If you’ve ever wondered what a Security Operations Centre actually does, why SOC as a Service is cropping up in boardroom conversations, or whether your business is missing a trick by not having one, then you’re in the right place. In this ultimate guide to SOC as a service, we’ll break it all down in plain English: what SOCaaS is, how it works in practice, and why it might just be one of the smartest security investments you can make right now.

Introduction

Cyber threats aren’t just a background worry anymore. They’re constant, noisy, and often right at your door. It’s not about whether you’ll be targeted. It’s when, and probably more than once. Some attacks aim to lock you out completely with ransomware. Others are quieter, they slip in, poke around, and help themselves to sensitive data for weeks or even months before anyone notices. Either way, the impact can be brutal, think reputational damage, legal mess, financial fallout. 

In the past, the only real line of defence was to throw money at the problem, defending against these constant risks required a serious investment in infrastructure, and buying the right tech. Hire top-tier talent. Build a fortress. For governments and large enterprises with extensive resources, that was often manageable. But for smaller, faster, growing organisations without deep pockets or mature internal IT teams, it was a stretch, and most couldn’t afford it. 

Enter Security Operations Centre as a Service, or SOCaaS: arguably the smartest, and growing solution to that challenge. Essentially, it's the outsourcing of your security operations, monitoring, alerting, threat detection and rapid incident response to a dedicated team of experienced cybersecurity professionals.  

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What is SOC as a Service? 

SOC as a Service is delivered as a managed service and, therefore, intrinsically supported via cloud infrastructure. It gives businesses round-the-clock protection and expert response without the burdens, complexities and expense of creating a full-blown, in-house team. Think of it like subscribing to a 24/7 security command centre that’s staffed by experts constantly monitoring your systems to address any potential issues before they escalate.

And here's the key point, and the thing that attracts most people to it: SOC as a Service isn’t just for the "big guys”. The cyber threat actors don’t differentiate based on company size; it's a constant danger to everyone.  

Small SaaS startups, healthcare providers, local councils, national retailers, and even global banks all face essentially the same risks, albeit potentially at different scales. Attackers frequently target smaller organisations precisely because they often have comparatively weaker defences.  

SOCaaS levels the playing field by giving smaller organisations access to the same calibre of threat intelligence and response capabilities that large enterprises typically enjoy. But at a much more accessible price point. 

Ultimately, whether you’re trying to meet stringent regulatory obligations, drastically improve your incident response time, or simply gain some peace of mind knowing that someone’s watching your back, SOCaaS is increasingly being seen as not simply a luxury but a core business necessity.  

SOCaaS is the smart way to protect your business, its people and most valuable assets.  

The benefits of SOC as a Service

Let’s be honest, securing a business in today’s digital world is no easy task, and the competitive advantage that technology provides means that most organisations are increasing their digital footprints over time.  

Security operations, therefore, require significant upfront investment that scales with the business. That investment isn’t just about buying the right technology; it’s also about bringing in the right people to run it all properly. And in most cases, that’s meant building out your own infrastructure, hiring a team to monitor it, and pulling it all together into what’s known as a Security Operations Centre, or SOC for short.  

There is one issue that organisations face before they’ve even left the starting blocks, however. Setting up a SOC is a massive project, and one that's often underestimated.  

For a start, you need a dedicated physical location. You’ll need security analysts sifting through mountains of data with the patience of a monk. Then there are your threat hunters actively searching for anything hiding in the shadows. You’ll want experienced incident responders too, swiftly taking action when something inevitably hits.  

And not forgetting skilled engineers. The ones who quietly keep the complex underlying infrastructure ticking over. That's a considerable and ongoing commitment of resources, time, and budget, and often more than a company’s initial assessment will factor in. 

Comparatively, Security Operations Centre as a Service (SOCaaS) is a much smarter solution, because instead of committing to a lengthy and potentially overwhelming build and staffing project, you essentially subscribe to a managed service.  

The provider takes on the full weight of responsibility for continuous network monitoring, the processing and review of vast volumes of data logs, the investigation of triggered alerts, and the response to any security incidents.  

That includes the relevant containment and mitigation strategies. You get the benefit of a strengthened security posture without the extensive overhead and ongoing management complexities associated with directly owning and operating the entire process. 

How does SOCaaS work?

Your systems, all of your systems, are integrated into the provider’s centralised monitoring platform. It doesn’t matter whether they’re running in the cloud, on your endpoint devices, in your core applications, or spanning your network. Logs are continuously collected and ingested into Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems, which then perform sophisticated, real-time analysis to identify anomalous behaviour and potential security threats.  

Experienced analysts meticulously investigate any triggered alerts, escalating genuine incidents according to established protocols, and initiating appropriate responses, which may involve direct intervention or prompt, informative notification to your team.  

Many SOC providers also offer other proactive services such as strategic vulnerability assessments and tailored security advice. 

With SOCaaS, you get immediate access to skilled security experts with minimal upfront investment, high availability baked in and built-in redundancy as standard. It’s designed to give you visibility over everything, and it scales easily as your business grows and changes.  

The real win? It takes the daily grind of monitoring, alerting and chasing down false positives off your plate. That means you and your team can get back to focusing on what will move the business forward, not firefighting security alerts.  

SOC vs SIEM vs MDR: What’s the difference and how do they relate? 

Security terminology, like IT terminology in general, can quickly become an alphabet soup; it can be a bit overwhelming, especially when you’re comparing solutions in a space you’re unfamiliar with.  

SOC, SIEM, and MDR are often used interchangeably, but they aren’t the same thing.  

Understanding the nuances between these terms is key to making informed decisions about your security posture. 

What is SOC?

A Security Operations Centre (SOC) is, at its core, the operational function, the people, process, and technology team responsible for monitoring, detecting and responding to security incidents. It’s the beating heart of your security defence, and it might exist in-house, be entirely outsourced, or operate as a hybrid arrangement.  

Think of a SOC as a dedicated SWAT team for your digital environment. It's the on-call team that is constantly looking out for trouble and ready to take action. 

What is SIEM? 

A Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system, on the other hand, is a tool. It’s the workhorse that helps the SOC team perform their duties more effectively. A SIEM is a centralised platform that collects logs from across your entire infrastructure, meticulously correlates those events, and helps surface potential threats that might otherwise slip under the radar.  

Visualise it as a data aggregator; it weaves together information from disparate systems and allows security teams to spot patterns and anomalies that would be basically impossible to identify manually. A SIEM doesn’t do the responding on its own but it’s the engine that powers the SOC team by providing the visibility and context, and analysis tools they need to make informed decisions. 

What is MDR? 

Then there’s Managed Detection and Response (MDR). This represents an evolution of the traditional SOC concept, specifically emphasising proactive threat detection and rapid, decisive response. MDR services encompass ongoing monitoring, diligent threat hunting, and, critically, the ability to take direct action, for instance, swiftly isolating compromised endpoints or effectively cutting off malicious network traffic.  

MDR is a hands-on, highly responsive approach explicitly geared towards stopping threats in their tracks, often involving a dedicated incident response team who are, again, working around the clock. This sounds like SOCaaS but it’s a lot more narrow in its scope and doesn’t often include the access, communications or customisation that you get with SOCaaS. 

What is SOCaaS? 

Finally, SOCaaS, Security Operations Centre as a Service, brings all of this together. Think of it as a packaged solution that delivers the complete toolkit, the specialised expertise, and the operational framework needed to keep your business secure.  

It typically encompasses a fully managed SIEM, a dedicated MDR team, and the ongoing support needed to maintain a robust security posture. 

To sum it up, a SIEM is the essential tool, a SOC is the team wielding that tool and executing the security function, MDR is a specialised service that integrates detection, investigation, and immediate action, and SOCaaS combines all of these elements into a comprehensive and manageable service that is tailored to your needs. 

Benefits of SOC as a Service 

For most organisations, SOCaaS offers an opportunity to get access to enterprise-grade security capabilities without the usual barriers and friction. It’s not just about having security, it’s about having effective security, delivered consistently and efficiently. For most businesses, this is a game-changer. 

Firstly, you get 24/7 coverage, and that’s critical because cyber criminals and cyber threats don’t tend to stick to traditional business hours, and neither can your cyber defences. 

SOCaaS means there's always someone watching: day, night, weekend or bank holiday. Whether it's a malware infection striking on a Sunday morning or a suspicious login attempt over the holidays, you’ll have a dedicated team ready to respond swiftly and effectively. That constant, ever-present security vigilance is a huge reassurance for you and your team. 

Then there’s also the access to highly specialised security expertise. SOCaaS providers aren’t just ticking boxes; they’ve got seasoned analysts, sharp engineers, and incident responders who’ve seen it all. From clumsy phishing attempts to full-scale supply chain compromises, they bring real-world experience across a whole range of industries and threat types. 

They bring that valuable battle-tested knowledge directly to your environment. Building and retaining a team with that level of knowledge and experience internally is incredibly challenging, expensive, and often simply unattainable for many organisations. 

Additionally, modern SOCaaS systems will be backed by leading-edge, machine-learning-based technology, which helps the experts identify things such as anomalous user behaviour in ways that weren’t possible even a few years ago. 

Scalable SOC solutions 

Let’s talk scale, another advantage of SOCaaS. As your business naturally grows and expands, SOCaaS can seamlessly scale with you. That means that you don't have to constantly recruit more analysts or invest in new tooling every time your environment changes. The SOCaaS provider absorbs that complexity and delivers a consistently high level of protection, letting you focus on running and growing your business. 

Outsourced SOC is cost-effective 

From a purely financial perspective, SOCaaS can take the significant, often unpredictable, capital expenditures of building your own SOC into a much more predictable operational expense. Instead of investing tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds into staff and infrastructure, you pay a straightforward, recurring subscription fee.  

There’s no hardware to maintain, no training to pay for, and you don’t have to worry about things like staff turnover or holiday rotas upsetting your security coverage. To a business leader, this makes for a very attractive solution. 

SOC supports your compliance 

Let's not overlook the compliance aspect. Many leading SOCaaS providers offer comprehensive packages specifically tailored to meet stringent regulatory frameworks, GDPR, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and more. That means not only do you get significantly better security, you are also gaining assistance with audits, reporting, and ensuring policy alignment. 

Outsourced SOC gives you your time back 

Ultimately, and arguably most importantly, SOCaaS allows you to focus. Rather than spreading your internal team thin and constantly worrying about log reviews, managing security tools, or threat hunting, they can concentrate on those key strategic projects and business growth initiatives that will make a huge difference for your organisation.  

Security becomes a valuable partnership, not a frustrating, unwieldy and reactive bottleneck. 

Use Cases: Who Needs SOC as a Service? 

 A lot of people assume SOCaaS is just for the big players, enterprises such as banks, global retailers or healthcare organisations.  In reality, it’s the small and mid-sized organisations that stand to gain the most. Especially the ones without a full-blown security team in-house. 

SOC for start-ups 

For startups and rapidly growing businesses, SOCaaS gives immediate access to a level of protection that would otherwise be financially and logistically out of reach.   

You get enterprise-grade protection from day one, without having to build an expensive security function from scratch. That means you can move quickly, keep investors happy, and work towards certifications like ISO 27001 without drowning in overheads. In a competitive market, having that level of protection and credibility in place early can make all the difference. 

SOC for regulated industries 

Regulated industries (like finance, legal, and healthcare) operate in particularly high-stakes environments due to the nature of the services they provide and the information that they process. The ever-increasing regulatory pressure means that data breaches can have severe legal and reputational consequences, often running into a percentage of global revenue fines.  

SOCaaS isn't just a nice-to-have: for many organisations, it’s a vital part of staying compliant. It helps maintain regulatory alignment and shows both auditors and customers alike that you take security seriously, not as an afterthought, but as a core part of how you operate.

 Read our series of guides on NIS 2.

SOC as a Service for medium-sized organisations 

Mid-market firms often face a particularly awkward challenge, especially when they’ve outgrown the capabilities of basic, off-the-shelf security products but realistically can’t yet justify the substantial cost of a full-blown, in-house SOC.  

SOCaaS offers a genuinely flexible and scalable alternative that can grow with the business and cover everything from advanced endpoint detection to incident response, all without committing to those massive upfront costs. 

SOC for enterprise organisations

Even larger enterprises with established internal teams can find tremendous value in SOCaaS. Many use it strategically to extend their overall security coverage, provide redundancy, or even act as a second set of eyes and expertise.  

In some cases, it's used to provide essential out-of-hours monitoring or to support specific use cases, such as detailed cloud monitoring or specialised red teaming support. 

SOC for remote-first organisations 

And let’s not forget the rapidly growing trend of remote-first companies.  When your people, data and systems are spread across different time zones and locations, keeping an eye on everything gets tricky. That’s where cloud-based, always-on monitoring like SOCaaS really shines. In a lot of cases, it’s not just the most practical option, it’s the only one that makes sense. 

Cloud-based SOC services: Modernising security operations 

Like I mentioned earlier, traditional SOCs are tough to scale. They’re expensive to run, hard to adapt, and not exactly built for fast-moving businesses, especially if you’re trying to bolt on new departments after a merger or a rollout of new services. 

That is why more and more organisations are shifting to cloud-based security. It’s not just about convenience anymore; it’s quickly becoming a must-have. 

Cloud-first SOCaaS platforms, on the other hand, are specifically designed and built for today’s distributed and often hybrid IT environments. They offer real-time threat intelligence, seamless integration with a wide range of modern security tools, and secure remote access capabilities for security analysts and rapid incident responders.  All the stuff that’s near impossible to do well with a traditional setup. 

Beyond the practical benefits, there’s a constant drive towards continuous improvement. Reputable SOCaaS providers are continually ingesting the latest threat intelligence feeds, proactively updating detection rules, and optimising incident response workflows in response to emerging threat vectors.  

Crucially, you benefit from these ongoing improvements automatically; there’s no time-consuming patching, no disruptive upgrades, and thankfully, absolutely no downtime. 

SOC Technologies

Modern SOCaaS platforms also use leading-edge technologies like machine learning and behavioural analytics to detect subtle anomalies that simpler, signature-based systems can often miss entirely. They also support programmable automation workflows, which, when combined with features like machine learning, create nuanced means for escalating incidents and providing a richer alert system. 

When combined with the insights and experience of the seasoned human security analysts, you get a genuinely powerful, multi-layered approach to threat detection, incident prevention and response. And it’s far more resilient and adaptive than traditional methods. 

Naturally, security and data privacy are paramount concerns. As with many things in the post-GDPR world, the trend is for SOCaaS providers to become fully transparent about their data handling practices, clearly outlining where data is stored, who has access to it, and most importantly, precisely how it is protected.  

Robust data encryption both in transit and at rest, stringent access controls, and flexible data residency options are now standard across most leading platforms that provide you with the assurance the control and accountability you need. 

How to Choose the Right SOCaaS Provider 

Choosing a SOCaaS provider such as Evalian isn’t simply about ticking off a list of features: it’s about finding a partner who actually gets your business and can integrate and proactively protect your data, your software, your team and, most importantly, your customers.  

The right SOCaaS provider becomes an extension of your own security team that is capable of responding to threats and providing valuable insights that go far beyond simple alerts. 

The questions to ask yourself 

• The first step is a thorough assessment of your own needs and goals.  
• What’s your current threat model?  
• What are the critical systems that require the highest level of protection?  
• What specific compliance obligations need to be met and/or demonstrated?  

A clear understanding of these ground-level elements will help your selection process and increase the chances of you choosing a provider whose capabilities will meet your unique needs. 

Questions to ask your SOC provider 

The next thing is to evaluate the provider's capabilities.  

• Do they genuinely offer both proactive threat detection and rapid incident response?  
• What visibility and reporting will you have access to? Transparency is key to trust and accountability.
• What is their Service Level Agreement? What service levels do they commit to?  
• Can their platform seamlessly integrate with your existing Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), or cloud-based platforms? Do they provide support for multi-cloud environments? A lot of businesses fragment their infrastructure over multiple providers to improve redundancy; can the provider integrate with this?
• What’s their automation closure rate? Smart automation is key to cutting through the noise and homing in on real threats that matter.
• How many clients is an analyst typically responsible for? 
• How will they get to know your environment and understand what truly matters to your business? 
• How will they share that knowledge across their team? 

Well-planned SOCaaS onboarding is key 

Never underestimate the power of well-planned onboarding. It can be the difference between a smooth start and a month of headscratching! As the old saying goes, “prior preparation prevents...” well, you know the rest. A good SOCaaS provider will have a clear, documented plan for getting their service embedded into your environment without causing chaos.  

So, what does the onboarding process involve? It should include comprehensive asset discovery, automated log collection, careful rule-tuning to minimise false positives, and clearly defined escalation paths for critical incidents.  

Your provider should also give you regular and insightful reports as well as offer periodic review sessions to allow you to assess performance and identify areas for improvement. You should expect more than just receiving alerts!  

Take a look at our example breakdown of the different service levels of SOCaaS. It'll give you a solid idea of what’s usually included and where the real value kicks in. 

SOCaaS Options – essential > standard > enterprise 

Expert SOC team 

Finally, remember that the people behind the technology are just as crucial as the platform itself.  

• What’s the experience level of their security analysts?  
• How many clients do they support per analyst? Lower ratios often indicate a more personalised service.
• Do you get a dedicated named contact who understands your business, or are you routed through a generic help desk?  

A strong, collaborative relationship with a dedicated and experienced security team is what separates a SOCaaS provider from a mere vendor. 

Implementation timeline: How long does it take to onboard SOC? 

Onboarding is a structured, phased process that typically takes between 2 and 12 weeks, but that depends largely on the complexity of your environment, the capabilities of the SOCaaS provider, and the specific scope of services being delivered.  

Think of it like building a house: a solid foundation and careful planning are essential for a secure and reliable build. 

The onboarding journey is usually broken into several key phases, each requiring close collaboration between you and the service provider. Remember you’re setting up a service that is going to monitor, in most cases, your entire infrastructure.  

Let’s look at these phases in more detail: 

1. Kick-off & Scoping (1-5 days): This is where both parties agree on the goals of the service, identify key systems and components, define what needs to be monitored, and document any applicable compliance requirements (like ISO 27001 or PCI, DSS). 

A clear and precise scope makes sure that everyone is on the same page from the outset. 

2. Tooling Deployment (1-2 weeks): This phase involves the provider deploying the necessary tooling: think log collection agents, EDR platforms andplatforms and integrations with your existing SIEM. 

The deployment time here will, again, vary significantly depending on the size, age and architecture of your environment. 

3. Integration & Log Source Configuration (2-6 weeks): This is where logs begin to flow from your systems into the provider's. The provider configures log forwarding from servers, firewalls, cloud platforms (like Amazon AWS or Microsoft Azure), and other data sources into the SOCaaS provider’s systems. 

This can become the most time-consuming step for clients with large and hybrid (cloud and on-site) environments. 

4. Tuning & Optimisation (1-2 weeks): After integration, a tuning phase takes place. This involves adjusting alert thresholds, identifying and suppressing false positives, as well as things like tagging critical systems to make sure that there are meaningful and accurate alerts. 

This step is vital for avoiding ‘alert fatigue’ on the part of the provider and ensuring that only genuine security events trigger investigation or escalation. 

5. Runbook & Playbook Development (1-2 weeks): This phase focuses on defining clear incident response procedures. It includes specifying who gets notified during incidents and outlines the steps that should be taken. 

This is about creating a robust and reliable escalation process. 

6. Testing & Validation (1 week): The final stage involves rigorous testing and validation of alerting, response workflows, and reporting capabilities. You’ll often have simulated incident scenarios to really verify that the system responds exactly as expected and intended.

Beyond initial onboarding: The stabilisation phase (30, 90 days) 

Many SOC as a Service providers include a "stabilisation phase" after the initial onboarding is complete. This period is about continuing to refine your alert rules and continually improving response workflows. It’s key to building confidence between you and your provider, setting you both up for long-term security success. 

These are loose estimations, and there are, of course, multiple factors that can impact the overall timeline. Things like the number of log sources, the size and complexity of the organisation, the ratio of cloud versus on-site infrastructure, and even your overall technical maturity.  

Organisations with existing SIEM infrastructure and standardised environments generally on-board faster, but SOCaaS providers are skilled at identifying critical systems and onboarding infrastructures in a smooth and pain, freepain-free way. 

SOCaaS FAQs

How does SOCaaS differ from a traditional, in-house SOC?  

Putting it simply, a traditional Security Operations Centre (SOC) is built and managed entirely within your organisation. That requires a huge investment in infrastructure, staff, and ongoing training.  

With SOCaaS, you’re essentially outsourcing those aspects to a third-party provider who specialises in security monitoring, detection and response. This means you get the same level of expertise and coverage, often exceeding what’s possible with limited internal resources, but without the hefty upfront costs and ongoing operational overhead. SOCaaS gives you coverage, flexibility, redundancy and scalability. 

Will I lose control of my security operations?  

Absolutely not. In most SOCaaS models, you're still firmly in control of the strategic aspects of your security posture, and many organisations that operate their own SOCs will integrate with SOCaaS suppliers to bolster their coverage.  

You define your security policies, specify the actions our team can take, and rigorously review all findings and recommendations. Think of it as partnering with an expert; you’re still driving the car, but we’re providing the navigational expertise. 

Is my data safe with a SOCaaS provider?  

Leading SOCaaS providers operate under strict security protocols and adhere to industry-recognised standards like ISO 27001 and GDPR. This means things like end-to-end encryption to protect your data both in transit and at rest.  

As always, we strongly advise you to thoroughly vet any potential provider's security credentials, data architecture, and incident response plan to feel confident in their commitment to safeguarding your information. 

Can SOCaaS help with audits and compliance?  

Absolutely. Most SOCaaS providers offer pretty comprehensive compliance reporting and actively assist in evidence gathering, making it significantly easier to demonstrate adherence to frameworks like PCI DSS, HIPAA, and ISO 27001.  

This can streamline your audit process and reduce the burden on your internal teams. 

Is SOC as a Service suitable for small businesses?  

This is a resounding yes, SOC as a Service is particularly well-suited for smaller businesses: smaller organisations by their nature will often lack the internal security resources and expertise to build and maintain a fully functional SOC.  

SOCaaS provides an accessible and cost-effective way to achieve a robust security monitoring capability, levelling the playing field against larger, bigger budget businesses. 

Conclusion: SOC as a Service is enterprise security for everyone 

SOCaaS isn’t about outsourcing your security; it’s about upgrading your security capabilities. It gives you access to expertise, tools, people and insights that would otherwise be out of reach, without the pains of developing that expertise in-house.  

Whether you’re a startup facing compliance hurdles, a mid-sized firm trying to scale securely, or an enterprise looking to augment your existing team, SOC as a Service offers a practical, powerful path forward. 

The threat landscape isn’t slowing down. But with the right SOC as a Service partner in place, your business doesn’t have to stand still. SOCaaS gives you the confidence to move fast, adapt quickly and sleep soundly, knowing your security is in good hands.

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