EMPOWERING YOUR SOC

NOT EVERYONE CAN AFFORD A SOC. SABU MATHEW, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS AND BIJU JACOB, DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AT DIGITAL INSIGHTS, EXPLAIN WHY IT MAKES BUSINESS SENSE TO INVEST IN A MANAGED SOC INSTEAD OF BUILDING YOUR OWN.

Which factors drive the demand for SOC (Security Operations Centre) as-a-service?

Businesses are looking for more robust and sophisticated security solutions as the number of cyber threats and their complexity continue to rise. SOC as-a-service gives companies access to cutting-edge security tools and expertise to keep them ahead of new threats.

A significant investment in resources, including skilled personnel and specialised security technologies, is required to create and operate an in-house SOC. Businesses can access these resources without making a significant initial investment through SOC as-a-service. Companies that cannot afford to construct and maintain an in-house SOC can use SOC as-a-service as a cost-effective alternative. They can use a managed security service provider (MSSP) that provides SOC services for a monthly subscription fee rather than incurring the expense of building and staffing a SOC.

Another driver is compliance requirements. Regulations requiring a certain level of security monitoring and incident response capabilities are in place for many industries. By giving businesses access to the necessary security expertise and tools, SOC as-a-service helps them meet these requirements. Finally, scalability - companies can scale up or down their security requirements with SOC as-aservice as their needs change. When it comes to adapting to shifting threats and shifting business requirements, this provides agility and adaptability.

What are the advantages of outsourced SOC as compared to in-house SOC?

First and foremost, cost-effectiveness; it can be expensive to set up and keep up an in-house SOC because it takes a lot of money to pay for staff, technology, and infrastructure. Outsourcing SOC is a compelling value proposition because businesses pay a monthly subscription fee for access to SOC services rather than incurring the upfront costs of building and staffing an in-house SOC.

In addition, MSSPs that offer SOC services have teams of security experts who know how to identify and mitigate security threats. Businesses can access this specialised expertise without spending money building and training their own SOC team. The SOC service providers also typically have 24/7 monitoring and response capabilities, which can be challenging for an in-house SOC to keep up without a lot of staff. Again, businesses can gain 24/7 security monitoring and response capabilities by outsourcing SOC services. Another significant advantage is scalability. Businesses can scale up or down how much security they need by outsourcing SOC services as their needs change. When it comes to adapting to shifting threats and shifting business requirements, this provides agility and adaptability.

MSSPs that offer SOC services can also help ensure that security requirements specific to the industry are met. Without having to make an investment in developing their own compliance capabilities, businesses can take advantage of this expertise by outsourcing SOC services.

How do you augment the existing security infrastructure of your customers?

• Conducting a security assessment: An MSSP can comprehensively assess a customer’s existing security infrastructure to identify gaps, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.

• Implementing additional security controls: Based on the security assessment results, an MSSP can recommend and implement additional security controls to augment the customer’s existing security infrastructure. These include network segmentation, data loss prevention, intrusion detection, and prevention, or cloud security solutions.

• Providing 24/7 monitoring and response: MSSPs can offer roundthe-clock monitoring and response capabilities to help customers quickly detect and respond to security incidents.

• Offering threat intelligence services: MSSPs can provide customers with real-time threat intelligence and alerts to help them avoid emerging threats.

By providing these services, MSSPs can help customers augment their existing security infrastructure to better protect against a wide range of security threats.