Comparing In-house SOC Vs SOC-as-a-Service Solutions
The “as-a-service” model dominates much in the world of modern IT. Companies enjoy access to advanced tools, platforms, and services through flexible subscription-based models, reducing the need for heavy upfront investments in infrastructure or staffing. The shift towards this model extends to cybersecurity, with services like security operations as-a-service (SOCaaS) growing in popularity.
If you’ve decided that your company’s security needs are outgrowing basic monitoring and antivirus solutions, you’ll probably want a SOC. The SOC serves as the central hub for monitoring, detecting, analyzing, and responding to cybersecurity incidents. But how do you decide between building your own in-house SOC vs SOC-as-a-service? Here’s a detailed comparison to help inform your choice.
SOC vs SOC-as-a-service
Difficulties in hiring the right personnel with the right skills for an in-house SOC are leading to a boom in the SOCaaS market. The European SOCaaS market is forecast to grow annually at a rate of 14.85 percent between 2024 and 2030. Here’s a comparison of building a dedicated in-house SOC function vs choosing the service-based option, broken down into different headings.
Cost
Bear in mind that a SOC needs to run 24/7 for it to be effective; threat actors don’t stick to a 9-5 schedule. Often, in fact, they’ll purposely target companies after hours under the assumption that their systems are less likely to be stringently monitored. The need to be “always-on” greatly contributes to the high cost of running an in-house SOC. Added to these costs are hiring and training costs, and buying and configuring multiple tools like SIEM.
On the cost point, the SOCaaS option operates on a subscription model (e.g., monthly or annual fees), where costs are predictable and lower. While costs can increase depending on the complexity and size of the infrastructure being monitored, there’s no need for hardware investments or hiring enough staff to monitor your network around the clock.
Control
An upside of an in-house SOC (after the high costs of making it operational) is that it offers your business full control over security operations, tools, and policies. Teams can quickly adapt and tailor responses to your company’s specific needs without waiting for external approval.
Outsourcing SOC to a service-based company reduces control over security operations. While you can monitor and get reports, the hands-on configuration and operational changes are performed by the SOCaaS provider. Some organizations may feel uncomfortable relinquishing control, especially over the monitoring and protection of highly sensitive systems.
It’s worth noting though that this perception of a loss of control is more of a psychological deterrent rather than a real disadvantage of SOCaaS. Providers of these services tend to implement strict protocols, compliance measures, and robust service level agreements (SLAs) that offer equal or even superior security practices compared to what many organizations can achieve in-house. The deterrent lies more in the fear of dependency on external teams and the idea that external providers might not fully understand the nuances of a particular company’s environment.
Compliance
Related to the control point is that an in-house SOC provides direct control over security protocols to meet specific regulatory requirements (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS) without having to navigate third-party SLAs or shared services. Also, with in-house SOC you can rapidly adjust policies or monitoring systems to new or changing regulations without waiting on an external provider to modify their own monitoring and services.
SOCaaS also offers some advantages from a compliance perspective, particularly if you want to leverage specialized expertise and built-in compliance services. Providers often get certified in international compliance standards (ISO 27001 etc) that can provide instant close alignment with a wide range of regulatory requirements, without needing to develop and implement those controls internally.
Customization
This is an area in which SOCaaS might have a slight shortfall in terms of the extent to which services can be tailored may be limited. Many providers operate with predefined service levels, which can restrict the full freedom to implement niche tools or processes specific to your environment. To somewhat balance out this, SOCaaS providers often bring up-to-date threat intelligence and dynamic security measures that can be tailored to different client environments. This means SOCaaS can not only be customized for your company’s current security needs, but it can also evolve in tandem with the threat landscape, often faster than an in-house team can update systems.
An in-house SOC, on the other hand, provides complete flexibility in tool selection, workflows, and processes. You can customize every aspect of the SOC to meet your specific security posture and business requirements. However, this flexibility comes with the responsibility of ensuring all systems work together seamlessly. You’re responsible for all software and hardware upgrades, patches, and general maintenance. This includes tuning detection systems, updating rules, and ensuring tools work as expected.
Scalability
Another way in which SOCaaS proves its value is through easier scalability. SOCaaS providers typically support a wide range of clients and can rapidly adjust capacity to monitor additional endpoints, systems, or networks as your company grows or your security needs change. Cloud infrastructure and the ability to rapidly deploy new sensors and analytics capabilities facilitate this easier scalability.
Closing Thoughts
If your business is at the stage of needing a dedicated SOC function, the choice between in-house vs the service-based model comes down to unique company needs and overall budget. For all but the largest enterprises in heavily regulated industries with highly sensitive data, SOCaaS is a flexible, cost-effective, and modern approach to this important cybersecurity function.
DIESEC gives you a fully managed service with all the key benefits to expect from SOCaaS; faster detection of incidents, easy scalability, and lower costs vs on-site SOC. Also, we take data protection very seriously, so our service will meet your compliance needs.