Threat Detection & ResponseJun 16, 2026 · 11 min read
What a Security Operations Center (SOC) does
A SOC is the team and technology that watch your environment around the clock, triage what matters, and drive the response. Here is what a SOC does, the roles it involves, and when to build one versus buy the capability.
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A Security Operations Center, or SOC, is the team and technology that continuously watch an organization's security, detect threats, and coordinate the response. It is the nervous system of a defense: the place where security data from across the organization is collected, correlated, and acted on. This post explains what a SOC actually does, the roles it involves, and when it makes sense to build your own versus buy the capability as a service.
This is part of our detection and response overview. We deliver monitoring and response through threat detection and response.
What a SOC does
A SOC combines several functions that together form a continuous defense.
Monitoring and collecting security logs from systems, network, and applications.
Detecting threats by correlating events and recognizing suspicious behavior.
Triaging alerts, separating real threats from noise.
Responding to incidents and coordinating remediation.
Threat hunting and continuously improving detections.
The roles inside a SOC
A mature SOC has several tiers, because different threats demand different skills.
Role
What they do
Tier 1 analyst
Monitors alerts and performs first triage.
Tier 2 analyst
Investigates confirmed incidents in depth.
Threat hunter
Proactively looks for attackers who evaded detection.
Incident lead
Coordinates response and communication during a serious incident.
Typical roles in a security operations center.
Build your own or buy the capability
An in-house SOC gives full control but demands a standing team, technology, and 24/7 shifts, which is expensive and hard to sustain for many companies. The alternative is an external service, most often managed detection and response, which delivers the same capability without building and retaining the team. Many organizations combine an internal team for daytime work with an external partner for out-of-hours coverage.
The SOC and compliance
For regulated companies, the ability to monitor and respond is not just good practice. NIS2 and DORA require detecting and reporting incidents within tight windows, which is impossible without the capability a SOC or MDR provides.
A SOC is the team and technology for monitoring, which you can build in-house. MDR is an external service that delivers the same capability without you having to build and retain a 24/7 team. MDR is a more practical path to the same outcome for many companies.
Does every company need a SOC?+
Not every company needs its own SOC, but every regulated company needs the capability to monitor and respond. Smaller organizations usually obtain it through an MDR service rather than building an internal SOC.
What tools does a SOC use?+
Most commonly a SIEM to collect and correlate logs, EDR or XDR for endpoints, and tooling for threat hunting and response automation. We explain the difference in our piece on SIEM, EDR, and XDR.
Does a SOC operate 24/7?+
A mature SOC runs continuously, because attacks happen outside business hours. Continuous monitoring is the main value of a SOC over occasional checks.
Sources
1NIST. Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 — Detect & Respond. National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2024. Link
2ENISA. ENISA Threat Landscape. European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, 2024. Link
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