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What is security operations center as a service (SOCaaS)?

SOCaaS is a third-party security service that provides threat monitoring, detection, and response capabilities to organizations.
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SOCaaS defined

SOCaaS is a third-party service that provides organizations with around-the-clock security monitoring, detection, and response capabilities via the cloud. As cybersecurity threats intensify, SOCaaS is an effective security solution that can be more cost-effective than staffing and maintaining an entire security operations center (SOC).


Offered on a subscription-based model, SOCaaS provides organizations with a dedicated team of security experts who monitor their entire digital estate around the clock. It’s a service designed for organizations that don’t have the time, funding, or expertise to run a dedicated SOC.

Key takeaways

  • Security operations center as a service (SOCaaS) is a subscription-based service that provides comprehensive data security services.
  • The key components of SOCaaS are a dedicated SOC team, suite of security tools, set of security processes, and a service level agreement (SLA).
  • SOCaaS is an indispensable service for organizations without the funding, space, staff, or expertise to run their own SOC.
  • When choosing a SOCaaS provider, you should consider the provider’s size and experience, the range of services they offer, their areas of expertise, and pricing model.

Learn how SOCaaS works

SOCaaS is a cloud-based service designed to augment an organization’s existing security capabilities with a dedicated security team, advanced tools, and processes.

This service offers the same security functions as an in-house SOC. Examples of these functions include vulnerability management, network monitoring, log management, incident investigation and response, threat detection and intelligence, risk and compliance, and reporting.

The SOCaaS provider is responsible for hiring and staffing the security professionals on the team, and for making sure all of the tools they use are up-to-date, functional, and sufficient for your organization’s needs.

Key components of SOCaaS

SOCaaS is composed of several key components that work together to provide comprehensive security coverage. Each of these components plays a crucial role in securing an organization.

Dedicated SOC team

Includes security analysts, engineers, security architects, compliance auditors, coordinators, and managers who have the skills and experience to handle various types of cyberthreats.

Suite of security tools

Enables the SOC team to collect, analyze, and correlate data from multiple sources, such as endpoints, networks, cloud services, and applications. They also use solutions to help them detect, investigate, and address threats, find and fix vulnerabilities, and compile detailed incident reports.

Set of security processes

Defines the roles, responsibilities, and workflows of the SOC team, as well as the incident response and escalation procedures.

Service level agreement (SLA)

Outlines the scope, expectations, and deliverables of the SOCaaS provider, such as the types of threats covered, the response time, and the reporting frequency.

The advantages of SOCaaS

With the complexity and number of cyberattacks rising each year, SOCaaS is an indispensable service for organizations without the funding, space, staff, or expertise to run their own SOC. One of the most important advantages of SOCaaS is its cost-effectiveness. Organizations can bypass the hefty investment in in-house security infrastructure and personnel by utilizing SOCaaS, which delivers top-tier security at what is sometimes a fraction of the cost.

The reason for this is that many of the costs involved in running an in-house SOC—like equipment, licenses, hardware and software, and staffing—are shared between multiple customers. And with many SOCaaS providers offering flexible pricing determined by usage, organizations can scale their usage up or down depending on their growth, needs, and budget.

What makes SOCaaS stand out

SOCaaS stands out from other security services by offering a complete, cloud-based security solution that covers every aspect of security operations.
Another example of a security service is managed detection and response (MDR), which uses advanced technology and human expertise to identify and respond to threats. However, MDR only focuses on threat detection and response. SOCaaS offers a more comprehensive security management service that includes threat intelligence analysis, vulnerability management, incident investigation and response, compliance, and reporting in its capabilities.

Enhance your security with SOCaaS

SOCaaS is not intended to replace your current security strategy, but rather to enhance and expand it. SOCaaS can assist security teams in addressing shortcomings and overcoming the obstacles in their current security posture, such as:

Lack of security resources and expertise

SOCaaS provides security teams with the extra staff and expertise they need to deal with the increasing volume and sophistication of cyberthreats.

Inadequate security visibility and coverage

SOCaaS provides security teams with the additional tools and technology to monitor and protect their assets across multiple environments and platforms.

Deficient security processes and standards

SOCaaS provides security teams with frameworks and methodologies to create and uphold a uniform and effective security operation.

Security tools and technologies

SOCaaS integrates with an organization’s existing security tools and technologies, providing a centralized platform for data aggregation and analysis.

Security policies and procedures

SOCaaS aligns with an organization’s existing security policies and procedures, providing a standardized and scalable approach for incident response and escalation.

Security goals and objectives

SOCaaS supports existing security goals and objectives, providing a quantifiable and actionable method to assess and enhance security posture and maturity.

Common SOCaaS challenges

Although there are many benefits to SOCaaS, it can also come with a number of challenges to be aware of:

Vendor lock-in

After you’re committed to a specific SOCaaS provider, switching to another provider can be complex and costly due to contractual obligations and technical dependencies.

Visibility and control limitations

Outsourcing security operations may result in reduced visibility and control over security processes and data.

Integration complexities

Integrating SOCaaS with existing IT infrastructure and security tools can be complex and time-consuming.

False positives and alert fatigue

Without fine-tuning, SOCaaS can generate excessive alerts, including some false positives. This can lead to alert fatigue, where critical alerts are overlooked due to high volume.

Lack of customization

Certain SOCaaS solutions may not offer enough customization to meet an organization’s unique needs.

Provider dependency

An organization may become overly reliant on the SOCaaS provider, leading to potential issues if the provider experiences downtime or other problems.

Communication issues

Lapses or gaps in communication between the organization and the SOCaaS provider can lead to misunderstandings and inefficiencies.

Data privacy concerns

Outsourcing security operations involves sharing sensitive data outside your organization, which comes with inherent data privacy concerns.

Choosing the right SOCaaS provider

SOCaaS can significantly enhance your security posture. However, the choice of provider requires careful consideration. It’s crucial to evaluate several factors when selecting a SOCaaS provider.

 First, consider the provider’s size and experience. Choose providers that have substantial resources and a proven history of successfully managing security operations. Their history and size often reflect their ability to manage complex security issues.

Explore the range of services offered by the provider. Ensure that they offer services that align with your security needs. The right mix of services is important to make sure that your organization’s current and future needs are met.

Assess the expertise of the provider’s security team. Their skills and experience in handling and responding to security threats are vital. A competent team can effectively mitigate risks and respond promptly to security incidents.

Verify the provider’s compliance with industry regulations and standards. Check their certifications to ensure they adhere to industry best practices. Compliance is a key indicator of a provider’s commitment to maintaining high security standards.

Finally, consider the provider’s pricing model. While it’s important to stay within your budget, don’t compromise on quality. A lower-cost option might not provide the level of security your organization requires. In most cases, the cost of a breach will far outweigh the cost of prevention.

SOC solutions for your business

For organizations unable to set up their own SOC, SOCaaS is a fantastic option.
However, if your organization has the resources and desire to build an in-house SOC, Microsoft has an AI-powered, unified security operations solution to help you build a streamlined, proactive, and efficient SOC.
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Frequently asked questions

  • A managed SOC is a service where an organization outsources their on-site security operations to a third-party provider. This provider, composed of external cybersecurity experts, continuously monitors the company’s network, devices, applications, and data for known and evolving vulnerabilities, threats, and risks.
  • Managed SOC and SOCaaS both refer to outsourced security operations services, and can be used interchangeably. SOCaaS is a cloud-based service, while a managed SOC can either consist of a cloud-based SOC, or an external SOC team based in-house. In other words, SOCaaS is always a managed SOC, but a managed SOC isn’t always SOCaaS.
  • SOCaaS provides around-the-clock monitoring, threat detection, and vulnerability management to organizations without a dedicated security operation center.
  • Managed detection and response (MDR) focuses on threat detection and response, using advanced technologies to identify and mitigate cyberthreats. SOCaaS, however, provides more comprehensive security operations functions such as continuous monitoring, threat detection and response, vulnerability management, and threat intelligence analysis.
  • SOCaaS is designed for any business without the funding, space, staff, or expertise to run their own security operations center (SOC). However, healthcare, financial, and retail organizations can gain particular value from using SOCaaS for help maintaining compliance with complicated laws and regulations.

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