What is SOC as a Service in Cybersecurity?

The Security Operations Center (SOC) has become increasingly essential. With the rise in security breaches across various sectors, continuous security monitoring is now a critical need. A SOC is a dedicated function or team responsible for monitoring, detecting, and responding to cybersecurity threats.

For example, when an organization opts for SOC as a service, it gains access to a professional security team that continuously monitors and manages security incidents. SOC as a Service is becoming increasingly popular across many sectors, particularly among those seeking scalable and cost-effective cybersecurity solutions.

What is Security Operations Center as a Service?

SOC as a Service (SOCaaS) is a cybersecurity service model that provides organizations with continuous threat detection and response capabilities. At TechDemocracy, for example, we offer services like Identity and Access Management (IAM), Privileged Access Management (PAM), and similarly, SOCaaS — which helps detect emerging threats and safeguard your organization.

SOCaaS involves a well-managed and organized team dedicated to protecting an organization from data breaches while maintaining a strong security posture. As part of managed services, a SOC team monitors security environments, detects threats, and responds swiftly. It typically includes tools like Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) for real-time visibility and analysis.

How is SOCaaS Different from a Traditional SOC?

The primary difference lies in the delivery model. SOC as a Service (SOCaaS) is typically cloud-based and provided by a third-party vendor, whereas a traditional SOC is built and managed in-house. SOCaaS helps organizations maintain strong security with minimal changes to their existing infrastructure. In contrast, setting up an in-house SOC requires significant investment in security architecture, technology, and skilled personnel.

There are various SOC models available, including fully managed, hybrid, and customized options — each with its own set of benefits and trade-offs.

Like any solution, SOCaaS has its pros and cons. When delivered by a third-party provider like TechDemocracy, it eliminates the need to invest heavily in new infrastructure or build internal expertise from scratch. A skilled team ensures a smooth and efficient implementation process with minimal disruption to business operations.

SOCaaS is also highly scalable, adapting to the unique needs of each organization. It reduces the operational burden on internal teams by delivering expert threat detection and response. That said, in-house SOCs offer more control and may be preferable for organizations with mature IT infrastructure and robust cybersecurity teams.

Ultimately, the choice between SOCaaS and a traditional SOC depends on an organization’s resources, goals, and risk tolerance. Regardless of the model, it's important to ensure that SOCaaS providers comply with relevant regulations, such as GDPR, HIPAA, or other industry-specific standards.

How is SOCaaS cost-effective?

Another factor that comes with it is the cost-effectiveness. It eliminates the need for capital investment in bulk for tools and technology. The resources and effectiveness of the third-party service providers like TechDemocracy’s Managed SOC can also increase the strength of monitoring and mitigation in no time.

It is a subscription-based service which can be easily managed by the companies with lesser cost. it gives an easy access to expert eyes to monitor any complex threats 24/7.

Challenges and Considerations of the SOC Team

One of the major challenges that organizations face as they collaborate with third-party service providers is sharing confidential information. The relationship between the providers and receiver should be strong and smooth. If not implemented properly, it might lead to a communication gap, which can lead to security threats itself.

The organizations should, when dealing with SOCaaS, look for more customizable collaborations. A rigid SOCaaS vendor might harm the company’s security as the focus will not align with the target of the organization. There should be proper communication and alignment of the goal between the organization and the service providers.

How does SOCaaS Enhances Cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity has many approaches and solutions that protect your company from all angles. SOCaaS helps reduce false positives by allowing security teams to focus on real, actionable threats. SOC is a real-time operating team that can use all other security tools. It detects already existing, future, or real-time threats. The teams work on threat hunting, which detects all the complex and unknown threats.

It is a proactive measure that dilutes the cyberattacks with a quicker reaction, creating a strong security posture. SOC as a service helps in maintaining the whole security without changes in the infrastructure, saving capital. They perform incident responses based on alert ranking. They will observe and scan every log data.

Conclusion

SOC as a Service (SOCaaS) is a valuable solution for organizations that lack the internal IT infrastructure or resources to build and maintain a full-fledged security operations center. It offers a highly customizable cybersecurity model tailored to the unique needs of each organization.

SOCaaS provides advanced threat detection and incident response capabilities, helping protect sensitive data and maintain a strong security posture. With access to skilled security analysts, organizations benefit from real-time threat intelligence, rapid response, and robust endpoint detection and response (EDR).

In today’s evolving threat landscape, lacking internal cybersecurity infrastructure should not be a limitation. SOCaaS empowers organizations to stay protected, agile, and compliant — without the need for heavy investment in building everything in-house.