Adapting to the Dynamic Threat Landscape: The Role of SOCaaS in this Digital Age

By Amit Singh

In the current digital landscape, cybersecurity teams across organizations face the formidable challenge of navigating through complex IT environments amidst skill shortages and increasing workloads.

Large organizations are turning to in-house Security Operations Centers (SOCs) as a key strategy.  However, establishing and maintaining a SOC requires substantial investments in infrastructure, tools, technologies, and cybersecurity talent, further aggravating the challenge.  Traditional SOCs also struggle to scale operations to handle the rising volume of security alerts and incidents often relying on manual analysis that can lead to delays in threat detection and response, leaving organizations vulnerable.  Moreover, not all organizations have the resources to maintain an in-house SOC, adding to the complexity.  Many organizations are left grappling with finding the right balance between security needs, budget constraints, and operational realities.

Security Operations Center as-a-Service is gaining traction

An exceptionally effective approach for organizations to handle their cybersecurity is by entrusting the function to an expert, a Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP), which offers an array of services within the domain, encompassing early detection and response capabilities. Among the recently added capabilities of an MSSP is the Security Operations Center as-a-Service or SOCaaS.  This subscription-based model offers its customers a fully-equipped SOC with an entire team of cybersecurity specialists, eliminating the need to build an in-house SOC.  By leveraging cloud-based technologies and advanced analytics, this cost-effective alternative offers a flexible and scalable approach to threat detection and response.  According to Markets and Markets, the global SOCaaS market is projected to grow from USD 6.7 billion in 2023 to USD 11.4 billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 11.2% during the forecast period.

By leveraging a cloud-hosted SaaS approach the SOCaaS function includes installing a software agent in all in-scope systems at the customer organization and is charged per system basis.  The cloud server that receives the security monitoring data from the organization is securely retrieved from the SOCaaS vendor.  The cybersecurity solutions offered by SOCaaS consist of several key components, such as threat hunting, threat intelligence, threat detection, network monitoring, rapid incident response, and compliance and risk management.

Key benefits of adopting SOCaaS

• Accelerated threat detection, response, and recovery

With SOCaaS, the identification of cyber threats is accelerated and responded to within minutes and not days or weeks, thereby quickly neutralizing any potential threats.  This significantly reduces the risk of asset damage, data breaches, or financial losses.  SOCaaS leverages advanced tools and technologies such as AI/ML to perform the tasks mentioned above in record time and with precision.

• Leveraging AI benefits SOC environments

Incorporating AI technologies adds value to the SOC and empowers organizations in several ways. The threat detection and investigation capabilities get enhanced, the cost of security breaches gets lowered and the remediation process gets augmented.  The AI solutions can enrich security alerts and increase the productivity of security analysts.  AI systems can enhance the process of threat intelligence, where analysts need not invest time in conducting threat research and collecting intelligence from diverse sources.  These systems also enable organizations to customize security solutions to the specific needs and risk profiles of the respective organizations.  Be it unique network architecture or industry-specific compliance requirements, SOCaaS can be configured to effectively address them.

• Access to highly trained experts and cutting-edge technologies

SOCaaS vendors hire a team of cybersecurity experts with rich security experience and provide them with advanced technologies. These highly trained experts possess specialized knowledge and skill sets to detect and effectively respond to threats while staying up-to-date with the latest threats and best practices.  This knowledge they have is highly valuable to customer organizations that lack relevant resources and a team of security experts.

• Cost efficiency

The associated cost of establishing and maintaining an in-house SOC is not possible for many organizations due to the high costs associated with it, so outsourcing the entire function to an MSSP is attainable.  It eliminates the investments in hardware, software, and employees’ salaries for maintaining it 24X7.  SOCaaS is an attractive option for many organizations economically as it provides predictable pricing models along with delivering top-class security services.

• Scalability, flexibility, and easy integration

A growing organization has several demands due to its expansion, and in-house SOCs will find it quite challenging to meet them.  On the other hand, SOCaaS platforms are designed to scale dynamically, permitting businesses to adjust their resources based on the fluctuating demand and ensuring security remains effective and strong at all given times.  By partnering a SOCaaS, the monitoring scope is also expanded, and adaptation to new types of adversaries is made possible, thereby protecting the organizations against all cybersecurity challenges.  Furthermore, SOCaaS solutions can be seamlessly integrated with the existing IT infrastructure to deliver more efficient operations, and improved security.

• Enhanced Compliance

In today’s business landscape, regulatory compliance is critical with governments imposing stringent requirements.  Failure to adhere to these regulations can result in huge penalties for businesses.  However, staying up-to-date with the latest regulatory changes is not an easy task, especially with the limited resources across organizations.  SOCaaS providers play a crucial role in assisting organizations by ensuring compliance with all relevant regulations, thereby mitigating the risk of penalties.

Choosing the appropriate SOCaaS provider is crucial. Before committing, organizations must diligently evaluate the provider’s security capabilities, technological infrastructure, and quality of customer support and service. In the current digital landscape, marked by escalating cyber threats and increasingly stringent regulations, SOCaaS assumes a key role. These services serve as significant catalysts, poised to propel organizations to newer heights. Embracing SOCaaS represents a strategic imperative for businesses, ensuring the protection of their digital assets both now and in the foreseeable future.

(The author is Amit Singh, Managing Director (Asia-Pacific and Japan at Terraeagle, and the views expressed in this article are his own)