SOC Solutions: Go In-House, Augment, or Outsource?

A Security Operations Center (SOC) is the control hub of your cybersecurity strategy. It's where threats are detected, investigated, and responded to in real time, ensuring your business stays protected. 

But here's the thing: how you set up your SOC can make or break your security efforts. One size definitely doesn't fit all, and you have to decide whether to build a SOC in-house, go with a co-managed/augmented SOC, or fully outsource it to a third-party provider.

Each option has its benefits and challenges, and the right choice depends on factors like your budget, the technology you're using, and the skills you have on hand.

Thus, let’s deal with the SOC setup and management options to determine which suits you better.

SOC Choices

Now, meet Mike, the CTO of a growing SaaS company. With cyber threats popping up left and right, Mike knows his business needs a SOC, but he’s facing a big decision: which SOC setup is right for him?

Mike has three options on the table:

• An in-house SOC gives him full control, but it’s expensive, time-consuming, and tough to manage.
• A co-managed SOC offers a flexible balance—his team stays involved, while outside experts take care of the heavy lifting, like 24/7 monitoring by handling night shifts or SOC tools fine-tuning.
• A fully managed SOC means addressing everything to a third-party provider, who can take care of the entire operation around the clock.

Mike’s first step is understanding the main pros and cons of each option, so he can figure out which one fits his business’s needs—and its budget.

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Choosing the Right SOC

Here’s the breakdown of what each option means for Mike (and you if you’re in the same boat).

In-house SOC: Full control, big responsibility

Building your own SOC sounds appealing at first. Mike loves the idea of having full control over everything—custom solutions, a dedicated team, and the ability to fine-tune security exactly how he wants. Plus, with an in-house SOC, staying on top of compliance feels more personal.

Benefits:

• Complete control: Every tool and process is customized to your business needs, and you’re running the show.
• Tailored compliance: Having full ownership of your SOC means you can keep everything in check for standards like SOC 2 and ISO 27001.

But here’s the thing—Mike quickly realizes that control comes with a hefty price tag. For a mid-sized company, building and running an in-house SOC would set him back around $1.95 million a year.

Between $850,000 on security tools and $950,000 for staffing, Mike’s looking at a serious financial commitment.

That doesn’t even include $150,000 in operational costs, like keeping software updated and maintained.

On top of that, finding and keeping the right cybersecurity talent? That’s a whole other challenge.

Mike knows how hard it is to hire top-notch people—and the turnover rate means he could be searching for new hires every couple of years..

Co-managed SOC: Perfect balance?

Mike’s also looking into a co-managed SOC, and honestly, it sounds like a sweet spot. With this option, Mike’s team stays in control of the important stuff, but they don’t have to carry the whole load. SOC experts take care of the challenging tasks, such as 24/7 monitoring and incident management, allowing Mike to relax a bit.

Benefits:

• Expert backup: Mike’s team handles what they’re good at, while SOC professionals step in for night shifts, monitoring, and complex threat detection.
• Cost-effective: Instead of shelling out millions for an in-house SOC, Mike can keep costs lower and still access the same advanced tools and talent.
• Scalable: As Mike’s business grows, the co-managed SOC can easily scale without him needing to worry about hiring more staff or upgrading infrastructure.

But, like with anything, there’s a catch. Mike realizes that shared responsibility could lead to confusion during incidents—who’s responsible for what? And while he gets expert help, his internal team still needs ongoing training to stay sharp.

Fully managed SOC: Complete coverage, no stress

Finally, there’s the option of going fully managed, where Mike hands off everything to a third-party SOC. This means 24/7 protection, top-tier security tools, and a skilled team taking care of everything from threat detection to incident response.

Benefits:

• Round-the-clock monitoring: Mike’s systems are constantly watched, so he can rest easy, knowing threats will be caught even when his team’s off the clock.
• Huge cost savings: Compared to the $1.95 million for an in-house SOC, going fully managed slashes costs significantly. Mike only pays for what he needs, and the potential savings could be more than 50%.
• Expertise on demand: Mike gains immediate access to seasoned SOC analysts who’ve seen it all and can handle anything that comes their way.

But Mike also knows that SOC as a service comes with less control. He’d have to rely on an external team for everything, which could lead to communication delays or slower responses during incidents.

With all this information in hand, Mike is finally ready to weigh the pros and cons. Does he want full control with an in-house SOC? The flexibility of co-managed? Or the ease and cost savings of fully managed? Whatever his choice, understanding the real numbers and potential challenges helps him make an informed decision.

Mature SOC-as-a-Service by UnderDefense: Beyond Traditional SOCs

UnderDefense's MXDR solutions offer superior protection at 5-10x less cost than traditional SOCs, deploying in weeks instead of years.

Co-Managed SOC

Your team stays in control while we handle the heavy lifting. We cover night shifts, tune your tools, and provide 24/7 monitoring with access to L5-certified experts.

Fully Managed SOC

Complete protection without the headache. We manage 24/7 security operations while ensuring you maintain ownership of all tools and processes with full visibility across your environment.

Both options deliver:

• AI-driven threat detection that eliminates 95% of false positives
• Predictive security instead of just reactionary defense
• Comprehensive protection across endpoints, networks, cloud, and identity
• Unified security platform integrating SIEM, EDR, NDR and IAM

Don't pay millions for a SOC that takes 2 years to build and might still fail to protect you.

Get 24/7 SOC-as-a-Service Cost Estimate >> [Calculate your cost]