Cybersecurity has become the hottest topic for large organisations keen to ensure they aren’t the next victim of a costly attack. While some companies build their own internal SOC, or Security Operations Centre, others will turn to their trusted MSP to provide this service.
And there is a plethora of high-quality tools to aid the build and management of a SOC. But who performs the tedious tasks of continuous monitoring, attending to system alerts to filter out the false threats, and performing continuous threat hunting? Most MSPs are already under cost pressures, and adding more staff to implement a robust SOC solution may not be viable.
There are a range of options for MSPs when it comes to outsourcing elements of their SOC. Some choose to engage an experienced service provider, such as 24×7 Advantage, for the entire function. Others choose to selectively outsource depending on skill level and availability of skilled personnel.
At the base level, an outsourced service provider can offer Triage staff to review raw data and analyse alerts. They can be responsible for configuring and tweaking the parameters of monitoring tools to minimize false threats, as well as responding to and resolving actual incidents promptly. This tier of activity is the easiest to outsource and integrate with an in-house SOC, and reduces the risk of alert-fatigue on more senior and expensive in-country resources.
Incident Responders are the next level of personnel, tasked with analysing more serious threats, designing and implementing strategies to resolve and recover from a threat or attack. Working closely with Triage staff, this tier is also effective and efficient to outsource to a mature and experienced service provider.
Finally the Threat Hunters comprise the most senior and experienced personnel within a SOC. While this tier can certainly be outsourced, companies frequently prefer to keep this level in house due to their deep experience and understanding of the company’s systems. As well as handling major incidents escalated from lower tiers, they proactively optimize and configure all tools and processes to ensure maximum risk mitigation.
Are you currently outsourcing any elements of your in-house SOC? Chat to us to find out how easy it is to integrate outsourced personnel into your existing processes for a cost effective solution that will keep your senior technical staff happy too.