Recently I have had several conversations about MDR vs. SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS) and whether they are products or solutions. First, Manage Detection and Response (MDR) which is typically offered by some vendors is for their own product is not a solution. It is a product. Obviously for competitive reasons they do not support other vendors’ products. Unfortunately, most vendors call it a SOC. Second, a true SOC must be 100% product agnostic, supporting any product including proprietary sources of security information. Furthermore, a true SOC must integrate several tools into on platform for better threat detection and response and achieve an enterprise view of cybersecurity, a single pane of glass of cybersecurity for the entire enterprise. A true SOC offering is not a product or utilizes a single product. A true SOC offering utilizes several tools and technologies to support and automate the operations of a SOC. These products can include, but are not limited to:

1. Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems, which provide real-time analysis and cross-correlation (XDR) of security events and alerts generated by various security technologies.

2. Log Management, which provides the capability for forensic analysis as well as unlimited retention and archiving.

3. Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (HIDS, NIDS, IPS), which detect and prevent host and network-based security threats.

4. Endpoint security solutions monitoring, which protect endpoint devices, such as laptops and smartphones, from threats. Again, for any product.

5. Vulnerability management systems, which scan systems and applications to identify security vulnerabilities and provide recommendations for remediation.

6. Threat intelligence platforms, which provide access to real-time information about emerging security threats.

7. Systems Availability, which provides real-time status of servers and the services running on them.

8. Compliance analysis, which in real-time maps all the events to the appropriate compliance needs and reporting. This includes MITRE, NIST, PCI, HIPAA and other requirements.

SOC as a solution refers to the overall approach of implementing and operating a SOC, which is a centralized team responsible for monitoring, analyzing, and responding to security incidents. A SOC solution includes the people, processes, and technology used to ensure the effective operation of a SOC.

In other words, SOC products are the tools and technologies used to support the operations of a SOC, while SOC as a solution is the overall approach to implementing and operating a SOC. A complete SOC solution requires the effective deployment and integration of multiple SOC products, as well as the development and implementation of effective processes and procedures for incident response and threat management.