A security operations center (SOC) centralizes the people, processes, and technology that are used to monitor your cybersecurity tools and procedures. Having a security operations center helps keep everyone in the loop when it comes to detecting, preventing, analyzing, and combatting cybersecurity threats.
The SOC is your cybersecurity command center. It’s a great way to ensure that your IT networks, devices, tools, applications, and data are all being protected equally and in ways that do not create vulnerabilities for other areas. For example, if there is a vulnerability in your email security that could lead to hackers reaching your data stores, creating cybersecurity solutions that either protect your email security or your data won’t be helpful.
The Purpose of a SOC
A security operations center is the facility (either in-house or online) that monitors all your IT and digital activity. This activity comes through your networks, servers, endpoints, databases, websites, applications, and other systems and processes that help you move through your day-to-day business tasks.
The SOC is responsible for monitoring threats and activity, as well as preventing attacks and mitigating breaches. The SOC also identifies, analyzes, and generates reporting around these incidents in order to help close gaps and vulnerabilities in your systems to improve the security of your networks as a whole.
There are different types of SOCs. At CyberFort Advisors, we offer managed SOC services. This means you can have a 24/7 domestically managed security department without having to hire, retain, and pay a full-sized staff to protect your digital assets.
Let’s go through some of the most common security operations center myths and debunk them with the latest in cybersecurity news and best practices.
Myth #1: The SOC and Your Organization Operate Separately
Our first SOC myth is a common one. And it’s common because it highlights the difference between a good SOC management partner and a bad one.
The SOC myth is that your organization and the outsourced SOC services operate independently. This should not be the case when you are working with a quality managed SOC provider.
The SOC, whether in-house, outsourced, or otherwise, should be fully integrated and updated on what’s going on within your business. Because the SOC is responsible for threat and vulnerability management, risk assessment, log management, and more, your provider should want to get to know how you do things, and the areas you have previously had trouble with.
Just like you wouldn’t hire an executive if they didn’t know what products and services you offer, your SOC is at the heart of everything you do – it protects your systems, employees, and so much more.
What’s more, a great SOC services provider should be able to adapt their expertise to your needs fairly quickly – after all, the point of having a domestically managed security department is that you can rest easy knowing your networks are protected in the same ways it would be if you hired, trained, and managed an in-house IT department.
Myth #2: SOC is Just One Step Above a Help Desk
Another common – and frustrating – SOC myth is that you are paying for complex and amazing IT services by choosing to partner with an outside SOC service, but all you’re getting is a more exclusive version of a help desk.
Your SOC provider should care deeply about the struggles your team is facing and the help they need, but that should just be the tip of the SOC iceberg. At CyberFort Advisors, we know that the trust of your customers is a priority, and that means keeping their data and your operations free from breaches and downtime has to be our priority.
Monitoring and reporting issues is an important part of the SOC process, but so it being a part of your team. Good SOC services stem from a partnership between the provider and the client. The goal should be collaboration, with the mutual goal of keeping your business completely secure – no matter how many offsite servers, remote workers, and physical locations your business is comprised of.
Myth #3: SOC Services Include Several Independent Software Programs with No Overlap
This SOC myth is one of the most difficult to debunk because IT experts must leverage automation and high-impact software against human nature. Which often means analyzing and recording operating data. But that doesn’t mean your SOC is just installing helpful software like antivirus and firewalls in the hopes that enough is in place to protect your business.
Interoperability is key. Just like a business, you can’t operate a successful SOC program if the components of that program aren’t able to interact with, learn from, and build off each other. Interoperability in its purest form is the ability to exchange and use information. In much the same way that your internal networks connect to your cloud-based assets and more, interoperability is an integral part of creating a productive and proactive security operations center.
CyberFort – SOC Solutions Made Easy
CyberFort SOC services are designed to be your 24/7 domestically managed security department. You can avoid all the hassle of managing your SOC yourself or hiring additional IT staff.
Our SOC services include:
- Threat and vulnerability assessment
- Risk assessment
- Log management
- Intrusion detection solutions
- Firewall management
Choosing not to protect your data will only result in greater costs and potentially damage the brand trust you’ve worked so hard to build for your organization. Proactive cybersecurity ensures your business continuity, integrity, and safety.
What questions can we answer for you? Contact us today.