The Purpose of a Security Operations Center SOC
SOCs are often charged with real-time monitoring and management of all corporate operations.
Introduction
The purpose of a SOC is to give users an accurate picture of their network’s or organization’s security at any given time, check that no systems are being compromised, uniformly execute agreed-upon protocols and processes whenever problems arise, and keep an eye on the building at all times.
The core of the activity is intended to be the focus of attention.
As such, keep an operations center open 24/7 or restrict its hours to 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday.
Despite having different responsibilities, all security team members must work together to ensure the facility’s safety.
Regardless of the actual building, there is unmistakable management to deal with specific situations, make decisions, resolve difficulties, and provide a service to the firm or organization.
What is SOC All About?
Although ensuring security can seem to be a simple undertaking, it is the fundamental goal of a SOC.
It’s conceptually similar to physical security when guards check the premises to make sure nothing is out of order, no one is attempting to break in, and no other issues exist that might endanger the institution’s safety.
The primary distinction, and it should go without saying, is that SOC operators cannot do things like a beam a flashlight into a corner to check if someone is hiding there since the SOC does not monitor in the real world.
When it comes to the SOC, you’ll need a wide variety of capabilities.
Types of SOC
SOCs are often charged with real-time monitoring and management of all corporate operations.
While the level of authority provided to SOCs varies, it is always significant.
Organizational objectives and needs determine the level of a SOC and the types of infrastructure required to support them.
The most typical approach is to establish an administrative department inside the business.
For efficiency, this approach centralizes the efforts of many players in the security industry. A centralized location is optional, however.
Larger companies with a global footprint can employ Europeans with skill sets that differ from those available in the Pacific Rim, who can, in turn, have unique training from Americans.
Use these skills, allocate tasks across the relevant divisions, and establish a global SOC to deal with circumstances like these.
You’ll need to figure out how to assemble all of these parts, guarantee their correct functioning, and keep a watchful eye on the network 24/7 if you want to protect your company from harm.
Factors to Consider when designing and Building a SOC
The SOC’s setup could be affected by factors such as the company’s size and the specifics of its threats.
No of how it’s set up, the SOC always includes the following:
- Monitors and manages potential threats
- Analyzes the threats
- Determines risk level
- Recommend or execute remedial action to protect the company
Your strategy for doing all of this should consist of the following:
- Effective
- Efficient
- Measurable
Purpose of a Security Operations Center SOC
A “nervous system” or something similar is developed throughout the SOC construction process.
Here, an intelligent “brain” is doing what it does best: collecting data from many different places.
An automatic system attempts to rank occurrences in order of importance so that the most pressing issues can be dealt with first by trained experts.
The task can only be completed with the proper workforce, resources, and gear.
Our organization uses the “three-legged stool” metaphor to describe the interplay of its people, processes, and technology, comparable to the language used elsewhere in the industry.
Neither people nor processes can be done without the other.
Meanwhile, it’s okay to rely on more than just technology. While all three are essential, your company’s success and survival ultimately depend on the people who work for you.
Individuals will execute the processes correctly. Your team will effectively implement the technologies necessary to achieve the goals.
Consequently, it is the people who should be the primary focus of your attention while designing a functional SOC.
Once complete, the SOC will provide you a thorough comprehension of the situation from a safety perspective.
You’ll see everything that happens inside your company from a single, unified perspective.
It will use the security-focused tools you’ve set up and other technologies that cannot have been put in place with security in mind but offer a layer of protection.
A SOC need not be a legally distinct organization.
It needs collaborators if it is to succeed. For larger organizations, it is common practice for the SOC to function in tandem with the NOC.
Without a dedicated NOC, the SOC will collaborate with other relevant departments within the company’s IT department.
To Sum Everything Up
Any sort of operation center, but particularly a SOC, requires close collaboration with the business and IT departments as well as outreach outside the confines of the operations center to enlist the help of all users as extra sets of eyes and ears for monitoring network activity.
It’s one thing to keep your head down within a SOC and make sure nothing malicious is occurring on the network; it’s another to construct a SOC from the ground up.
All people have some responsibility for ensuring their own safety and the safety of others around them. In other words, this is not a useless platitude.
