What is a SOC

A security operations center (SOC) is a centralized unit responsible for monitoring and managing an organization’s security posture. It is typically staffed by security professionals who are responsible for identifying, responding to and mitigating security threats. In short, a SOC team is responsible for making sure an organization is operating securely at all times.

Security Operations Centers, or SOCs, were created to facilitate collaboration among security personnel. They streamline the security incident handling process as well as help analysts triage and resolve security incidents more efficiently and effectively. The SOC’s goal is to gain a complete view of the business’ threat landscape, including not only the various types of endpoints, servers and software on-premises but also third-party services and traffic flowing between these assets.

Cybersecurity incidents can usually be identified and responded to by SOC staff who possess all the necessary skills. The team also collaborates with other departments or teams to share information with relevant stakeholders regarding incidents.

As a general rule, security operations centers operate 24/7, with employees working in shifts to mitigate threats and manage log activity. Third-party providers are sometimes hired to provide SOC services for organizations.

The key functions of a SOC include:

• Monitoring and managing an organization’s security posture.
• Developing and implementing security policies and procedures.
• Providing security awareness training to employees.
• Responding to security incidents.
• Analyzing logs, network traffic, and other data sources to identify potential threats and vulnerabilities.
• Performing vulnerability assessments.
• Providing threat intelligence reports.
• Designing and implementing security solutions.

The SOC team also provides incident response services, such as forensic analysis, malware analysis and vulnerability assessment. Additionally, they may provide threat intelligence services, such as threat intelligence reports and threat hunting.Security incident handling requires these key functions, which security operations teams commonly deliver using a tiered structure that accounts for the experience levels of their analysts.

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