Why a Security Operations Center (SOC) Is Important

The team operating out of a SOC has the advantage of state-of-the-art technology that allows for enhanced service offerings. SOCs also provide cybersecurity professionals a space in which they can collaborate on solutions and troubleshoot cyber incidents together.

To be clear this differs from System and Organization Controls (SOC) compliance regulations.

Read on to learn more about what goes on in a SOC, the people and their roles within a cybersecurity posture, and why operating out of a SOC is such an advantage when it comes to cybersecurity.

Is your business fully covered against modern threats? Download DOT Security’s Cybersecurity Checklist: How Covered is Your Business? to see what you need to stay secure.

What Is a Security Operations Center?

A security operations center (SOC) is a central hub that acts like a homebase to teams of specialists and the innovative technology that makes high-level cybersecurity possible. As such, a cybersecurity team operating out of a SOC is able to provide the best services available in the industry.

SOC Benefits

There are many benefits for businesses when their whole cybersecurity team operates under the same roof. One of the most significant is that the entire cybersecurity strategy will be aligned and integrated.

Other benefits of working with a cybersecurity team out of a SOC include:

• Faster Responses: A SOC uses the latest technology and real-time monitoring to provide businesses with faster response times, real-time network updates, and much more vision into and across systems. This makes it easier for a security team to identify, react to, and resolve issues as they arise.

• Stronger Security: The ability to track and monitor an organization’s digital infrastructure inside a centralized security hub drastically improves the quality of the service. With a SOC, a cybersecurity team can more easily perform their duties, including 24/7 monitoring of a business’ digital infrastructure.

• Consistent Protection: Cyberattacks don’t always occur within working hours. With a SOC watching your back, your business gets 24/7 network monitoring to ensure attacks are always identified quickly.

• Easier Compliance: A cybersecurity operations center provides many of the security controls that major regulations call for to make meeting and maintaining compliance standards simpler.

• Stronger Reputation: Having access to an expert-filled SOC is a message to your investors, customers, and employees that you’re taking security seriously. It’s something you can tell present and prospective clients to build trust by providing assurance as to the security of their data.

• Complete Expertise and Coverage: In a SOC like DOT Security’s, all the cybersecurity experts are gathered in one place. It’s where strategies are discussed, cyberattacks are identified, and information is shared to ensure that your business always has the most up-to-date protection plan possible.

What’s Inside a Security Operations Center?

After discussing the benefits that come from working with a cybersecurity partner operating out of a SOC, it’s important to also understand what’s actually happening behind the screen in a security operations center.

By understanding the different roles that experts take in a SOC, you start to get an idea of the depth and breadth of knowledge hosted in a security operations center.

Managed SOC Services

- Network Monitoring: Network monitoring helps businesses mitigate the risks of an attack by improving threat detection, allowing for more time to properly react with appropriate measures.

- Vulnerability Management: Experts in a SOC keep their fingers on the pulse of threats to your business' critical software to ensure its defenses are up to date and you’re always aware of new threats and potential vulnerabilities.

- Incident Response: When a cybersecurity incident is identified, the SOC will start the incident response procedure and notify you as soon as possible.

- Reporting: A dedicated virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) ensures companies are always aware of their security status, the effectiveness of their security plan, potential threats, and necessary updates. They’ll share reports with the newest data and trends available to make sure the established strategy is still the most effective solution.

- Compliance as a Service: Compliance is a constant process. Businesses need to ensure they are consistently maintaining compliance with critical regulations like CMMC and HIPAA. Compliance services give businesses the teams they need to become compliant and maintain it over time and through changing circumstances.

- Penetration Testing: A cybersecurity team operating out of a SOC can also perform penetration testing, which helps to identify vulnerabilities in your network and any gaps in your overarching cybersecurity strategy.

Related: Identity and Access Management Standards for Compliance

Who Works in a SOC?

- VCISOs: Virtual Chief Information Security Officers (vCISOs) are the point people for your business’ cybersecurity. They act as a point of contact and know the ins and outs of your business, your strategy, and cybersecurity trends.

- Compliance Managers: Compliance Managers are experts in regulations like the NIST Framework and help you stay in line with them. These roles will only continue to increase in importance as more industries are looking to standardize data privacy with governing regulations.

- Cybersecurity Engineers: Cybersecurity Engineers perform the day-to-day maintenance on your system, conduct risk audits, and help make recommendations for updates to a cybersecurity strategy.

- Cybersecurity Analyst: Analysts take gathered data and draw insights and analyses from it to make suggestions and updates to cybersecurity strategies and systems.

The Role of AI in a Modern Security Operations Center

Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing the modern SOC by amplifying its ability to detect, analyze, and respond to threats with unprecedented speed and accuracy. Traditional SOCs often rely on manual processes, which can be slow and prone to human error.

AI addresses these challenges by automating repetitive tasks, allowing security analysts to focus on more complex and strategic issues. For example, AI-powered tools can sift through massive volumes of data, identifying suspicious patterns and potential threats in real time—something that would take human analysts hours or even days.

One of AI's most powerful contributions is in predictive threat detection. Machine learning algorithms can analyze historical data to identify trends and anticipate future attack vectors. This proactive approach enables SOCs to strengthen defenses before an attack occurs.

AI also excels in behavioral analysis, monitoring user and system behavior to detect anomalies that could indicate a breach, such as unauthorized access or unusual data transfers.

When it comes to incident response, AI-driven systems streamline the process by recommending or even automating actions, such as isolating compromised devices or blocking malicious IP addresses. This rapid response minimizes damage and reduces downtime. Additionally, AI continuously learns from each incident, improving its accuracy and efficiency over time.

By integrating AI, modern SOCs can operate with a level of agility and intelligence that matches the evolving sophistication of cyber threats. This synergy between human expertise and machine intelligence ensures a robust, proactive, and adaptive security strategy.

Wrapping up on the Value of a SOC

A security operations center is where managed cybersecurity services are executed. A SOC full of experts and the latest technology can make a substantial difference in a business’ information security. The people, processes, and technology found in a SOC help businesses stay protected from modern cyberthreats.

DOT Security is proud to say that we have recently acquired SOC 2 Type 2 compliance accreditation, which is a testament to our commitment to data privacy and security through all levels of operations.

Is your business as protected as it should be? Is your data vulnerable to cybercriminals? Use the DOT Security Cybersecurity Checklist: How Covered is Your Business? To determine how covered your business is from modern threats and to discover where your vulnerabilities may lie.