The first line of protection against attacks and breaches is a security operations centre or SOC. Data loss can be prevented by the information security professionals working in this command centre who develop, implement, and amend a corporate cybersecurity program.

Nearly 4,000 breaches were classified in 2019 according to the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, which is more than quadruple the number from the previous year. While the number of occurrences in the first half of 2020 was lower than previously reported, the number of documents exposed was more than four times larger than originally stated.

The SOC can make the difference between a breach being prevented and a firm being forced to close its doors, whether it is housed in-house, in the cloud, or virtually.

What is Security Operation centre (SOC)

Steps or actions done to protect the operation’s security (OS) from threats such as viruses, worms, and malware as well as hacker intrusions are known as security operations. OS protection is a catch-all term for any preventive-control methods used to guard against the theft, editing, or removal of computer assets due to an OS breach.

A security operations centre (SOC) is one of the primary lines of defence against cyberattacks and intrusions. An organization’s cybersecurity policy is created and maintained by the staff in this command centre, as are the security technology and resources that are necessary to keep sensitive information safe.

Why is a SOC so important right now?

Businesses are prioritising the security of their information systems as they become more vulnerable to a variety of threats. It is increasingly essential to include a SOC in any security strategy or data protection plan to mitigate the risk that information systems face from both external and internal attacks.

Having a security operations centre provides these advantages.

● Continuous safety measures

Security operations centres operate around the clock, 365 days a year. To discover the earliest indicators of abnormal activity, continuous monitoring is essential. Attacks do not occur simply from 9 to 5 on weekdays. Security Operations Centre (SOC) team members check for any vulnerabilities around the clock in order to catch threats at all times.

● Response time is short and effective

The time between when a vulnerability occurs and when it is discovered is reduced because SOC team members are constantly looking out for dangers. SOC analysts evaluate suspicious activity to validate that it is an attack before attempting to contain it. Once the seriousness of the risks has been determined, SOC teams conduct incident response to eliminate the threats and remediate any damage they may have caused.

● Breach and operation costs have decreased

The SOC team can decrease the impact of a breach and, consequently, the potential costs that a breach may incur through data loss, lawsuits or damage to a company’s brand by minimising the period of time a cyber attacker lurks in the network. When an intruder stays in a system for an extended period of time, the more damage he can do to the business.

To avoid financial losses, SOC teams work hard to minimise downtime and business impact during an attack.

Having a centralised SOC team helps reduce both Capex and Opex in terms of operations. When different organisations or departments are working on the same cybersecurity events, a streamlined team of security specialists can help prevent this.

The SOC can also save money in the long run. There are several options for offloading security responsibilities to reduce or remove the requirement for an in-house Security Operations Centre (SOC). These options include using managed security service providers, cloud service providers, or virtual SOCs.

● Defending against threats

SOCs are more than just a means of event detection. SOC teams are crucial in thwarting assaults by performing analysis and hunting for potential threats. Increased visibility and control over security systems are provided by SOCs. This allows the business to keep ahead of prospective attackers and problems.

● Expertise in security

SOC managers, incident responders, security analysts, security engineers, threat investigators, forensic investigators, and compliance auditors are all frequent jobs in SOCs. When working together, these individuals have a wide range of talents and abilities that are essential for identifying and responding to risks.

And in addition to this, they are well-versed in a wide range of threat detection and prevention tools such as SIEM (security information and event management), behavioural threat analytics (BTA), artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML).

● Collaboration and communication

In addition to working well with their peers, a SOC team is also adept at communicating and collaborating with other departments inside the company. SOC team members conduct security awareness training for workers, third-party contractors, clients, and more. Those who work in the security operations centre also share their security insights with the company’s upper echelons of management as well as department heads and business leaders to assist in determining whether certain risks should be accepted or whether an alternative strategy to reduce those risks should be implemented.

● Business reputation has improved

When a company sets up a Security Operations Centre (SOC), it sends a clear message to its employees, clients, customers, and other stakeholders that data security and privacy are a top priority. Customers are more likely to have faith in a company that takes data security and privacy seriously. As a result of a well-executed SOC, present and potential customers may be more likely to recommend your company.

Summary

If you’ve got a SOC, you’ve got dynamic security that serves as a true fortress of detection, prevention, and response. Each of our clients at Take Note IT has a distinct set of cybersecurity demands and ambitions. Using our people and procedures, you may expand your team.

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If you have any questions or concerns about how we can help your business, we’re here to help. Please feel free to reach out to us at support@managex.ae if you have any additional questions.