Understanding the SOC, your cybersecurity watchdog

Since the business ecosystem is going digital at breakneck speed (mobile users, cloud applications, telecommuting), IT risks have multiplied. According to a Comparitech study, 195.4 million items of data were compromised in 2024 as a result of a cyber attack.

To respond to these threats as effectively as possible, many companies have integrated a Security Operation Center (more commonly known as "SOC") into their departments.

What are the attributes of this team of IT security experts? How can you implement it in your own organization? What benefits will you derive from it? We tell you all about the SOC, the guardian of your cybersecurity.

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What is an SOC in IT?

Definition of an SOC in cybersecurity

A Security Operation Center is a structure that plays a central role in a company's cybersecurity strategy. Find out more about its attributes for dealing with malware.

An SOC is made up of a team of IT security experts who continuously monitor a company's information systems. As a control and monitoring tower, it protects the IT infrastructure against cyberthreats at all levels (prevention, detection, reaction and redundancy).

What are the challenges in the face of IT threats?

• Prevention, detection and response to incidents:

  • Anticipation of cyber-attacks through constant monitoring,

  • rapid identification of suspicious activities using detection tools (EDR, NDR),

  • neutralization using predefined procedures.

• Security management and administration: collection, archiving and analysis of security logs, systems maintenance and access management.

• Regulatory compliance: protection of sensitive data, implementation of security policies, reporting and audits to avoid sanctions.

• Crisis management and business continuity: crisis response planning, backups and execution of system restores.

How does a cybersecurity SOC work?

The SOC is a complex machinery combining human, analysis and communication resources that work in synergy. Here's a look at how this organization works, and how each of its cogs works.

SOC members and their roles

A high-performance SOC relies on a team with complementary skills.

👤 At its head is the SOC manager. His or her role? Establish the overall strategy, manage the teams and maintain effective communication with other departments.

👥 Here are the other team members and their roles:

• The SOC architect: He keeps the Security Operations Center platform up to date to ensure its performance.

• Level 1 analysts (N1): They are responsible for the initial monitoring of alerts generated by the systems and manage routine incidents.

• Level 2 analysts (N2): carry out investigations into more complex incidents, and provide appropriate responses.

• Level 3 analysts (N3): They intervene during serious incidents when a team of experts is required.

Tools for analysis, management and monitoring

The technological arsenal of an effective SOC includes several complementary solutions:

• SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) centralizes logs.

• EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) monitors endpoints.

• NDRs (Network Detection and Response) analyze network traffic.

• Threat intelligence platforms provide data on current threats.

• SOARs (Security Orchestration, Automation and Response) automate incident response for improved reactivity.

Processes and procedures to be deployed in the event of an incident

An SOC is not just about experts and cutting-edge tools, it's also about implementing a proactive strategy for all its responsibilities. For each situation, the SOC defines processes and documentation to provide the most appropriate solution. This includes :

• detection processes, with continuous system monitoring, threat detection and alert analysis,

• qualification processes, with the assessment of the importance of a validated incident and then the choice of the appropriate response,

• incident response processes, which involve implementing the solution in several stages (analysis, correction, documentation) to reduce the impact of the incident,

• administration processes: team management, tool maintenance and security compliance, etc,

• and finally, monitoring processes such as updating threat databases and training analysts.

Communication and coordination infrastructures

Responding effectively to IT threats requires constant responsiveness. To act as quickly as possible, the SOC needs flawless communications infrastructures. 💪

Centralized operations play a big part in achieving this goal. Virtual centralization with dashboards and physical centralization with a crisis management room.

Visualization tools also enable the organization's safety status to be shared in real time. Management and the departments concerned thus have a complete, up-to-date view of key IT protection metrics.

SOC members also use secure communication tools. Encrypted messaging, direct telephone lines: these solutions enable exchanges to take place without the risk of compromising essential data in the event of an incident.

Finally, a crisis management system, based on ticketing, enables each technician to know exactly what his or her task is. This method of coordinating efforts ensures complete traceability of interventions.

Redundancy and continuity of operations

The SOC's final role is to maintain business continuity, even in the event of a crisis. To accomplish this task, servers are protected within a security center with very strict access controls. 🔐

All data, and systems, are backed up regularly and integrated on a cloud or independent physical support. This ensures total redundancy.

In the event of a major crisis, recovery plans enable compromised datasets to be replaced by sound backups.

Business continuity is thus assured.

Reporting and process optimization

In addition to responding to incidents, the SOC is also responsible for documenting all its interventions. 📝 It produces reports with the aim of optimizing solutions to future threats.

This reporting to other technicians and management teams makes it possible to understand what worked, or didn't work, in the response provided.

Documentation is also a way of keeping track of operations in the event of an audit.

What are the benefits of an SOC?

1) Continuous monitoring and improved responsiveness

Hackers don't take vacations. In the age of AI and machine learning technologies, their productivity has even increased tenfold. To respond to their threats, organizations need constant monitoring, 24/7. This is the role of the SOC. Made up of several teams working in succession, it ensures continuous monitoring and maximum reactivity in the event of an incident.

2) Centralized security for greater visibility

Corporate networks are becoming increasingly complex. Digitalization projects are encouraging migration to the cloud, the integration of an Internet of Things (IoT) strategy and remote working.

This new vision of corporate work considerably complicates the task of IT teams when it comes to security. An SOC centralizes all network and connection flows to provide better visibility of potential weak points in the infrastructure.

3) Lower cybersecurity costs

In 2023, a study by Asterès estimated the cost of a cyber attack for a company at €59,000. The same study indicates that a company suffers an average of 1.8 successful cyberattacks per year. An exorbitant cost that a security operations center saves you, despite its operational cost. Centralizing the SOC also delivers economies of scale, by avoiding the costs associated with multiple cybersecurity licenses and contracts.

4) Greater collaboration

With an SOC, all human and material resources are integrated within a single security team. As a result, in the event of an incident, employees report the threat directly to SOC members. Information does not have to circulate from sector to sector. The key players are informed as quickly as possible and can intervene more effectively.

What are the limits of an SOC?

The main limitation of an SOC is, of course, its cost. Set-up, operation and maintenance require a substantial budget. For small and medium-sized businesses, this investment is often prohibitive. Especially if you opt for a division of in-house experts.

Beyond the financial aspect, the difficulty lies in recruiting and, above all, retaining experts. IT security professionals are in great demand, and competition is fierce for companies.

Last but not least, the greatest difficulty lies in integrating IT security into the company's overall strategy. Without good collaboration with other departments, the SOC can quickly become an isolated part of the organization. A situation that risks undermining the center's effectiveness.

How to deploy an IT SOC?

Would you like to integrate an SOC to ensure your organization's IT security? Internal or external SOC? We give you all the info you need.

Assessing your IT security needs

The first step in implementing a Security Operations Center at your company is to assess your security needs.

• How big is your company?
• How sensitive is the data you collect and use?
• How many critical assets (endpoints, firewalls, etc.) do you need to integrate?
• What regulatory requirements must you comply with? etc.

Once these questions have been answered, it's time to define the scope of your future security operations center. Which processes will it be responsible for, and which will be handled outside the division?

☝️ When making this initial assessment, bear in mind that the SOC is not responsible for the overall management of your organization's IS, but only for its security. Imposing tasks on the SOC for which it is not qualified could have a negative impact on both your IT security and the smooth running of the IS.

The different SOC models and their advantages

Would you like to host your security operations center on your premises, or outsource it?

👉 The advantage of an in-house SOC is direct communication and self-managed security. On the other hand, setting up and maintaining such a division requires a substantial budget. We recommend an external solution, which is more economical but just as effective.

👉 You can also choose between a dedicated SOC and a shared SOC. With a service provider entirely dedicated to the security of your IT system, you benefit from solutions 100% tailored to your needs. However, the adaptation process is lengthy, and the necessary budget substantial.

A shared solution is quicker to set up and more cost-effective. You share proven teams, tools and processes with other companies. In most situations, that's more than enough.

Essential technologies and their scalability

A Security Operations Center is not just about using a SIEM platform. It must also integrate other elements to create a complete ecosystem.

Event logs are generated by every action performed on an application or system. They are collected, recorded and centralized to identify potential threats.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) provides a more comprehensive means of securing workstations than anti-virus.

Firewalls and Active Directory complete the range of technologies integrated into the SOC.

A few best practices to be aware of

To perfect the implementation of your SOC, here are a few additional best practices to follow:

• Map your IT infrastructure before embarking on your project.

• Define relevant performance indicators for your SOC.

• Continuously adjust your strategies to optimize your security.

• Carry out regular attack simulations.

• Train SOC members and staff in best practices in the event of an attack.

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Take your IT security to the next level with the SOC

The SOC is an essential link in your IT security chain. Thanks to a combination of human expertise and cutting-edge technology, you have optimum protection against IT threats. In an ever-changing digital environment, the Security Operations Center is no longer a luxury for companies, but a necessity.