24/7 Managed SOC: The Ultimate Weapon for Safeguarding Your Infrastructure

In this rapidly advancing digital age, organisations are at higher risk of cyber-attacks than ever before, with phishing, ransomware, data breaches, and malware attacks resulting in significant reputational and financial damages worldwide. However, these cyber threats aren’t just limited to external sources; internal vulnerabilities also pose serious risks to an organisation.

As a first line of defence against these threats, more and more organisations are engaging a Security Operations Centre (SOC). A SOC handles various types of attacks, including internal threats, and is responsible for monitoring, detecting, and mitigating vulnerabilities, and responding to and recovering from incidents in an organisation’s environment 24/7.

What is a 24/7 Managed SOC?

A Managed SOC is a 24/7 service that provides a centralised, outsourced team, dedicated to enhancing an organisation’s cyber security posture through a sole focus on preventing, identifying, and responding to threats effectively. SOC analysts monitor identities, endpoints, servers, databases, network apps, websites, and other systems to detect and stop real-time cyber-attacks from eventuating. A Managed SOC also carries out proactive security by leveraging the latest threat information to stay informed about threat groups and infrastructure, and identify and address system or process vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them.

A Managed SOC plays a crucial role in enhancing an organisation’s trust in the effectiveness of their security operations, particularly in threat detection, response, and prevention. It achieves this by standardising and coordinating all security technologies, tools, and techniques. A Managed SOC is the only cyber security unit that works around the clock, monitoring, analysing, eradicating, and responding to cyber security incidents 24/7, 365 days a year.

Internally-managed SOCs

Establishing a 24/7 Security Operations Centre (SOC) is crucial for any organisation’s cyber security strategy – unfortunately, maintaining a fully operational 24/7 SOC with internal resources can be quite difficult (and costly!) If an internally managed SOC is not effectively staffed with skilled and experienced personnel, it may generate more issues that it solves. Relying solely on an internal SOC team may not be the most efficient way to ensure robust security for the company.

Challenges with internally-managed SOCs

There are six main challenges an organisation might face with an internally-managed SOC:

1. Resourcing constraints and talent shortage:

Staffing an internal SOC that needs to operate 24/7/365 can be especially difficult – finding qualified analysists who can work around the clock and provide that comprehensive coverage is made even harder by resourcing constraints and a market talent shortage. The cyber security talent is limited compared to IT professionals, making it challenging for organisations to recruit sufficiently experienced individuals, especially for roles that require odd shifts, night shifts, and weekend coverage. Additionally, managing 24/7 shifts can be particularly challenging and financially burdensome for small to medium-sized companies, as maintaining continuous coverage can be costly. These challenges create a cyclical problem: limited resources lead to inadequate leadership and talent management, which in turn hinders the organisation’s ability to perform and manage internal security. This cycle also threatens the organisation’s long-term sustainability.

2. Growing cyber threat complexity:

With cyber threats becoming more complex and sophisticated, relying on outdated techniques and tooling is no longer sufficient for their detection and mitigation. Bypassing detection tools is a routine activity for hackers, who continually refine their methods to evade security measures, such as though encryption and polymorphic malware. Some of the top techniques used by attackers to evade detection include masquerading (e.g., tricking file types, creating scheduled tasks, or renaming hacking software) and obfuscation of malicious code. Insider attacks are particularly tricky to detect – especially for SOC analysts with limited experience and insufficient tools necessary to handle such threats.

3. Incident overload:

Incident overload occurs when incidents are not properly managed or categorised based on certain techniques or alert behaviours. In a single day, teams might receive hundreds or even thousands of alerts which need to be analysed, leading to alert fatigue. During this critical time, there is a risk that teams may overlook genuine alerts, which can result in potential data breaches or malicious attacks on the organisation. Consequently, this situation increases the risk of missing critical security incidents, which can lead to financial loss or reputational damage for the company.

4. Lack of strategic focus:

When an organisation establishes a SOC, it is crucial that a strategic focus is maintained to manage the team effectively. One of the main reasons organisations fail in their internal security operations is a lack of a clear strategic approach and top management buy-in, leading to financial setbacks and, in some cases, internal turmoil. A key aspect of strategic management in this context is the need to respond quickly to alerts as they arise to detect threats and potential security attacks, and apply timely and sound decision making. When a SOC is run internally, there is often a tendency to apply a cost lens rather than a security lens, sacrificing security in an attempt to reduce costs. This narrow view can unintentionally lead to poor prioritisation of resourcing and complacency, steering the team and, ultimately, the organisation in the wrong direction.

5. 24/7/365 Coverage:

One of the key components of a 24/7 SOC is continuous monitoring, which requires managing shifts around the clock. Maintaining a 24/7 shift schedule is crucial for internal organisations that operate continuously. Unfortunately, many organisations do not have the financial capacity or the requisite coordination for this level of security monitoring. Even when funds are not a constraint, ensuring consistent threat detection and timely responses can be a significant challenge, particularly for internal SOC teams. Where analysts work across different time zones or shifts, miscommunication, a lack of guidance, and reduced confidence in handling incidents can be experienced. These communication gaps and varying schedules can result in serious alerts being missed, leading to delayed response times, and misunderstandings or missed updates between analysts on opposite shifts.

6. Scalability and Integrability:

A managed SOC operates 24/7 and oversees the entire security posture of an organisation, which can complicate the IT landscape. This complexity arises from poor integration between tooling, diverse cloud infrastructures, and the influence of remote work setups. Ideally, security monitoring tools should be scalable and able to integrate effectively with various security platforms. Organisations often face significant challenges in consolidating different security solutions into a single monitoring system. If integration issues occur, this can create blind spots in the network where certain areas are not continuously monitored. There are also technical challenges and costs associated with integrating security tools within an organisation – internally-managed SOCs often struggle to manage the growing volume of data and the increasing complexity of threats.

Outsourcing SOC management

The level of expertise and value-for-money offered by dedicated Managed SOC services is often hard to match by internally-managed SOCs, which is why many organisations are choosing to partner with a managed SOC provider as an effective solution for security management. Managed SOC services utilise advanced security tools, and, when combined with the expertise of a specialised SOC team, allow for more effective detection and response capabilities.

Benefits of engaging Managed SOC Services:

Engaging a managed SOC provider grants brings many advantages and capabilities to an organisation, including improved security readiness, early threat detection, and simplified response coordination.

Organisations can better negotiate the intricacies of the contemporary cyber security landscape by implementing an efficient SOC and have round-the-clock monitoring and rapid response when a 24/7 model is adopted. Cybercriminals don’t operate on a 9-5 schedule; attacks frequently happen during off hours, weekends, or holidays when defences may be less robust; a 24/7 SOC closes this gap by delivering continuous monitoring and protection.

Working with managed SOC providers offers significant advantages for meeting cyber security and compliance requirements.

1. Expertise and Experience:

The SOC serves as the first line of defence for any security incident. Their responsibilities include monitoring security alerts, analysing potential threats, and responding to incidents. The SOC team is designed to operate in a dynamic environment, and possess hands-on experience with various security tools and technologies. A Managed SOC provider combines expertise and experience by bringing together skilled professionals who possess the necessary knowledge to quickly identify and respond to security incidents and data breaches.

2. Continuous monitoring:

Managed SOCs provide continuous monitoring of networks, systems, and applications to identify potential security threats. This ongoing surveillance ensures that security incidents are detected and responded to promptly. However, many organisations encounter staffing and resource constraints, leading them to consider outsourcing some or all of their 24/7 SOC functions to a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP). This can be a cost-effective solution. MSSPs offer specialised expertise and provide continuous monitoring, allowing organisations to focus on their core missions without the significant investment needed to build and maintain an in-house SOC. By partnering with MSSPs, organisations not only ensure round-the-clock protection but also gain access to advanced threat intelligence and rapid incident response capabilities, all while optimising their budgets. This collaboration empowers businesses to enhance their security posture and effectively safeguard their assets.

3. Threat detection and response:

Managed SOC Services utilise advanced detection mechanisms, security tools, and techniques to quickly identify and proactively address known and unknown threats. A Managed SOC provider incorporates automated tools and machine learning techniques that help identify potential security incidents. Incident response involves taking swift action once a threat is detected, which includes blocking and isolating the affected endpoints. This approach minimises security risks and prevents incidents from escalating within the organisation. By establishing round-the-clock network monitoring and proactive threat detection and response, an organisation is empowered to swiftly address potential cyber security threats. This commitment not only fortifies its defences but also safeguards sensitive information from malicious attackers, ensuring the highest level of security and trust.

4. Compliance Assistance:

Organisations are often required to implement security controls and to report any breaches of protected data to the appropriate regulatory authority. Failing to comply with these regulations can result in penalties or legal action against the organisation. Managed SOC providers help organisations comply with regulations by providing continuous monitoring, incident response, and comprehensive reporting. This support aids organisations in reducing the risk of cyber security incidents that could lead to regulatory violations.

5. 24/7 Customer Support:

24/7 customer support is an essential pillar of a Managed 24/7 SOC. The SOC plays a critical role in defending against cyber threats by continuously monitoring, preventing, detecting, investigating, and responding to potential attacks. SOC teams are entrusted with safeguarding an organisation’s most valuable assets, including intellectual property and personal information.
To effectively monitor security operations, it is essential for organisations to hire and retain skilled and experienced security professionals who can adequately protect its infrastructure. The design of an effective SOC necessitates a thoughtful integration of people, processes, and technology. By emphasising scalability, integration, automation, and a commitment to continuous improvement, organisations can establish SOCs that are prepared to address the continuously evolving threat landscape. Managed SOC services provide a complete security solution for organisations that lack the resources or expertise to handle their own security monitoring internally. This arrangement enables companies to concentrate on their core business while entrusting the monitoring and response to a team of professionals.

RightSec: Your 24/7 Managed SOC Partner

RightSec is known for its expertise across multiple industries, including national critical infrastructure (NCI) and leading ASX-listed companies. RightSec’s Managed Security Services (MSS) provide unparalleled expertise by leveraging specialists to deliver 24/7/365 SOC services. This ensures that your organisation meets its security goals with reliable, outcome-driven protection. As a Managed SOC provider, RightSec is committed to protecting your infrastructure from external attacks and data breaches.