Help is on the Way: How Automation Will Boost SOC Performance and Reduce Analyst Burnout

October 28, 2022

The SOC is the engine that protects organizations worldwide today. Its core mission remains to help the enterprise manage cyber risk, but what is changing is the mechanics of the operation.

For example, cloud adoption significantly broadened the enterprise footprint in recent years. Data and applications that resided in on-premises servers are now scattered in cloud systems and data centers — sometimes in different parts of the world.

It's clear that a new SOC model is required for organizations to stay ahead of the exponential increase in data, the volume and severity of cyberattacks and the continued shortage of skilled analysts. What’s coming? Automation.

A global survey of more than 1,000 security professionals report that emerging technologies such as workflow automation, artificial intelligence, advanced analytics and machine learning as keys to staying ahead of the volume and severity of cyberattacks. Almost 40% from the survey say workflow automation and implementing advanced analytics are needed to help overworked SOC analysts focus on their top priority: delivering positive security outcomes.

Based on survey feedback, the new SOC model going forward needs to:

Defining and measuring security visibility across every aspect of your IT infrastructure is crucial to keeping data out of cybercriminals’ hands. Security visibility requires cloud-scale SIEM capabilities for data ingestion, high-performance query capabilities and an intuitive user interface for security operations processes.

These combined capabilities will enable overburdened SOC analysts, who are burning out from the pressures of their work, to focus on the most critical issues so they can perform faster, more effective incident response and detection to resolve threats decisively.

For example, deploying AI-driven automation to handle the repetitive tasks of reviewing alerts will free analysts to focus on hunting, investigating and responding to the threats that matter most to their business. This will make their work more fulfilling, improve SOC team morale and alleviate analyst burnout.

Automating routine tasks gives Tier-1 analysts more time for training and development. It enables them to collaborate with experienced colleagues on the critical work of identifying and stopping the most dangerous threats. Organizations get a team of better-trained, more experienced analysts who have greater job satisfaction. This means they’re more likely to stay with the organization long-term because they know they’re making a meaningful contribution to its success.

The SOC of the future still will perform its primary function — but in a different way. The next-gen SOC is going to reinvent how security teams work by delivering complete visibility, analytics and access to the latest expertise and content.