SOC-as-a-Service
Security solutions are expensive, fragmented and siloed. The SOC triad in its traditional form makes it hard to justify the investment in:
- Data, hardware and licensing costs
- Staff, the skills shortage and resource required to cover 24/7 make it prohibitively expensive
- Lack of automation and integration
- High number of false positives generating repetitive work
- Visibility gaps for legacy systems
What is a Security Operations Centre (SOC)?
A Security Operations Centre (SOC) is a physical or outsourced centralised hub which serves as an organisation’s security system, across its networks, servers, endpoints and other digital assets. This allows organisations to detect and respond to potential cyber security threats as they arise.
What is SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS)?
SOC-as-a-Service is a service model whereby a third-party provider acts as a company’s entire security operations centre (SOC). It fully supports and manages the daily running of security operations. SOCaaS provides all the security functions performed by a traditional, in-house SOC, ranging from monitoring, log management, threat detection, compliance, and more. SOC- as-a-Service is designed to be integrated with your existing tools to solidify your security stack. It is mainly adopted to help fill in gaps in an organisation’s current capabilities or serve as a replacement for deploying an in-house security team.
SOC-as-a-Service Capabilities
SOC-as-a-Service offers varying levels of support that can be tailored to your organisation’s specific needs. As a scalable and adaptable solution, it evolves alongside your business, providing flexibility to address changing requirements. This can range from managing all aspects of your organisation’s security operations to focusing on triaging incidents by analysing, categorising, and prioritising alerts based on potential threats identified within your network. A comprehensive SOCaaS typically includes 24/7 threat monitoring to detect and mitigate cyber risks, swift incident response to address vulnerabilities and breaches, and real-time threat intelligence to stay ahead of emerging risks. It also supports compliance with regulations such as GDPR, NIS2, and DORA while utilising scalable tools like SIEM and EDR to provide robust protection for your organisation’s infrastructure.
Why use SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS)?
Building and maintaining an in-house SOC is resource-intensive, requiring expensive tools and highly skilled cyber security professionals. SOC-as-a-Service eliminates these upfront costs, offering businesses a subscription-based model tailored to their needs as they develop. Additionally, it provides access to enterprise-grade tools that have previously been unavailable to SMEs. As businesses grow, so do their security needs. SOCaaS solutions are designed to scale effortlessly, providing advanced protection for evolving infrastructures, whether on-premises, cloud-based, or hybrid.
Internal IT teams are often inundated with threat alerts, creating conflicting priorities. In comparison, a SOCaaS provider has a dedicated team of analysts to detect and respond to potential threats. As a result, response time and the remediation process are significantly quicker. This eliminates issues that have arisen owing to the cyber security skills shortage. SOCaaS provides access to experts who continuously monitor threats, manage incidents, and provide guidance to ensure businesses stay ahead of attackers. With 24/7 monitoring, SOCaaS ensures that threats are detected and mitigated in real-ime. This rapid response significantly reduces the risk and impact of data breaches and minimises business downtime. By outsourcing security operations, organisations can concentrate on their core objectives without being distracted by the complexities of managing cyber threats.
SOC-as-a-Service Pricing
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Staffing Costs
A fully staffed SOC typically requires security analysts, engineers, managers, and incident responders to cover shifts 24/7. Salaries rise sharply from recent graduates earning £45,000 up to £100,000 per year for managers. You should also allow an additional 10-20% to account for round-the-clock staffing. For a small to mid-sized SOC, you may need at least 6 staff to cover 24/7 operations. Finally, you need to allow for training and certification costs.
Technology
SOC infrastructure includes the technology stack required for monitoring, detection, and response:
- Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
- Network Detection and Response (NDR)
- SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) Software
- Threat Intelligence Platforms
- Optional additional tools such as Security Awareness Platforms, ZTNA, Spoofing Protection, Vulnerability Management, DLP, Forensics.
- Technology costs vary hugely depending on users, data ingest and tools. They can range from: £50,000 – £600,000 annually.
Physical Infrastructure
If building an on-premises SOC, you’ll need:
- Secure Facilities
- Hardware
- Redundancy and back-up
How to choose the right SOC-as-a-Service provider
When selecting a SOC-as-a-Service provider, it’s essential to evaluate solutions powered by advanced tools like SIEM, EDR, and AI-driven analytics that seamlessly integrate with your existing technology stack. The provider should tailor their services to align with your organisation’s unique risk tolerance, infrastructure, and operational needs. Look for a partner with proven expertise and experience in your industry, capable of supporting compliance with evolving regulatory requirements. Clear and scalable pricing models are crucial to avoiding unexpected costs, while transparency in reporting and communication ensures confidence in the partnership. Additionally, weigh the costs of implementing an in-house SOC, including the challenges of finding, hiring, and training skilled staff in a market facing growing talent shortages. Finally, ensure your cyber security strategy is well-defined so that your chosen SOC provider can effectively align with your operations, offering robust threat detection and response capabilities, seamless integration with existing tools, and the flexibility to scale services as your needs evolve.
The Future of Cyber Security is Managed
As the cyber threat landscape becomes more complex, SOC-as-a-Service is emerging as a game-changer for organisations seeking robust, cost-effective protection. By outsourcing security operations to a trusted provider like Red Helix, businesses can enhance their resilience, protect their assets, and focus on achieving their goals, confident in their ability to withstand the challenges of tomorrow.
Why Red Helix for SOC-as-a-Service?
At Red Helix, we deliver SOC-as-a-Service solutions tailored to your organisation’s specific needs. Combining cutting-edge technology, expert analysts, and 24/7 monitoring, we empower businesses to stay resilient in the face of cyber threats.
Our SOC-as-a-Service offering includes:
- Real-time threat monitoring and response.
- Access to industry-leading security tools and expertise.
- Comprehensive compliance support.
- Fully scalable solutions to grow with your business.
With decades of experience in cyber security and managed services, Red Helix is a trusted partner for enterprises, SMEs, and critical infrastructure providers alike.
Based in our Head Office in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, our 24x7x365 SOC team are experienced in protecting SMEs across all industries. We provide access to cutting-edge tools for advanced threat detection. Individual specialisms within the team provide deep knowledge across the technology stack and threat landscape and our advanced automation and large team eliminate alert fatigue.
We have selected today’s leading technology. Given the arms race between cyber security experts and our adversaries, this technology is always evolving.
Our SOC team introduce new product features and functions as they become available, keeping you always up to date and one step ahead of our adversaries.
