The security operations center (SOC) has become a virtual necessity in the battle against external attacks and insider threats. In a 2021 survey by the Ponemon Institute, 73 percent of respondents said their SOC plays a critical role in their cybersecurity strategies.
However, 55 percent of respondents rated their SOC as less than effective at identifying suspicious activity and stopping attacks. Top challenges include a lack of visibility into the attack (59 percent), lack of timely remediation (57 percent) and too many false positives (52 percent). Almost two-thirds (64 percent) said their SOC lacked full visibility into the IT security infrastructure, and 41 percent said SOC objectives are not aligned with business needs.
Workplace stress on the SOC team also plays a role in SOC ineffectiveness. Almost three-quarters of security professionals said that working in the SOC is “very painful” due to ever-increasing workloads and being on call 24x7. The pain factors are so great that 63 percent have considered leaving their job or changing careers.
Outsourcing to a SOC-as-a-Service provider can help relieve these challenges. A qualified provider will have a team of highly trained professionals using advanced security tools to monitor the environment and ensure rapid response to security threats.
How a SOC Works
A SOC is a facility in which an organization’s information systems are centrally monitored to prevent, detect and respond to security incidents. Using data gathered from endpoints, network traffic and flows, system logs, threat intelligence feeds, and other sources, SOC personnel can monitor, investigate, analyze and manage the response to an incident or breach.
Both automated and manual interventions are typically required to address security incidents. Standardized operating procedures and repeatable workflows ensure that all tasks are handled efficiently.
Visibility across the environment is critical to handling incidents. A SOC allows all data sources to be centralized so security teams can quickly gain actionable insights into potential threat activity. Having data from a variety of sources also provides context for alerts and incidents. This context reduces “noise” and helps SOC analysts target their investigations more accurately, prioritize threats to high-value assets, and save time and resources.
However, IT security professionals admit to being overwhelmed by security alerts and unable to triage all potential cyber threats. In the Ponemon survey, 68 percent of SOC leaders said that there were “too many alerts to chase.” Just 46 percent said their SOC was interoperable with other security intelligence tools.
The Value of SOC-as-a-Service
SirviS has developed a fully managed SOC-as-a-Service solution that offers significant benefits over an in-house model. We have invested in an enterprise-class security information and event management (SIEM) platform that is hosted in our world-class facility. Most importantly, we tightly integrate this solution with each customer’s security infrastructure for maximum visibility into security threats.
Our SOC is staffed with highly trained security analysts who utilize state-of-the-art tools to deliver real-time monitoring. We collect and correlate data from a wide range of sources, and utilize our experience to identify and investigate threats. SirviS works as an extension of the customer’s IT team, understanding the nuances of each environment and following carefully established escalation procedures to ensure rapid response to threats and security incidents.
Customers are saved the cost and disruption of implementing a SIEM solution, and the challenge of hiring and retaining qualified security professionals. They gain cost-efficient access to around-the-clock coverage and actionable security intelligence.
A SOC may be an essential part of any cybersecurity strategy, but operating a SOC in-house can be a challenging proposition. Let SirviS help you take advantage of SOC-as-a-Service to reduce the pressure on your IT team and provide a more robust defense against security threats.
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