Advanced SOC Services Transform Organisations’ Response to Cyber Threats

Organisations face many security challenges in today’s evolving threat landscape, and sophisticated adversaries are exploiting the gaps in their defences. But fighting them isn’t easy: The shortage of skilled security professionals, complexity of point solutions, and cost of security controls can make it difficult for defenders to establish a robust security posture.

“The average time it takes for attackers to break out and move laterally inside the system is just 48 minutes, and in some cases less than a minute, according to CrowdStrike’s 2025 Global Threat Report,” explains Fabio Fratucello, CrowdStrike’s Field CTO World Wide. “With 79% of attacks malware-free, attackers are logging in instead of breaking in, making them harder to detect with traditional tools.”

Adversaries continue to explore new techniques, experimenting with generative AI and escalating attacks on cloud environments. Security teams must shift their strategies to stay ahead. A third-party security operations centre (SOC) can be a powerful defence against these modern threats.

“As defenders, we need to adapt quickly to defend against these capabilities,” says Brodie Downes, Director of Managed Security Services at Sekuro. “It’s very difficult for a security operations centre to keep pace with the adversary and the business. A well-resourced and equipped third-party SOC can address these problems. A continuous focus on innovation and development is vital for keeping up with, and moving ahead, of adversaries.”

Defenders must revisit their SOC model or risk being a step behind the adversaries. As the number of threat actors – including nation-state and eCrime adversaries – and volume of cyberattacks continue to grow, the amount of data reaching security event and information management (SIEM) systems is increasing. SOC teams must rethink how they detect and react to potential threats.

“SOC teams must avoid manual processes and alert fatigue and replace those with automated workflows, unified telemetry, and AI-driven detection,” Fratucello says. “It’s not about collecting more data, but about finding the signal amongst the noise and empowering teams to shift from a legacy, reactive model to a proactive intelligence-led operation.”

The goal is to add clarity by correlating the right data, so signals can be turned into action. And this requires the right tools so people can be empowered to better protect their businesses.

The Value of Outsourcing the SOC

Partnering with an external SOC provider can make a cost-effective difference to an organisation’s risk profile. Downes says a SOC partner offers many benefits, likening it to the way companies use an accounting firm to manage their finances.

“Similar to how an organisation might use an accounting firm, which has specialist capabilities and expertise to consistently maintain its finances and financial compliance, a SOC partner constantly provides the security capabilities and expertise organisations need, and may not be able to do alone,” he says.

This approach, Downes explains, transfers the responsibility of developing new capabilities and services to an external service provider. Organisations get the expertise they need, when they need it, without the pressure of hiring more people or developing that expertise in-house. By partnering with a SOC provider to augment their cyber defense, organisations can prioritize their business goals and operate with reduced risk.

The challenge of operating a SOC is exacerbated by the evolving threat environment. Threat actors are constantly changing the methods they use, and new vulnerabilities are constantly being added to the CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) database — giving them more information on bugs they can exploit in their attacks.  Downes says he sees SOCs continuing to evolve through the convergence of capabilities and the adoption of an ‘adversary mindset’. He added that this evolution should aim to ensure defenders think like attackers when delivering security controls and developing the people, processes, and technology required to stay ahead of adversaries.

Fratucello adds that SOCs must become AI-native and scalable to respond in real time. “The future is about humans and machines working together — automation handles the noise and analysts focus on what matters the most. The goals are streamlined operations, reduced cost, and most importantly, stopping breaches before they spread,” he says.

Choosing the right SOC partner can make a significant difference to an organisation’s security posture and response capability. Embracing expert partners that are equipped with AI-native and modern solutions helps organisations strengthen their defenses against today’s advanced cyber threats and adversaries.