Gathering and analyzing information about potential and existing cyber threats to better understand the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) of adversaries is made significantly easier after building a security operations center. But, what is a SOC? Where can you learn how to build a security operations center? Let’s dig into all of this, and more, in greater detail.
From the fundamental principles of continuous monitoring and incident response to the integration of cutting-edge technologies and collaboration strategies, this blog explores the key elements that contribute to the creation of an effective SOC. Keep ready to learn industry experts’ insights required to fortify your organization’s cybersecurity posture and proactively navigate the dynamic threat landscape.
Unfortunately, cyberattacks such as WannaCry and Petya/NotPetya are increasingly becoming the norm. Keeping up with the growing rate of cybersecurity threats may seem impossible when your business is lacking in-house security resources and staff — so, building an automated Security Operations Center is often the ideal solution.
While most companies aren’t completely lacking in the development of a cybersecurity framework, many organizations report that they are not equipped and/or cannot afford to staff a 24×7 in-house security operations center (SOC).
What does this mean? If you are without a functioning SOC, your organization could be at risk for major delays in detecting and responding to incidents. Threatening or anomalous events could go unmonitored and your business is at a far greater risk of falling victim to a cyberattack. Other consequences of not having a SOC include:
Do any of these pain points sound familiar? While these are common challenges, they are not sustainable. For organizations caught between the prohibitive cost of designing a formal SOC and the wholly inadequate protection from an informal SOC, there is a solution: Build a security operations center that automates as much work as possible so your skilled staff can focus on what is most important.
Before learning how to build a security operations center, it is crucial to first learn a bit more about an SOC. A security operations center is the central “hub” in which internal IT and cybersecurity teams within an organization participate in threat detection, analysis, and response. It is responsible for monitoring, detecting, responding to, and mitigating cybersecurity threats and incidents. The primary goal of a SOC is to ensure the security of an organization’s information systems and data.
An intelligent SOC enables security teams to:
SOCs may vary in size and complexity depending on the organization’s size, industry, and specific security needs. They can be in-house, outsourced to third-party service providers, or operate as a combination of both. The SOC plays a crucial role in proactively defending against cyber threats and ensuring the resilience of an organization’s digital infrastructure.
With the help of security expert James Carder, previous LogRhythm CISO and VP of LogRhythm Labs, we’ve outlined how to build a SOC designed to fit your business’ unique needs. In just seven steps, Mr. Carder draws on his 20+ years of security and SOC implementation experience to compile and share what he’s learned when it comes to building a right-sized SOC.
The SlideShare below provides an in-depth guide to building the right SOC for your business, as well as considerations along the way. However, we’ve summarized our seven steps to designing and building a Security Operations Center below:
As you explore the process of how to build a SOC, you’ll learn to:
Explore the full SlideShare here.
SOC implementations can be expensive and their costs might be difficult to justify. However, the only effective way you need to be able to stay one step ahead of cybersecurity threats is with strong security automation architecture. Building a SOC, even with limited resources, is the answer to your security problem.
Aside from general increased vulnerability to cybersecurity attacks and their consequences, not having an efficient Security Operations Center workflow can make it near impossible to mitigate risks and implement solutions effectively.
Building a SOC is a huge endeavor that often causes management to balk at the price of implementation. The best way to ensure that any SOC investment is money well spent is to engage with a SIEM partner like LogRhythm. To provide additional guidance on how to build and budget for a SOC, check out our free white paper download, How to Build a Security Operations Center with Limited Resources.
In this SOC white paper we outline additional aspects to building a SOC on a budget. You’ll learn:
If you’re ready to get started with a SOC implementation today, give us a call at 1-866-384-0713 or contact us online.
Post originally published August 30, 2017 and updated February 2023.
Security strategies are evolving; driven by regulatory requirements, customer expectations around data privacy and AI-driven…
In our April 2024 quarterly release, LogRhythm Axon showcases new enhancements from its two week…
In our April 2024 quarterly release, LogRhythm SIEM introduces new enhancements to bring you faster…