Log it like you mean it

A Security Operations Center (SOC) is the heart of an organisation’s cybersecurity strategy, responsible for monitoring, detecting, and responding to threats around the clock.

To ensure efficiency and effectiveness, SOC teams must adopt key best practices that balance technology, processes, and people.

First, a SOC should be built on a clear operational framework with well-defined roles, escalation paths, and incident response playbooks. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) enable consistent and timely responses to threats. Using a risk-based approach, SOC teams can prioritise threats based on their impact and likelihood, ensuring critical assets receive the most attention.

Centralising and normalizing data from various sources—like endpoints, networks, cloud services, and applications - is crucial. Adopting standardised schemas (e.g., Elastic Common Schema) and leveraging automation and orchestration tools can reduce alert fatigue and improve response times.

Continuous monitoring is essential, but equally important is tuning detection rules to reduce false positives. Threat intelligence feeds and behavioral analytics should be integrated to enhance threat detection.

Regular training, red/blue team exercises, and post-incident reviews foster a culture of continuous improvement. Finally, tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) and aligning SOC metrics with business goals ensures the SOC remains a strategic asset, not just a technical function.