Workflows also help to offer clarity around each team member’s role and responsibilities so that no stone is left unturned. With a SOC, incident management workflows should be established from the get-go, ensuring that each step in the process is part of a larger strategy. In fact, we wrote a whole post about how to solve six of the most common process challenges security teams face today. The answers to these questions can help you to know where things stand now so you create a game plan to optimize security operations.

Who promotes security events to incidents?.As you begin to build a more formal and centralized organization, it’s a good idea to evaluate current procedures by asking questions like: Prior to the formation of a SOC, often security tasks are passed around like a hot potato with no process to define ownership and streamline procedures. Get the Guide: How to Hire a Strong and Effective Security Team Once you determine what the people side of the SOC looks like, it’s time to set in place processes that standardize security workflows.įor more detail on how to build out your security operations team, see our full guide: How much are our security pain points affecting us and how soon can we build the SOC to address them?.What is the total annual security budget? Can we pull any more budget from IT or other departments to support implementing the SOC?.How many security folks, among others across the organization who will be a part of the SOC, are there?.Here are some questions to ask to help determine the composition and timeline for creating your SOC: The best option for you depends on the available in-house resources, your budget, and the urgency of the threats you face. Others opt for a hybrid mix of in-house and external resources. Many organizations choose to build their SOCs with in-house resources, bringing together existing security functions and providing formal training programs for others interested in joining. Might you need the expertise of a security contractor for support?.Do you have an MSSP (managed security service provider)?.Is anyone from IT ready to step up to the plate as a security-only player?.Is anyone currently in a security-only role?.To begin building a powerful security operations team, it’s important to inventory your available staff. Adding to a former post, When to Set Up a Security Operations Center, we're now offering a framework for organizing the three key functions of a SOC: people, process, and technology. Building an effective security operations center (SOC) requires organizing internal resources in a way that improves communication and increases efficiencies.

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