How a SOC works alongside your managed IT service

Published On - June 20, 2022

SDT Cyber Security, Managed IT Services
How a SOC works alongside your managed IT service

What is a security operation centre?

A security operation centre (SOC) comprises of a team of security analysts who work together to detect, analyse, respond to, report on, and prevent cybersecurity incidents.

A SOC will collect and automatically correlate data across multiple security layers of a business, including: Email, endpoint, server, cloud workload, and network. This inclusive service allows for faster detection of threats and improved investigation and response times through security analysis.

The advantage of a SOC service in comparison to an on-premises proxy is its continual live detection and instant threat reporting. With threat actors adapting quickly to security vulnerabilities in company networks, the use of SOC is increasingly becoming the norm, not just for enterprises, but for smaller businesses too.

Getting the most from a security operation centre service

The most effective SOC service will have complete access to a business’s log files. This will enable proactive monitoring, as well as remediation activities to help organisations address vulnerabilities and adjust security monitoring and alerting tools. But security operation centres also work hand-in-hand with the broader operations of a fully managed IT service. The in-depth analytics provided by a SOC service can greatly improve a business’s ongoing IT strategy and security measures.

Why are businesses adopting an outsourced SOC model?

The outsourced SOC model provides a number of advantages for business, including:

  • Continuous monitoring: Keeps businesses ahead of cyber criminals 24/7.
  • Centralised visibility: With enterprise networks becoming more complex through IoT devices, the growth of remote working and the normalisation of ‘bring your own devices’, maintaining visibility across a network is now more complicated than ever and requires new and resilient security solutions.
  • Multi-layered: A SOC service provides a layered security option within an outsourced IT model. We work closely with Barracuda SKOUT XDR as part of our managed IT service to achieve robust and well-rounded security benefits for our clients.
  • Reduced cyber security costs: An effective SOC will reduce costs through centralising protection across a business, thereby avoiding duplication and redundancy, and reducing cyber security risks in the long-term.
  • Better collaboration: The tight-knit structure of a security operation centre makes for effective collaboration across the SOC team, as well as with the business and IT service provider.
  • Insurance: 24/7 active monitoring and reporting can help instil confidence in supplier networks. SOC is also increasingly becoming a requirement for business insurance and can reduce premiums.

Find out more

If you would like to speak to us about the benefits of a managed IT service, SOC provision, or any aspect of this article, contact Andrew Wayman at andrew.wayman@sdt.co.uk or call our office on +44 (0)1344 870062.