Risks to your business increase each day. How are you combating them? Utilizing a Security Operations Center can put you one step ahead of the threats facing your business. Is one right for you?
What Is a Security Operations Center and How Does it Work?
A Security Operations Center (SOC) is a centralized headquarters that interacts with every facet of your business’s security. A Security Operations Center integrates three main functions:
- Monitoring
- Detecting
- Reporting
The various tools that are in use protecting your business, employees, and customers are monitored in one central location. During the monitoring of your assets, threats are detected. This may be a shoplifter, a suspicious package or individual, or a fire. The SOC detects these threats or risks, and then facilitates reporting. Reporting can mean anything from alerting you to a breakdown in security procedures, or unsafe work conditions, to alerting local emergency services.
A Security Operations Center enhances the security management of your organization. SOCs are manned by at least one intelligence analyst. This analyst utilizes data collected by the SOC and integrates it with current trends in crime and security to keep your business ready for any threat.
The Security Operations Center combines the technologies used in security and surveillance with the human touch of experienced law enforcement, military, and security officers. Combining human ability with technology can eliminate false positives, which can be expensive and uncomfortable for your business.
SOCs operated by Strategic Security Corp are run from a central physical location, and are integrated with a standalone website. The SOC houses the tools that are needed for monitoring and data analysis. From this centralized location, automated feeds are collated from:
- Guard checkpoint tracking
- CCTV
- Alarms
- GPS
- Travel tracking
- And more
All relevant data is displayed on Google Earth and enhanced with Event Tracking of crime, earthquakes, fires, and other natural disasters. The Security Operations Center program auto updates, and provides visual triggers to those monitoring. The SOC can activate a Response Team when needed.
Who Needs a Security Operations Center and Why is it Needed?
Every business in every industry can benefit from a Security Operations Center if it has a physical location(s), employees, customers, or a computer network connected to the internet. The SOC satisfies the need for real-time data, rather than just receiving a report at the end of the day, week, or month.
Many businesses have security cameras, but the footage is reviewed only after an incident has occurred. With an SOC, this footage is always monitored, which allows you to have a true view of how security procedures are handled at your business.
Every business needs a Security Operations Center, but the specific needs are unique for each enterprise. Banks or retail locations with cash on premises need intrusion detection, safe or vault detection, or possibly armed guards.
Schools or local government offices often need CCTV, remote employee or visitor escorting, or gate security.
Small businesses may also need safe and vault intrusion detection, but their needs could extend to biometric security, or environmental monitoring for things like:
- Carbon monoxide
- High or low temperatures
- Freezing temperatures
- Flood
All these modes of security monitoring and protection are integrated in the Security Operations Center. The SOC also offers 24/7 call operations for your employees to interact with your security team.
The Security Operations Center isn’t just for tactical operations responding to threats. It serves a strategic function, too, giving your security analyst access to all relevant security information on one screen. As threats emerge or recede, your security plan can be updated, often in real-time. Having an experienced security analyst manning the SOC can reduce false positives and prevent the unnecessary alerting of local emergency services.
In-House vs. Outsourced Security Operations Center, Which is Better?
It’s possible to operate an SOC with internal staff, or to utilize an outside security solutions provider. In almost every case it’s better to use an outside security firm. The cost of employing the staff that a Security Operations Center requires is immense. This is much more comprehensive and professional than a token guard on patrol. Your Security Operations Center must be maned with and operated by an:
- Intelligence analyst
- Security analyst
- IT specialist
Plus, you’d have to employ more than one of each of these as well as a security engineer. What if your security analyst is sick, or takes a vacation?
In addition to the manpower cost, the equipment cost to implement, sustain, and upgrade real-time security systems is immense.
Another point to consider is what kind of business you operate. Are you in the security business? If not, then you’re far better off focusing on growing your business and letting a security management firm like Strategic Security Corp operate your SOC.
Top Benefits of an Outsourced Security Operations Center
For companies that need the assurance of an SOC, but don’t have the staff or budget to man their own, using an outside security specialist is a great option. The primary benefit to using an outside firm to create and man your Security Operations Center is focus: your firm can focus on growing in size and profit. Your security management firm can focus entirely on the security operation for your company.
Using an outsourced SOC is better than doing it yourself because of:
- Efficiency
- Cost savings
- Peace of mind
A security expert like Strategic Security Corp can design, implement, and monitor your SOC much quicker, and more effectively than your own security team.
Due to economies of scale, Strategic Security Corp can provide these 24/7 services at greatly reduced cost. Strategic Security Corp can provide a dedicated security analyst to handle all aspects of your security operation, adding human value to the technologies deployed.
Using an outside partner for your Security Operations Center will give you great peace of mind. A qualified intelligence analyst can take a lot of your plate. They’ll process the data from your various security tools and applications, analyze recent trends, and adjust your firm’s security procedures as needed.
Strategic Security Corp’s Security Operations Center Capabilities
Strategic Security Corp has been trusted by businesses of every size for all facets of security operations since 2002. Strategic Security Corp can consult and fulfil all aspects of security management for your company.
Through our state-of-the-art Security Operations Center, your company will have a dedicated security engineer optimizing your security operation. Strategic Security Corp will also man your SOC with a dedicated security analyst to integrate your real-time data with a flexible security solution.
The security of your business assets, employees, and customers can be enhanced by merging the latest technology with the real-world experience of a trained intelligence analyst.
See what a Security Operations Center can look like for your business. Learn how Strategic Security Corp can help today.
