Picture this: your business is growing, your customers are engaged, and everything seems to be on track. But when cyber threats evolve daily, how do you ensure it stays that way?
Protecting your business from cyber threats is no longer optional. Industries like healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, and utilities face increasing risks, with critical operations and sensitive data constantly under threat. A single cyberattack can disrupt operations, compromise information, and damage customer trust.
For example, in healthcare, ransomware attacks have previously crippled hospital systems, making patient records inaccessible and delaying critical treatments. In manufacturing, cybercriminals can infiltrate industrial control systems, halting production lines and causing significant financial losses.
Addressing these challenges requires a proactive approach to security.
This is where a Security Operations Center (SOC) steps in. A SOC provides around-the-clock monitoring and protection, addressing potential threats before they become critical.
At FORT, we work closely with growing companies and large enterprises to create tailored SOC solutions, helping you navigate today’s cybersecurity challenges confidently and clearly. Let’s dive deeper.
What does a SOC stand for?
A Security Operations Center (SOC) protects your assets online by acting as the digital equivalent of a bodyguard. It’s the operational hub where cybersecurity experts monitor, detect, respond to, and recover from potential threats.
While tools like firewalls, automated threat detection systems, and AI are essential, they are not enough on their own. These systems must be properly configured, managed, and continuously monitored to identify real threats among false positives.
You need a SOC if your business handles sensitive data, operates critical systems, or faces stringent regulatory requirements such as GDPR or NIS2. It’s needed for industries like healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, and utilities, where downtime or breaches can have serious consequences.
A SOC adds the critical layer of human intelligence, combining expertise, reasoning, and advanced technologies like SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) and threat intelligence to ensure your business remains secure and operational around the clock.
What is the role of SOC?
In the short term, having a cyber security operations center (SOC) team provides 24×7 monitoring and threat detection, ensuring that any incidents are identified and addressed swiftly.
This rapid response minimizes downtime and prevents breaches from escalating. Additionally, a SOC helps businesses meet regulatory requirements such as GDPR, NIS2, and DORA by ensuring compliance through continuous monitoring and reporting.
Over the long term, it enhances cost predictability by streamlining cybersecurity spending and reducing the need for internal teams. Your business also benefits from access to experienced experts, fostering resilience and operational continuity.
In-House vs. Outsource
Setting up an in-house Security Operations Center if you’re just starting out involves significant challenges, including high costs for hardware, software, and staffing. Building a team requires recruiting, training, and retaining at least 5 analysts per shift, 24/7 coverage, and a manager to oversee operations.
On the other hand, choosing a Security Operations Center as a Service is often more practical for companies that need strong cybersecurity but lack the resources to build and maintain a 24/7 operation. A SOC provider offers predictable costs, access to experienced professionals, and faster implementation. This particularly benefits businesses in industries like healthcare, manufacturing, or utilities, where compliance and real-time protection are critical.
Case Study: FintechOS
When FintechOS set out to scale their fintech platform globally, they knew cybersecurity had to grow with them. Handling sensitive data for banking and insurance clients required around-the-clock protection, quick responses to threats, and deep insights into potential risks. Instead of spending time and resources building an in-house SOC, an effort they knew would come with high costs and slow results, they turned to us.
By outsourcing their SOC needs, FintechOS gained immediate access to 24/7 monitoring, custom security policies, and expert support that freed up their internal team to focus on prevention and innovation. With stronger security, they grew by 300%, building trust and ensuring their platform stayed resilient through every new challenge.
How does FORT customize Security Operations Center services?
Every business is unique, even within the same industry. That’s why our approach to SOC services starts with understanding your specific case. We begin with a detailed assessment of your current security setup, including your infrastructure, networks, policies, and procedures. This helps us identify vulnerabilities and assess your exposure to potential threats.
Through this process, we work with your team to create a clear picture of your cybersecurity posture without assumptions. We uncover risks and align them with industry regulations like NIS2, GDPR, or DORA.
After gathering insights, we design a tailored plan to enhance security, addressing critical gaps and building on your existing framework. If any. The result is a solution that works with your business, not just for it, providing the protection you need to keep operations running smoothly.
How do you measure the effectiveness of a SOC?
Measuring the effectiveness of a Security Operations Center is essential to ensure it delivers on its promise of protection and resilience. Key performance indicators (KPIs) include Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) and Mean Time to Respond (MTTR), which assess how quickly threats are identified and neutralized.
Other key metrics include reducing false positives, which means we focus only on genuine threats by filtering out unnecessary alerts. This ensures valuable time isn’t wasted chasing harmless activities. Additionally, incident containment and recovery times highlight how effectively the SOC can isolate and resolve attacks, limiting their impact and getting your operations back to normal as quickly as possible.
By outsourcing your Security Operations Center needs to us, you gain access to expert teams, advanced technologies, and cost-effective, scalable solutions that adapt to your business size and industry requirements.
As your cybersecurity partner, you can focus on your core operations, confident that your digital assets are in safe hands.
Learn more about FORT’s SOC services or book a consultation today!
TLDR;
What is a SOC?
A Security Operations Center (SOC) is a dedicated cybersecurity service that monitors, detects, and responds to threats 24/7. It combines advanced tools like SIEM and threat intelligence with expert analysis to protect your business.
When do you need a SOC?
If your business handles sensitive data, operates critical systems, or must comply with regulations like GDPR or NIS2, a SOC is essential. Industries like healthcare, manufacturing, and utilities benefit most from SOC services.
Key benefits:
Short-term: Real-time threat detection, fast response, and regulatory compliance.
Long-term: Predictable costs, access to expert teams, and enhanced business resilience.
In-house vs. outsourced SOC:
In-House: Works for large organizations with extensive resources for staffing, tools, and training.
Outsourced: Ideal for companies seeking cost-effective, scalable solutions with expert support.
