SOC strategies for medium-sized businesses: The path to a tailor-made security concept

The threat of cyberattacks is ever-present – and medium-sized companies are under particular pressure. Traditional basic protection is often insufficient, while comprehensive premium solutions seem excessive.

This series shows you how to tailor your Security Operations Center (SOC) to your individual risk profile, which models are available, and how to choose the right provider.

How are you insured?

Between basic coverage and premium policies – finding the right SOC.

Cyberattacks are as commonplace today as contagious colds: no one doubts that they will happen – the question is how well you are prepared for them. Companies are increasingly faced with the question of how much coverage makes sense and what level of protection is actually necessary.

Many companies have solid basic protection: powerful firewalls, classic virus protection, and basic network security. Companies that are already one step ahead also use endpoint detection and response (EDR), sometimes supplemented by SIEM (security information and event management) and automated alerts. At first glance, everything seems to be covered – but is that really enough when attacks are becoming more complex, hybrid infrastructures are growing, and regulatory requirements are increasing?

With growing complexity, it is no longer individual measures that determine the effectiveness of security, but the ability to holistically capture, classify, and respond effectively to security-relevant information. 

This is exactly where Security Operations Centers (SOCs) come into play.​

The analogy to healthcare helps to classify different approaches to security operations centers: 

  Basic SOC security corresponds to statutory health insurance – it reliably covers all fundamental needs. 

  For targeted protection against specific risks, extended, individually tailored insurance is recommended – a customized, adaptive SOC that specifically addresses the most important risks. 

Many SOCs only provide basic services

Many SOC models work according to a fixed pattern: one toolset, one analysis approach, one defined coverage. This meets basic requirements – just like the basic protection provided by statutory health insurance, which offers you solid medical care. But anyone with specific requirements – prior illnesses, special risks, individual prevention wishes – will quickly realize how limited this standard care is.

Applied to a Security Operations Center:

• You get a solid tool, but no integration into your individual processes.
• You get alerts, but no effective root cause analysis.
• You pay for services you don't need – or miss out on exactly those that would be crucial for your business.
• And in the end, you are left with a feeling of dependency because your security is chained to a rigid system.

For many medium-sized companies, basic services are perfectly adequate. However, if the environment is more complex and digital value creation is increasing, extended protection is recommended.

Why many companies need more than a basic SOC

Digital business models, hybrid IT, cloud-first strategies, AI-supported attacks – all of these factors are changing the risk landscape. Regulatory requirements such as NIS2 or the Cyber Resilience Act are also increasing external pressure. 

Companies with a high regulatory burden and increased protection requirements need a holistic view of attack surfaces, a SOC solution that adapts to their individual infrastructure and processes, and a security architecture that not only generates reports but actively addresses causative factors, vulnerabilities, and attack paths instead of just reporting symptoms.

Medium-sized enterprises: between basic coverage and premium protection

Medium-sized companies in particular often find themselves caught between opposing forces: IT resources are limited, IT and OT landscapes are becoming increasingly complex, and at the same time, the threat situation is escalating. In this situation, basic security is often no longer sufficient, but standardized premium solutions are oversized or inflexible.  

The challenge is to create a level of security that provides effective protection without being overloaded – flexible and tailored to individual risks.