By Bill Minahan   |   August 1, 2022   |   0 Comments

Importance of Having a SOC

When analyzing the role of a Security Operations Center (SOC), it is difficult to gauge the true cost and complexity of maintaining compliance.

In practice, of course, most businesses quickly come to recognize just how big of a task cyber security is. Whether you’re a small business or a large company, cyber security is now a key area of investment. It is necessary to maintain security, protect customer data, and maintain brand loyalty.

If you are struggling to get to the next level of cyber security, it may be time to invest in a Security Operations Center solution.

What Is a Security Operations Center?

A Security Operations Center (SOC) seeks to centralize the control of technology, processes, and people to support cyber security efforts. An effective SOC will provide around-the-clock monitoring, bringing attention to suspicious activity and system vulnerabilities.

If something suspicious or a vulnerability is found, the SOC is responsible for

Being the first responder to an active threat. The goal of a SOC is to avoid attack mitigation altogether by doing everything in its power to prevent threats from reaching the point of high concern.

To reach its goal, the SOC is responsible for a myriad of activities, like:

• Performing preventative maintenance, which helps eliminate vulnerabilities and improve system performance.
• Proactively monitoring the business, which allows the SOC to flag suspicious activity and act before a threat becomes an attack.
• Prioritizing alerts and responding to them effectively, which allows for efficient use of internal resources.
• Being the first responder to an active threat, which means terminating access points and activities to stop an attack in its tracks.
• Guiding a business in recovery after an attack, helps minimize fines and damage to the brand’s reputation.

How to Implement a SOC

If your business does not already have a Security Operations Center, implementing one may seem like an impossible feat. Following these best practices will help you achieve your security goals without taking on major costs or complexity.

Develop a SOC Strategy

The implementation of a SOC can prove difficult simply because this center will ultimately take on so many responsibilities. Therefore, the best way to implement a SOC is to start with developing a strategy.

When operating with limited resources, your business must integrate processes and technology with the people it can depend on. With the help of automation and third-party service providers, even a small business can effectively create a SOC without taking on massive expenses.

Prepare Your Environment

You must realize that, to work effectively, your SOC will need secure access to just about every system, app, machine, and database associated with your business. This in itself can cause vulnerabilities if not handled properly.

You will need to prepare your environment in advance. Both create space for the SOC to operate and define secure connections that will feed data into the SOC and provide it with far-reaching access for monitoring and detection purposes.

Train Your Team

The implementation of a SOC is not purely a tech endeavor. There will be people involved in overseeing the new SOC, and there need to be experts available to assist in monitoring, detection, and resolution activities. Additionally, as you work to establish a SOC, you may need to redefine certain processes to support the functions of the SOC or cyber security goals, in general.

All the changes that SOC introduces mean that you will need to devote time to training team members. Even individuals outside of the IT department should be aware of the SOC initiative. This same group of people should also be well informed on how it will affect their workflow. This becomes especially apparent when it comes to uploading, downloading, and interacting with sensitive data or systems.

Continuously Evolve

One of the most promising aspects of cyber security is the fact that new technology is constantly being released. As a result, your business may continually modify its SOC to better protect itself from potential threats. Also, these upgrades can help support performance and cost-efficiency too.

Of course, to make the most of your SOC, it’s important to partner with an expert. Many businesses lack the resources to create a dedicated internal team of cyber security professionals to run the SOC, which is why calling on a third-party partner may be necessary for success.

At aNetworks, we’ve helped countless businesses assemble a SOC. We also specialize in managing it effectively, allowing them to support compliance and security with ease. Ready to learn more? Schedule a consultation today.

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