Building a SOC is a huge undertaking. However, there’s a practical, effective alternative that will help you provide your clients with security services.
The demand for managed security services is growing. MarketsandMarkets predicts that the market valued at $27.7 billion in 2022 will increase to about $49.6 billion by 2027, a 12.3 percent CAGR. Several factors are driving that growth, from a growing number and variety of cyberattacks to increasing data breach numbers and stronger security regulations. While businesses and organizations have the option of managing security internally, the IT security skills shortage makes qualified resources challenging to find and retain. Managed security services are often a more practical, reliable option, and to provide those services, managed service providers (MSPs) are leveraging Security Operation Centers (SOC) as a Service.
What is an SOC as a Service, and How Can an MSP Use It to Meet Demand?
SOC as a Service gives MSPs the ability to offer managed threat analysis, detection, and response. SOC as a Service can leverage a variety of security solutions, such as firewalls, antivirus, cyber threat intelligence, and intrusion detection and intrusion prevention systems (IDS, IPS), to provide security and monitoring around the clock.
Lisa Niekamp-Urwin, PMP, president-CEO of Tomorrow’s Technology Today and member of The ASCII Group, says her business began using SOC as a Service in 2020.
Lisa Niekamp-Urwin, PMP, President and CEO, Tomorrow’s Technology Today
“With the remote workforce expanding at that time, we felt like we needed an extra layer of protection,” she explains. “It is part of our standard security stack – not an option. There is a 6-unit minimum per client, but we use it for our small clients (3 users) to our large clients 160 users, and it includes cloud response and desktop monitoring,”
She adds that using SOC as a Service will likely continue to trend “ because building your own SOC and doing it right takes a big investment.” Additionally, by using SOC as a Service, her company only needed to adapt it to its structure.
What You Can Offer by Partnering with a SOC as a Service Provider
When you partner with a SOC as a Service provider, you can offer your clients:
Your SOC as a Service partner will be set up to provide monitoring around the clock. You can offer your clients 24/7 monitoring by leveraging your partner’s team, scheduled to respond around the clock.
2Decreased complexity
Your clients have more devices connected to their networks, from employees’ smartphones and tablets to Internet of Things (IoT) devices and remote workers’ IT. SOC as a Service can give your clients one platform to manage security for their entire IT ecosystem.
3Cybersecurity intelligence
SOC as a Service providers develop networks of security intelligence organizations. They use up-to-date threat intelligence from these organizations to assess your clients’ risks based on the current cybersecurity landscape and provide a comprehensive solution.
4Fewer false alerts
One of the drawbacks of managing cybersecurity in-house is finding the time and resources to address alerts, many of which will not be related to malicious activity. Your SOC as a Service partner will have the tools and expertise to appropriately define rules for each of your client’s specific needs and updated threat intelligence to minimize false alerts.
5Added perspective
Your clients’ views of cybersecurity may be somewhat limited. Your SOC as a Service partner brings a team with new ideas on how to protect their IT environments most effectively.
Choose Your Partner Wisely
When you use a SOC as a Service solution to provide security services to your clients, the protection and value you provide your clients depend on the partner you choose. Carefully evaluate SOC as a Service providers’ technology, operations, and capabilities to find the one who can help you best meet your clients’ needs.
About The ASCII Group, Inc.
The ASCII Group is the premier community of North American MSPs, MSSPs, VARs and solution providers. The group has over 1,300 members throughout the U.S. and Canada, and membership encompasses everyone from credentialed MSPs serving the SMB community to multi-location solution providers with a national reach. Founded in 1984, ASCII provides services to members, including leveraged purchasing programs, education and training, marketing assistance, extensive peer interaction and more. ASCII works with a vibrant ecosystem of major technology vendors that complement the ASCII community and support the mission of helping MSPs and VARs to grow their businesses. For more information, please visit www.ascii.com.
