What it takes to run a 24/7 SOC

Cyber threats don’t follow business hours. Attackers often exploit nights, weekends, and holidays when organisations are least staffed. For example, the 2020 ransomware attack on Universal Health Services crippled hospital systems over a weekend, causing widespread disruption. These incidents underscore the critical need for 24/7 Security Operations Centers (SOCs), especially in environments where downtime can have dramatic consequences.

A 24/7 SOC is essential for industries such as critical infrastructure, global enterprises, financial institutions, and regulated sectors like healthcare. These organisations face constant threats—whether from operational sensitivity, compliance mandates, or being prime targets for sophisticated attackers. For them, delayed detection or response can result in devastating outcomes. By providing real-time threat detection and mitigation, 24/7 SOCs act as a vital line of defence. However, running such operations is far from simple, requiring a seamless mix of technology, processes, and skilled professionals.

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The toughness of running a 24/7 SOC‍

Operating a 24/7 SOC comes with significant hurdles, starting with staffing and retention. Night shifts and repetitive tasks often lead to burnout, making it difficult to keep skilled analysts in a competitive job market.

To alleviate this, some SOCs adopt a follow-the-sun model, distributing shifts across teams in different time zones. While this reduces the strain of night work, it introduces challenges in coordination. Miscommunication during handoffs between regions or shifts can create gaps in monitoring and response.

The cost of operations is also a major concern, as 24/7 coverage requires substantial investments in technology, personnel, and infrastructure. Scaling to meet growing needs adds further complexity, particularly for organisations expanding globally, which is often the case with MSSPs.

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The constraint leads to creative human resource management

To meet these challenges, SOCs have no choice but to find creative ways of managing their teams to maintain their capacity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:

• Tiered Staffing Models: Tier 1 analysts handle high-volume alert triage, while Tier 2 focuses on in-depth investigations and Tier 3 addresses advanced threat hunting. This structure ensures efficient use of resources while prioritising critical threats.
• Hybrid Team Structures: Combining in-house analysts with on-demand contractors or freelancers allows rapid scaling during high-demand periods.
• Cross-Training Staff: Training analysts to manage multiple client environments and specialised tools enhances flexibility and reduces bottlenecks, especially for MSSPs.

Despite these strategies, SOCs face an escalating challenge: attackers are using AI to scale their efforts. For instance, in 2023 alone, phishing campaigns surged by 58.2%, according to Zscaler, and by 1200%, as reported by Security Magazine. Even with the best processes in place, traditional resource management can no longer keep up.

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The SOC That Never Sleeps: AI as the Game-Changer

AI is the 24/7 SOC team’s best ally. It moves beyond the limitations of traditional deterministic tools like SOAR platforms, which require manual setup and maintenance. AI models enhance SIEM and EDR systems by detecting abnormalities faster, significantly reducing the Mean Time to Detect (MTTD).

More importantly, AI excels in tasks that deterministic tools cannot handle, such as analysing unstructured data. Using Large Language Models (LLMs) helps augmenting analysts during investigations, handling time-intensive tasks like reading emails, interpreting logs, and correlating data to uncover hidden connections. These autonomous capabilities allow AI to act as an active partner, accelerating response times and boosting overall efficiency.