What is SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS)?

Key Takeaways:

SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS) delivers enterprise-grade cybersecurity without the in-house overhead.
Huntress’s SOC offers 24/7, human-led threat detection, response, and defense.
SOC operators are the frontline defense—hunting threats, responding fast, and keeping your business secure.
SOC-as-a-servicebenefits include cost savings, expert access, scalability, and real-time threat mitigation.

Cybercriminals usually like to take time off, so your cyber defenses can also just relax sometimes. False. They don’t, which means your head should always be on a swivel.

In reality, many businesses don’t have the resources to hire their own team of cyber operators, making outsourcing this task critical to not only security strategy but also business strategy.

Queue, SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS): your team of cyber pros on speed dial. In the guide, we’ll give you the rundown of why this model works. But first, what is SOC-as-a-service? Let’s start with the basics.

Try Huntress for Free

Get a Free Demo

Topics

What is SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS)?

Key Takeaways:

SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS) delivers enterprise-grade cybersecurity without the in-house overhead.
Huntress’s SOC offers 24/7, human-led threat detection, response, and defense.
SOC operators are the frontline defense—hunting threats, responding fast, and keeping your business secure.
SOC-as-a-servicebenefits include cost savings, expert access, scalability, and real-time threat mitigation.

Cybercriminals usually like to take time off, so your cyber defenses can also just relax sometimes. False. They don’t, which means your head should always be on a swivel.

In reality, many businesses don’t have the resources to hire their own team of cyber operators, making outsourcing this task critical to not only security strategy but also business strategy.

Try Huntress for Free

Get a Free Demo

What is a SOC provider?

A SOC is the epicenter of cybersecurity. Bolstered by the best tech, sharp-eyed cyber operators monitor, detect, investigate, and respond to cyber threats, 24/7—giving your digital perimeter the attention it needs to mitigate potential threats before they wreak havoc.

From phishing attempts to ransomware outbreaks, a top-notch SOC is where chaos meets containment. Key responsibilities for a SOC usually include:

Threat analysis and detection
Incident response and containment
Infrastructure monitoring
Continuous improvement of defense

With the overwhelming number of cyber threats, there’s no room for passive cybersecurity strategies—SOC providers are proactive and are always watching (and hunting).

Exploring SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS)

SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS) is the outsourcing of a SOC so businesses can scale their cybersecurity strategy without having to hire an army to run their own in-house command center. It gives you top-tier SOC services on demand.

This subscription-based model gives businesses managed security operations center capabilities with all the perks of a fully staffed SOC. With a security operations center provider, you get an always-on, always-ready cyber defense partner.

Benefits of a SOC-as-a-service

With how sophisticated and elusive cyber threats are, DIYing cybersecurity (especially if you’re a scrappy small-to-midsize org) can be cost and resource-intensive, making the SOCaaS route a beneficial business decision.

Why? Because:

It’s cost-effective

A full-blown SOC requires serious investment: hardware, software, salaries, and training. With SOCaaS, you skip the sticker shock and pay only for what you need.

You get 24/7 access to experts

You’re not just buying software—you’re gaining an always-available team of pros who live and breathe security.

They scale with you

As your business grows, so do your risks. SOCaaS scales with you, adapting to your infrastructure and needs without skipping a beat.

Speed and precision are a must

It doesn’t take long for a potential threat to turn into a full-blown crisis—with continuous monitoring and advanced analytics, threats are rapidly detected and responded to.

The role of SOC operators in managed security operations centers

At the helm of every SOC is a team of operators keeping things tight. These cyber pros are the backbone of managed security operations centers, responding to alerts, correlating data, and staying three steps ahead of attackers.

At a high level, the role and responsibilities of a SOC operator include:

Continuous security monitoring: From SIEM, IDS/IPS, antivirus, and EDR tools to detecting and analyzing potential threats in real-time, SOC operators are ever vigilant.
Incident response and remediation: If an incident occurs, a SOC operator will immediately isolate compromised systems and apply the necessary patches to mitigate future threats.
Threat intelligence and detection enhancement: SOC operators stay on top of emerging cyber threats and vulnerabilities and constantly enhance their detection capabilities.
Vulnerability management support: In lockstep with IT teams, SOC operators might be able to assist in identifying, prioritizing, and remediating security vulnerabilities across an organization’s infrastructure.
Documentation and reporting: SOC operators meticulously document incident response activities, including timelines and actions taken, to support post-incident analysis and reporting.

The job of a SOC operator is high-pressure, high-stakes, and a must for bolstering your security posture. Just like you need the best and the brightest to develop your own product or service, you also need a team of cyber experts watching your six.

Why the Huntress SOC is built different

At Huntress, we’ve done more than build a SOC—we’ve built a battalion. Our 24/7, human-led team provides the real-deal defense that growing businesses and managed service providers (MSPs) need to thrive.

Here’s what sets our SOC, which fully manages our EDR solution, apart: