As more and more businesses go online and the internet gets more entrenched in our lives, data safety and safekeeping issues get more pronounced. Any MSP would tell you that it would place data security among its top concerns and duties.
It has given birth to the concept of SOC and how an MSP can integrate it in it umbrella of IT support and services? If you want answers to these questions, read on as we shed light on these issues.
What is an SOC?
SOC is an acronym for the security operations center. It envisages providing fool-proof security to an organization’s online operations from external and internal threats. It includes technology, processes, and human resources and is available round the clock all year.
SOC is a centralized command system within an organization’s operational framework. It includes safeguarding online as well as physical resources from possible threats. Using anti-virus software on your systems is an example of it.
Let’s examine some of the salient features of an SOC.
Proactive by design: Cyber threats are ever-evolving and ever-expanding. To tackle their organizations, they need a proactive mechanism. It is always better to nip the evil in the bud. Every SOC works on detecting any threats and preventing them from escalating into a full-blown problems.
Analyzing the threat: Another critical feature of a SOC is investigating the threat. It must know the extent of damage it is capable of doing and how much it has penetrated the system so far. This research helps curtail the recurrence of such incidents.
Response: The last is responding to the threat in a coordinated and holistic way. It does whatever in its capacity to stop its spread and minimize the damage it has caused. It also takes reasonable steps to prevent such incidents in future.
How to build and manage an SOC?
Building a SOC from scratch is an extensive exercise and requires time to be up and running. Let’s discuss it briefly.
Raise a team: The first step is of course assembling a competent workforce. The team members must be technically sound and adept in issues like malware handling, disaster management, data recovery, patch management, etc.
Choose the right tools: Accessing adequate tools will reinforce your team’s capabilities. While choosing the tools, you need to identify their relevance, cost, difficulty level, etc. Firewalls, System Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions, automated application security, etc., are some solutions you should consider.
Devise a strategy: Building and managing a SOC requires an effective strategy, a plan where you know what to do in case of an incident and who will perform what task. It is called an incident response plan and forms the core part of running a SOC strategy.
The incident response plan should be comprehensive and in the knowledge of every team member. It needs to be rehearsed and adjusted according to changing ground realities.
Using an outsourced SOC:
Outsourced SOCs are very trendy nowadays. The varied nature of cybersecurity threats and issues is the main reason behind their popularity. Businesses have realized they cannot rely on in-house security experts to tackle online threats and issues. They are constantly mutating and require expert handling.
How to select an outsourced SOC provider?
There are several considerations to choosing the right outsourced SOC provider for your company. We will highlight some of the key ones below.
Size of your organization: The size of your organization and its operational complexity will dictate the selection of the outsourced SOC provider.
Your requirements: Look for a SOC provider that can fulfill your needs. What are your main concerns? The SOC provider should be able to address them.
SOC provider’s reputation & policies: Another essential factor is the SOC’s reputation and its policies regarding customers. Integrity, transparency, and professionalism are qualities that you should look for in your SOC provider.
Outsourced SOC-as-a-service:
This trend is also gaining ground in the market. It means contracting your security operations to a third party. Such an arrangement has its pros and cons, so let’s briefly examine them.
Pros:
Let’s start with the pros.
Cost saving: You will save a lot of money as it will cost you more to hire in-house experts and keep them updated on all the relevant and contemporary trends. It is better and far more economical to hire experts and utilize their experience and expertise.
Access to best services: You will access top-notch services, tools, and technology available to someone else.
Cons:
Communication lapse: If the outsourced SOC is located in a different time zone, you can have difficulty reaching out to them, especially in times of emergency.
Time-consuming: An outsourced SOC team will take time to understand your organization’s systems, processes, and culture. It will take time to study it before taking any action.
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Additional references:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00207543.2019.1603698?cookieSet=1