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Key Functions Performed By The Security Operations Center (SOC)

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This post will show you what Security Operations Center is all about and why it matters to your company and brand.

As of 2019, Cyberattacks have set off over 7,000 breaches. The combined force of this strategically placed invasion has exposed over 15.1 billion records. The median cost of a data breach is now $3,92 million. It takes in-house defense and cyber unites an average of 2790 days to identify a perp and contain a possible break.

A cyberattack, not only undermines your company brand, but also exposes your clients, and as of 2016 it also makes you liable to different criminal charges depending on your region. Governments all around the world have established regulations to protect ID and data and they are forcing companies to bear the responsibility of said protection.

In other words, when a breach happens and someone is exposed to an attack, your company is the one that should have protected them, and YOU and your business bear the brunt of the responsibility; its penalties, and charges. By 2019, 865 organizations rate SOC as an essential pillar of their organization and the key component to their cybersecurity strategy.

An effective SOC helps your company in understanding its weakness when dealing with pressing security problems and, more importantly, given the level of mastery and adaptability most cybercriminals operate within the present, it improves your overall posture to future attacks. 

What Is SOC?

What Is SOC

SOC stands for Security Operations Center. It is the spine and central nervous system upon which every company’s cybersecurity program is built upon. SOCs are hubs for specialists tasked with keeping your company safe from any sort of cyber assault. They serve as the bat-cave for people, either working off-site or on-site, whose primary goal is to keep your and your company safe from digital bullies. 

What Are Its Goals And Purpose?

It ultimately depends on the company. Each SOC team has different objectives and they vary from one organization to the other. Each company has their goals, their objectives and what they need to protect. An industry might have IP (intellectual property) issues they need to keep under wraps. A political office might have classified emails. A banking institution might have client IDs and codes. E-commerce might need to safeguard client portfolios. It all depends. 

Nonetheless, most SOC units have typical mission parameters:

  • Consolidate and analyze data from networks, devices, and cloud services. 
  • Critically view all data and coordinate responses to alerts and key information.
  • Write up incident reports on alerts and effectively think-up ways to shore up and plan for future attacks of that nature. 

Key Functions Of A Security Operations Center Team

Key Functions Of A Security Operations Center Team

SOC teams have various functions and each differs from client to client. Nevertheless, an average SOC team has to be able to provide certain benefits or goal-oriented components.

  • Minimize a Breach’s Impact

SOC team's main objective is to minimize the impact of an attack on the organization. They work on the principle that attacks, no matter how proactive you are, will occur. They cut down the time before detection (known as dwell time), they shore up critical assets and more importantly they manage to protect vulnerable data that might compromise the organization. 

  • Reduce Response Time

The less time an attacker has to stop poking around in your system the better. SOC teams can accelerate the pace and can contract an attacker’s breach.

  • Increase Visibility of Security

Sometimes the best deterrent is to look strong. To make it so a perpetrator thinks twice before launching an attack. That’s why we like our fences and we like to place the security company’s logo on our front yard. SOC teams make it known that a cyberattack will end up costing a perpetrator time and even money, by simply existing and making it known that they are present.

  • AUDITs

The first order of business for a SOC time is to analyze your business and tell you, objectively, where you’re losing water. Where you are weak and where you need to marshal your forces. They are objective in this task.

  • Proactive

SOC teams not only react but are also proactive by staying one step ahead of attackers. They are well informed of what’s happening in the world and will act accordingly and proactively chase a potential threat.

  • Digital Clues

SOC teams also analyze digital clues to discover evidence of attacks that might not have triggered any sort of alarm. This is important because they proactively search patterns and spots where your safety procedures are being tested.

  • Keep Business Informed

The ultimate goal of a great SOC team is to keep you informed. To give you up-to-date communication on the current trends, and data that might end up affecting your business. To help to shape your future security maps and responses accordingly and to better calculate the financial loss a cyber threat might cost you. This SOC team will provide all the benefits of cybersecurity services depending on your business needs.

What Makes A Good SOC Team?

It’s experts and the fact that they’ve trained their personnel accordingly. A great SOC team is competent in all things related to cybersecurity and overall all acts proactively not only reactive. It is preemptive and not passive.

Why is an effective security operations center important and for whom can it be especially necessary? 

Outside SOC teams as a service, help organizations overcome the problems of an ever-changing cybersecurity landscape. One where they might have talent gaps. They also offer a rapid response and quick scalability if needed.


Christian Schmitz
Christian Schmitz
Christian Schmitz is a professional journalist and editor at SecureBlitz.com. He has a keen eye for the ever-changing cybersecurity industry and is passionate about spreading awareness of the industry's latest trends. Before joining SecureBlitz, Christian worked as a journalist for a local community newspaper in Nuremberg. Through his years of experience, Christian has developed a sharp eye for detail, an acute understanding of the cybersecurity industry, and an unwavering commitment to delivering accurate and up-to-date information.

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