesses have more cybersecurity options at their disposal than ever before. And as a security provider ourselves, Samurai is committed to bringing any and all effective security solutions to your attention.

In this post, we're going to be looking at Security Operations Centers, or SOC solutions. We'll be exploring what they are, what their benefits are, and how they work.

SOC defined

Let's start by defining what SOC means.

A Security Operations Center (SOC) is a centralized unit that provides security oversight for an organization. The SOC is responsible for continuously monitoring and improving the organization's security posture, as well as responding to security incidents.

This can be an in-house team of experts or an outsourced team. Either way, the job of the SOC is the same. It will work to respond to incidents around the clock, boosting your protection and giving you a fast way to respond to incoming threats.

While there are many benefits to working with a Security Operations Center, the primary benefit is that it puts you in touch with expertise that might otherwise be difficult or impossible to cultivate internally.

How a security operations center (SOC) works

A SOC typically uses a combination of people, processes, and technology to carry out its functions. The SOC team may be made up of security analysts, engineers, and incident response personnel.

This team works together to monitor your organization's networks and systems for signs of intrusion or other suspicious activity. When an incident is detected, the SOC team will work to contain and remediate the issue.

The key activities that a SOC engages in are planning and preparation, detection and response, and recovery and compliance. Combined, these SOC features work to ensure you're prepared for incoming threats, responding quickly, and compliant with regional regulations.

SOC roles

There are several roles within a Security Operations Center, including managers, analysts, investigators, responders, and auditors.

• Analysts and investigators are continuously looking for incoming threats, checking interactions and incidents for malice.
• Responders are the individuals that actually handle incoming threats once they've been detected by the analysts and investigators. They work to minimize the damage of the threat and, ultimately, remove it.
• Auditors continuously look through your current practices, updating outdated policies and making sure that you're following the latest recommendations in cybersecurity.
• And managers, as you’d expect, are in charge of managing the rest of the roles. They oversee everything and ensure that your SOC is on track.

MDR SOC

A managed detection and response (MDR) SOC provides security operations support as a managed service. An MDR SOC is typically operated by a third-party provider and is responsible for continuously monitoring and improving the security posture of the organization's networks and systems.

You can think of an MDR SOC as a bit of an upgraded, more specialized SOC service. It provides additional services and functions, such as alert triage and investigation, incident reporting and escalation, remote response, and threat hunting.

Why work with a service provider SOC?

Access to a specialist body of knowledge

Working with a service provider’s SOC gives you instant access to a specialist body of knowledge. SOC teams have a deep understanding of security threats and vulnerabilities. This knowledge can help organizations proactively identify and mitigate potential risks.

A SOC can also give you access to a wealth of knowledge and experience that you may not have in-house. SOC analysts are experts in cybersecurity, and they can help you to understand the threats that you face and how to best protect yourself against them.

Build up a new level of expertise

Working with a SOC can help you to build up a new level of expertise in cybersecurity. You will have the opportunity to learn from the best in the business and to develop your own skills and knowledge.

This expertise is something that your business will be able to carry forward for years to come. It will help you better educate your staff, know what to look for when hiring IT professionals, and provide security insights that would otherwise be much more challenging to learn independently.

Around-the-clock protection

A SOC can also provide you with around-the-clock protection, ensuring that your systems are always safe. SOC analysts are on hand 24/7 to monitor your systems and to respond to any threats that they identify. This can help to ensure that critical systems are always protected.

In today's world, 24/7 protection is a must, as you never know when or where a potential threat is going to come from. SOCs give you the confidence that no matter when a threat hits your systems, you'll be ready to respond.

Improve your cybersecurity posture

SOC teams can help organizations to improve their overall security posture. This includes identifying and remedying security weaknesses, as well as implementing new security controls.

Your security posture isn't just important for responding to threats, but also in deterring them. Having a more robust cybersecurity presence can help make you less of a target in the eyes of bad actors.

Centralized security management

Lastly, SOC teams can provide you with a centralized point of contact for all security-related issues. This can help to streamline your security management and make it easier to respond to incidents.

Access to centralized security management also makes it easier for you to keep track of your security posture and to respond to threats. A SOC can help you standardize your security procedures and implement best practices.

Invest in a strong cybersecurity presence with Samurai MDR

Building or hiring a security operations center will help boost your cybersecurity presence, but it's far from a complete approach. An in-house SOC can be quite an investment, and not to mention, it can be difficult to get the talent needed. Using a service like Samurai MDR allows you to leverage the skills and services of an experienced SOC team without having to make that investment yourself. When you want to round out your security, then invest in Samurai MDR. Ours is an automated solution that works around the clock to keep your business safe. Reach out to our team of experts today to learn more.