What Is a Managed
Security Operations Centre (SOC)?

What does a Managed Security Operations Centre do?

A SOC is responsible for monitoring an organisation’s security environment, identifying potential threats and helping ensure that incidents are investigated and addressed promptly.

Depending on the service and technologies involved, this can include monitoring activity across endpoints, user identities, email and cloud services to identify behaviour that could indicate a cyber attack.

A SOC typically performs five key functions

1. Continuous security monitoring

   Cyber threats can emerge at any time, including evenings, weekends and public holidays. A SOC monitors security activity around the clock, helping identify suspicious behaviour that might otherwise go unnoticed until the next working day.

2. Threat detection

   Security tools generate alerts when activity appears unusual or potentially malicious. SOC analysts use these alerts, threat intelligence and available security data to identify potential attacks and determine which events require further investigation.

3. Threat investigation

   Not every security alert indicates a genuine threat. Investigating alerts helps establish whether activity is malicious, what systems or accounts may be affected and how serious the potential incident is.

   This is particularly important when attackers use legitimate accounts, familiar applications or seemingly normal activity to conceal their actions.

4. Incident response

   When a threat is identified, the SOC helps coordinate an appropriate response. Depending on the incident and the permissions configured, this may include isolating an affected device, containing suspicious account activity or initiating remediation to prevent further damage.

   The speed and effectiveness of this response can make a significant difference to the impact of an attack.

5. Ongoing security improvement

   Security monitoring can also reveal recurring weaknesses, suspicious patterns and areas where existing controls could be strengthened. These findings can inform improvements to security policies, configurations and incident response processes.

How does a Managed SOC work?

A truly Managed SOC combines security technology with specialist expertise and established processes.

Security tools collect information about activity across an organisation’s IT environment. When suspicious behaviour is identified, alerts and related data can be investigated to establish whether there is a genuine threat.

The SOC team then determines the appropriate response, which may involve further investigation, containing the threat, escalating the incident to the customer’s IT team or taking authorised remedial action.

This process helps turn security data into meaningful action rather than leaving internal teams to work through large volumes of alerts themselves.

The exact capabilities vary between SOCs. Some provide monitoring and alerting, while others offer more comprehensive investigation, threat hunting and incident response as part of a fully managed service.

Why is 24/7 SOC coverage important?

Many internal IT teams are responsible for a broad range of priorities, from supporting users and maintaining infrastructure to delivering projects and managing suppliers.

Continuous security monitoring adds another responsibility, requiring specialist expertise and the ability to investigate alerts at any time.

Without dedicated coverage, suspicious activity that occurs outside normal working hours may not receive attention until the following morning or after a weekend or bank holiday. By then, an attacker may have had additional time to compromise accounts, access data or move between systems.

A 24/7 SOC helps address this challenge by providing continuous monitoring and access to specialist investigation and response capabilities.

It does not guarantee that every threat will be detected or prevented. However, it can help organisations identify suspicious activity earlier and respond more consistently when potential incidents occur.

How does a Managed SOC work with your existing security tools?

A SOC does not necessarily require an organisation to replace its existing security infrastructure.

Instead, it can build on supported security technologies to improve how activity is monitored, alerts are investigated and incidents are managed.

For organisations using Microsoft security technologies, this may include capabilities such as Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Sentinel, depending on the products deployed and the scope of the service.

Bringing relevant security information together can help analysts identify connections between events that might otherwise appear unrelated. For example, suspicious activity on an endpoint may become more significant when considered alongside unusual sign-in activity associated with the same user.

The aim is to give security specialists a clearer picture of potential threats and help them determine the appropriate action.

A SOC should complement, rather than replace, essential security measures such as patching, access controls, secure configuration and user awareness training.

Does your business need its own SOC?

Building an internal SOC can make sense for organisations with substantial security requirements and the resources to operate one effectively. However, maintaining continuous coverage requires more than purchasing security software.

Organisations need appropriately skilled people, defined processes, suitable technology and arrangements for responding to incidents at any time.

For many small and medium-sized businesses, the cost and complexity of building an equivalent capability internally can be difficult to justify.

A Managed SOC offers an alternative, providing access to specialist monitoring and response without requiring the organisation to establish its own dedicated security operations team.

This can be particularly valuable for businesses with small IT departments, limited in-house security expertise or a need to strengthen out-of-hours coverage.

Access specialist security operations with Xeretec

Xeretec’s Managed SOC service gives organisations access to 24/7 security operations, helping monitor supported endpoints and identities, investigate suspicious activity and respond to potential threats.

Built around Microsoft security technologies, the service is designed to strengthen your existing security arrangements while reducing the burden on your internal IT team.

Eligible organisations can experience the service through a free three-month trial, with no onboarding fees and no obligation to continue at the end of the trial.