Exploring SOC-as-a-Service Models for Optimal Security

Taking Control of Your Security Operations: Exploring SOC-as-a-Service Models

In today's digital landscape, security threats abound. Ransomware, data breaches, malware - attacks come from all directions. To defend your organization, you need robust security monitoring and response capabilities. This is where a security operations center (SOC) comes in. A SOC allows you to proactively identify and remediate cyber threats before they impact your business.

But running an effective in-house SOC requires considerable investments in infrastructure, staffing, and tools. That's why many organizations opt for SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS), outsourcing their SOC needs to a managed security service provider (MSSP). This article will explore the pricing, benefits, and options around SOCaaS to help you determine if it's the right fit for your organization.

The Challenges of Building an Internal SOC

It's no small undertaking to stand up an internal SOC. A 2020 study by Ponemon Institute found that on average, companies spend $19.9 million annually to operate their own SOC. Significant portions go toward:

• Infrastructure
  • You need advanced tools and technologies to monitor your environment and stay on top of emerging threats. The costs to purchase, implement, and continually update these systems really add up. These tools can include SIEMs, endpoint detection and response, network traffic analyzers, sandboxing, threat intelligence feeds, vulnerability scanners, and more. Each comes with a hefty price tag for procurement, maintenance, and integration.
• Staffing
  • With the current cybersecurity skills gap, hiring qualified analysts takes time and resources. Competing with other organizations, you may need to offer premium salaries and benefits packages to recruit top talent.
  • Employee burnout is common in the demanding SOC environment. Analysts face long hours, high stress, and constant need to stay on top of the evolving threat landscape. Turnover can disrupt operations.
  • You need various roles to run a SOC, including security analysts, incident responders, threat hunters, and managers. Staffing each function requires significant hiring and training efforts.
• Time
  • From hiring and training personnel to deploying and integrating technologies, building a SOC from scratch can take many months or even years.
  • During this time, you remain vulnerable without comprehensive monitoring and response capabilities in place. An existing gap in visibility or coverage can expose your organization to compromise.

For resource-constrained organizations, managing all these demands in-house may not be feasible. This is where partnering with an MSSP for SOC services makes sense.

How SOC-as-a-Service Can Help

With SOCaaS, an MSSP handles the burden of running a SOC for you. This includes:

• Ongoing infrastructure costs - The MSSP maintains and updates the technologies and tools needed for robust security monitoring and threat detection. Rather than purchasing tools yourself, they provide them as part of the service.
• Staffing - The MSSP recruits, trains, and manages the team of Tier 1-3 analysts that serve as your dedicated security specialists. This alleviates the need to hire, oversee, and retain your own SOC staff.
• Quick time-to-value - You can implement SOCaaS relatively quickly since the MSSP has already built the SOC, established processes, and acquired tooling. Within weeks or months, you can have advanced capabilities online rather than waiting a year or more to build in-house.

In this convenient outsourced model, you pay a monthly subscription fee based on the SOC services provided, rather than building and funding everything in-house.

Another benefit is that SOCaaS alleviates the strain on your internal security team. Your staff can focus on advancing key business initiatives while the MSSP handles monitoring, investigation, and response. Rather than juggling SOC demands, your CISO can drive strategic security programs and process improvements.

Some key capabilities provided through SOCaaS include:

• 24/7 monitoring - Around the clock surveillance from their SOC detects threats early.
• Triage and analysis - Their security analysts dig into alerts to determine severity and scope.
• Threat hunting - Proactive threat hunting uncovers hidden risks.
• Incident response - Quickly isolate and remediate confirmed threats.
• Compliance support - Help meet regulatory requirements around monitoring and response.

Examining SOC-as-a-Service Models

If you determine SOCaaS is right for your organization, the next step is selecting an appropriate service model based on your budget, risk tolerance, and requirements:

Model	Description
Entry-level SOC	The most budget-friendly option. You get basic monitoring and some security services. Limited integration between tools.
Standard SOC	Enhanced capabilities for threat detection, investigation, and response. Includes appropriately sized and trained security team along with automation.
Dedicated SOC	The most robust model with 24/7 support from a team of dedicated analysts. Proactive threat hunting and early breach detection. Ideal for advanced security needs.

The level you choose depends on your organization's size, compliance needs, current security posture, and overall risk appetite. An MSSP can help assess your environment and determine the right SOCaaS model to effectively manage your risk.

Some key factors to consider when selecting your model include:

• Company size - Larger enterprises often require a dedicated SOC, while smaller businesses can start with entry-level. Scale up as your needs grow.
• Industry - Highly regulated sectors like healthcare and finance may demand advanced SOC services to meet compliance requirements.
• Existing security program - If you have limited staff and tools in place, a more robust SOCaaS model can fill gaps.
• Risk tolerance - Can your organization withstand a breach? Prioritize advanced threat detection and rapid response if not.
• Budget - Balance required capabilities with affordability. Can start small and increase services over time.

An MSSP can take these elements into account and map out the ideal SOCaaS package for where you are now and where you want to go.

Key Features to Look for in a SOCaaS Partner

Once you decide on the appropriate SOCaaS model, the next key step is selecting the right partner. The MSSP you choose becomes an extension of your team, so the fit needs to be just right.

Here are some top capabilities and traits to look for in a SOCaaS provider:

• Breadth of services - Do they offer the right mix of capabilities like threat hunting, incident response, compliance aid? Ensure the model aligns to your needs.
• Industry expertise - Experience supporting clients in your specific industry or sector through relevant threat intelligence, monitoring, and response.
• Top talent - A skilled team including Tier 1-3 analysts, certified responders, threat hunters, and forensics specialists. Look for low attrition rates.
• Mature processes - Defined playbooks and workflows for detecting, escalating, and remediating threats. Proven over years of operating their SOC.
• Tool integration - A unified system that seamlessly shares data across platforms. Limited tool fatigue for analysts.
• Transparency - Detailed reporting into threats detected, containment times, analyst actions, and other key metrics.
• Customer success focusA true partner dedicated to your long-term security outcomes, not just order fulfillment.

Prioritizing these elements will help ensure a successful SOCaaS engagement that provides robust capabilities tailored to your environment.

Implementing SOC-as-a-Service in Phases

For many organizations, signing up for full 24/7 SOC-as-a-Service with advanced capabilities may be too big of an initial commitment. The good news is that many MSSPs allow you to take a phased approach.

You can start with limited hours or coverage, then expand over time as needed. This allows you to establish the relationship, validate effectiveness, and slowly shift security workload to your MSSP.

A three phase approach could look something like:

Phase 1

• 8x5 monitoring
• Priority alert triage
• Monthly threat hunting

Phase 2

• 12x7 monitoring
• Daily threat hunting
• Incident response retainer

Phase 3

• 24x7 monitoring
• Continuous threat hunting
• On-demand incident response

This gives you flexibility to scale capabilities, services, and costs in alignment with your risk tolerance, resources, and program maturity.

Take Control with SOC-as-a-Service

In today's threat landscape, organizations need advanced capabilities to detect and respond to security incidents. However, building and running an internal SOC requires substantial investments that may not align with budgets or resources. This is where partnering with an MSSP for SOC-as-a-Service makes sense.

SOCaaS delivers robust security monitoring, detection, and response tailored to your needs - without the overhead of managing everything in-house. You get access to advanced tools, specialized staff, and established processes, so you can take control of your security operations. With the right SOCaaS partner, you can fortify defenses and focus on business goals while they focus on threats.

By leveraging SOC-as-a-Service, you can achieve the following benefits:

• Continuous threat surveillance attuned to your environment
• Rapid incident response from specialized staff
• Reduced burden on internal security team
• Quicker implementation time compared to building in-house
• Consistent capabilities through phased rollout
• Pay-as-you-go flexibility to scale up services
• Potential cost savings over managing a SOC internally

For any organization struggling with limited security resources or gaps in detection and response, SOCaaS warrants strong consideration. Partnering with the right MSSP provides the capabilities, expertise, and technology needed to take control of your security operations.