What is SOC as a service?

SOC as a service (or SOCaaS) means a security operations centre consumed as a service, on subscription. Instead of building a SOC (tooling, hiring, 24/7 organisation), a business or its MSP subscribes to a service that provides the platform, the analysts and continuous monitoring, and pays according to the scope covered.

This article is part of our series on managed SOC. For the general principle, see SOC for MSP: what it is and how it works.

SOC as a service and managed SOC: a difference of angle

Both terms often describe the same thing: a SOC run by a provider. The nuance lies in what they emphasise:

• Managed SOC emphasises who runs the SOC: a provider, on your behalf. See What is a managed SOC?.
• SOC as a service emphasises how you consume it: as an online service, on subscription, with no infrastructure project.

In practice, a SOC as a service is almost always a managed SOC, on a platform hosted by the provider.

How the model works

1. Subscription: you define the scope (number of endpoints, servers, Microsoft 365 users, sources to connect).
2. Onboarding: data sources are connected to the provider’s platform, often through ready-made connectors.
3. Operation: the provider monitors, triages alerts and escalates incidents.
4. Change: scope adjusts as the estate changes, with no new project.

The benefits

• No upfront investment: no platform to buy and no team to hire before going live.
• Fast start: with ready-made connectors, onboarding can be quick; rule tuning then takes several weeks.
• 24/7 coverage: hard to achieve in-house for a small organisation.
• Easy scaling: adding a client, a site or a scope does not require a redesign.

For an MSP, this model fits particularly well: it can offer monitoring to each client, with a tailored scope, without fixed costs. See What is a multi-tenant SOC for MSPs?.

Limits and points to watch

• “As a service” says nothing about content. Some offers are mostly automated alerting, with few analysts at night. Check who looks at alerts, and when.
• Incident response is not always included. Detection is not enough: you need to know what happens next. See What is included in a managed SOC?.
• Data leaves your environment. Security logs are processed on the provider’s platform: processing location and retention should be clear.
• Provider dependency. Agree exit and reversibility terms up front.

What to look for in an offer

Question	Why it matters
Do analysts monitor 24/7?	It is what separates a service from a tool
Which sources are natively integrated?	EDR and Microsoft 365 are the most useful
Is incident response included?	It determines how a real attack is handled
Where is data processed?	Confidentiality, client and regulatory requirements
What reports do you get?	They serve as evidence, notably for NIS2

The MSP case

For an MSP, SOC as a service makes it possible to build a recurring security offer without tying up resources. The MSP keeps the client relationship and builds the service into its contracts; the provider delivers monitoring. Before signing, it is worth clarifying in writing who does what during an incident: who isolates a machine, who informs the end client, who restores systems and who writes the report. That split is easier to agree calmly than in the middle of an attack. See Managed SOC and MSP: who does what?.

Talk to an expert

Cyna offers a 24/7 SOC run from France by in-house teams, with a CERT, on a multi-client platform built for MSPs. Cyna works through its partner MSPs, which own the relationship with their clients; the terms (scope, licences) are set out in the contract agreed with the partner MSP. Cyna’s incident response on-call team is available 24/7 from the Report an incident page. If you already work with a Cyna partner, they are your first point of contact. Otherwise, get in touch.

Frequently asked questions

Is SOCaaS the same as SOC as a service?

Yes. SOCaaS is simply the abbreviation of SOC as a service.

Is SOC as a service only for cloud environments?

No. The service is delivered from an online platform, but it monitors on-premises endpoints and servers as well as cloud environments such as Microsoft 365.

Can you stop a SOC as a service easily?

Term and exit conditions depend on the contract. Check how you get your data and incident history back at the end, and the notice period.

Does SOC as a service suit a small business?

Yes, it is often the only realistic way for a small organisation to get 24/7 monitoring. It usually accesses it through its MSP.

Is the price based on users or devices?

Pricing models vary: per endpoint, per user, per volume of data or per package. Check what triggers a price change when your estate grows.