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Why SMBs Should Use SOC as a Service

SOC as a Service is quickly becoming a fundamental service, particularly for Small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) who are now facing the cybersecurity threats and attacks that used to only be common for larger corporations. However, if successful, these attacks could cripple, greatly disrupt or even bankrupt SMBs. That is why all businesses, no matter how small, must emphasize their cybersecurity protocols. They can do so more easily and cost-effectively through the use of SOC as a Service (SOCaaS).

SOC as a Service and SMBs

Monitored 24/7/365, a Security Operations Center (SOC) is a centralized hub, either physical or virtual, managed by a team of cybersecurity experts who can help detect, prevent and respond to cyber-threats or attacks. Running a SOC not only takes expert-level knowledge of cybersecurity but it also requires the technology to monitor and detect threats. Implementing both are expensive, time-consuming and out of reach for many smaller businesses, but not having a SOC leaves SMBs unable to quickly detect and respond to a cyber-attack. That is why more and more organizations are opting to outsource their SOCs to a third-party cybersecurity company. By utilizing SOCaaS as an SMB, you will experience many worthwhile benefits as long as you choose the right partner.

The Benefits of SOC as a Service for SMBs

SOC as a Service will save SMBs money.

A SOC requires expensive hardware and software as well as being staffed by experts 24/7/365. This would be an astronomical cost for a smaller business, but by using a third-party, you get their expertise as well as access to their equipment without the upfront and operational costs. The third-party will keep their staff well trained and their equipment up to date while keeping your contacted fee.

SOC as a Service monitors your environment in real-time.

With SOC as a Service, a team of experts monitor networks, including servers, workstations, applications and databases continually. An IT team at an SMB would never have the time or ability to do this along with keeping the business operating on a daily basis. However, by monitoring 24/7 with SOC as a Service and being able to detect a breach or threat immediately, it can save thousands of dollars in data breach or hours of downtown – both of which could devastate an SMB.

SOC as a Service saves SMBs time and resources.

An outsourced SOC will contain and respond to incidents quickly without the need of internal IT personnel. The SMB will not be interrupted from its daily tasks, yet the threat will be eliminated. A SOC as a Service provider’s cybersecurity experts will detect and respond to incidents quickly and report their findings back to the SMB after the incident. With a drastic increase in response times, your SMB is more secure and more efficient because your company’s internal IT team can stay focused on their day-to-day tasks.

Finding the Right SOCaaS Provider.

As an SMB, it is very important to find the right SOC as a service provider – one that understands your company, your cybersecurity needs and your budget. But you also need to understand what to expect from the third-party firm.

To get the most out of the SOCaaS provider, ensure it can provide real-time threat detection and response by a team of experts with continuous availability. While this is really the point of a SOC, it is not always guaranteed, and you may come across providers that are not truly 24/7/365.

Find a provider that offers scalable solutions. The SOCaaS provider should be able to grow with your company. A quality SOCaaS provider will offer a unique approach to SMBs by asking about your company’s goals and organizational structure as well as your current operating environment. This will allow them to understand how to best monitor and protect your systems.

Your SOCaaS provider should also be able to detect the threat and act upon it without the approval of an internal IT team at the SMB. This will save time and money. While all incidents and false alarms should be noted in reports, the SMB does not have the time to deal with them in the moment. That is why you are using a third-party. Make sure these expectations are set ahead of time.

When dealing with a third-party, make sure the price is defined for a set period, whether you agree to a monthly or yearly contract or other set term is up to the SMB and the SOCaaS provider, but it needs to be spelled out. The contract should also include compliance guarantees if need be.

Overall, an effective SOCaaS solution needs to be run by a dedicated, highly skilled team of cybersecurity experts. Make sure the third-party provider you choose for SOCaaS has the skills needed to protect your company’s data.

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