Cetas Blog Post

Types and Functions of SOCs

September 24, 2022

A security operation center (SOC) is a team whose main job is to monitor and manage a company's cyber security.

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Your SOC team monitors, identify and reacts to security occurrences and concerns.

Introduction

A security operation center (SOC) is a team whose main job is to monitor and manage a company's cyber security.

In one centralized location, all of the company's cyber security activities can be monitored, and in cases where threats are found, countermeasures will be implemented.

Security operations centers have seen significant transformations throughout the years.

Hackers' expertise has increased, and the cybersecurity environment has become more complex, so businesses have explored ways to improve their SOCs.

Technology advancements are playing a significant role in this transformation since it has allowed companies to enhance the efficacy of their security operation centers SOC.

As a result of the availability of detection and response technologies, cyber security teams are now better positioned to identify and respond to threats.

Furthermore, with improvements in artificial intelligence and machine learning, SOCs can now scan enormous amounts of data and detect suspicious activities.

Another critical factor is the general public's increased awareness of the need to invest in cybersecurity. The more cyberattacks a corporation faces, the more effort it takes to fortify its SOC.

New solutions and technologies have emerged in response to the increasing demand for experienced cyber security experts.

Technical improvements, increased public awareness of the need for cybersecurity, and growing demand for highly skilled cybersecurity experts have all contributed to a major shift in the structure of security operations centers in recent years.

Nonetheless, evolution will drive the development of new cyber security solutions and technology, allowing organizations to increase their capability to detect, investigate and respond to cyber threats.

Types of SOC

As established earlier, a security operations center (SOC) is the team in charge of your company's cyber security.

Your SOC team monitors, identify and reacts to security occurrences and concerns.

Essentially, the SOC is the center of your organization's cybersecurity activities.

Using a mix of sophisticated technologies and highly trained security people, a SOC works in real-time to reduce current dangers and fight against future threats.

There are two types of SOC and while they perform many of the same fundamental functions, they operate differently:

In-House SOC

An on-site/in-house SOC is available at certain very big corporations.

The phrase "in-house SOC" refers to a unit within the company's premises with the expertise, software, infrastructure, and resources required to monitor, detect, and investigate risks while simultaneously keeping an eye out for larger, more long-term threats.

Advantages of having a SOC located on-site include:

  • Having complete control
  • Quick Access to competent specialists who can react quickly in the event of an emergency
However, having an on-site SOC comes at a price, and some smaller companies with a smaller budget may opt for the second option, which we will cover shortly.

Outsourced SOC

Hiring a complete in-house cybersecurity team and acquiring the necessary technology to operate an appropriate on-premise SOC is not practical for many small to medium-sized organizations.

Nonetheless, every company needs a qualified and experienced cybersecurity team. This often necessitates seeking cyber security services from a third-party provider.

SOC as a Service (SOCaaS) allows organizations to get many of the same advantages that an in-house SOC provides without the exorbitant cost and restricted flexibility.

One of the most prominent benefits of SOCaaS is that it monitors your network around the clock.

As a result, several companies hire SOCaaS from a third-party provider to supplement their in-house cybersecurity team.

Through various technologies, a security operations center works at all levels of risk monitoring, analysis, and incident response.

However, the SOC does not have to be a company's internal staff; it may alternatively be an externally outsourced team.

Even a hybrid paradigm involves certain duties being done internally and others being managed outside.

Functions of SOCs

Security operations centers SOC are in charge of identifying threats and reacting to them, and coordinating a company's cyber security activities.

A company's SOC can provide advice, security training, and policy implementation.

Before any potential harm can be done to your company, the SOC team will investigate and address any possible cybersecurity threats as soon as possible.

The security operations center SOC team serves as the nerve center of any cyber security infrastructure, interacting with other departments and the IT department to guarantee optimal system efficiency.

A SOC team's primary duties are as follows:

1: Planning, Preparation, and Prevention

Making a list of all infrastructure that needs to be protected, such as servers, devices, programs, and databases, is essential.

At this level, plans for regular maintenance and emergencies must be developed.

The SOC utilizes cutting-edge techniques and data security professionals to detect suspect behavior inside a network.

By isolating ongoing threats via monitoring and automated warnings, the SOC can prevent threat actors from propagating throughout the network.

Preventive methods can also be employed to address security gaps before an attacker exploits them.

2: Monitoring, Identification, and Reaction to Incidents

Log management and data analysis, threat detection, vulnerability management, and other IT infrastructure monitoring duties are performed round the clock.

Using monitoring and UEBA, the SOC group may detect aberrant activity and find threat actors masking unlawful actions in the system.

When a threat is found, SOC analysts and engineers investigate where it originated and if it exploited a known vulnerability.

3: Response, Recovery and Compliance

After a cybersecurity incident has been mitigated, the SOC manages the risk and seeks to return affected assets to normality as soon as possible.

Compliance management is also established at this point.

The SOC team must react swiftly to assaults to eliminate the threat, protect surviving systems, and restore service as soon as feasible.

You Need an Efficient SOC Service

In 2021, cyberattacks accounted for over $6.9 billion in losses for companies worldwide. Over 46% of these incidents affected small and medium-sized companies.

At Cetas, we modernize your SOC. Optimize security operations by automating threat detection, investigation, and response. Incident responders build our autonomous cybersecurity platform for incident responders.

So, why wait any further?

Simplify security operations and alleviate the burden on your SOC teams by automating threat detection, hunting, and response.

We provide outstanding solutions in the following:

  • Cloud Security
  • Threat Hunting
  • AI for Detection and Investigation
  • Security Data Lake
  • Managed Security Services
Learn more about our Autonomous Incident Responder.
Request a demo today to see autonomous cybersecurity in action.