Building vs Partnering with a SOC: Making the Right Choice for Your Business

When to DIY, when to partner, and how not to lose your mind.

When it comes to cybersecurity, one of the biggest choices a business has to make is whether to build its own Security Operations Center (SOC) or partner with someone who’s already mastered the craft. It's not just a question of infrastructure and tools—it's a long-term strategy, an ongoing commitment, and, frankly, a bit of a juggling act as the threat landscape keeps shifting.

The Cost and Complexity of Building Your Own SOC

There’s a certain appeal to building your own SOC. You get total control—your systems, your people, your decisions. But let’s be honest: it’s not a weekend project. Creating a SOC from the ground up takes a serious upfront investment in people, tech, facilities and processes. And that’s just the starting line.

Once it’s built, the real marathon begins: keeping up with certifications, hiring and retaining top talent, fine-tuning your detection tools, managing a barrage of alerts and providing around-the-clock coverage. It’s a nonstop operation.

For large enterprises with deep resources and seasoned security teams, this can make sense. But for SMBs or leaner teams, the costs and complexity can get out of hand fast. A fully staffed, fully functional SOC can cost millions annually—and there’s no guarantee it will outperform a solid managed solution.

Here’s what you’re signing up for when you build your own SOC:

• Recruiting and retaining a skilled cybersecurity team: Including analysts, engineers and managers.
• Purchasing and integrating detection and response technologies: Like SIEM, EDR and SOAR.
• Creating and refining processes: For incident response, threat hunting and alert triage.
• Ensuring continuous 24/7 coverage: To catch and act on threats in real time.

Why More Organizations Are Choosing Managed SOC

Enter the managed service provider. Instead of sinking your resources into building a SOC from scratch, you can tap into a SOC-as-a-Service model that delivers everything—24/7 monitoring, threat detection, incident response, compliance support—with none of the growing pains.

And because managed providers serve multiple clients, they often have access to better tools, fresher intel, and more specialized experts than a single organization can justify alone.

But don’t think partnering means losing control. A good MDR partner acts like an extension of your team. You’ll still see alerts, get recommendations, and stay in the driver’s seat. They just take the heavy lifting off your plate.

Perks of a managed SOC include:

• Faster time to value: Minimal setup with instant 24/7 coverage.
• Reduced burden: Less strain on your internal team.
• Access to advanced tech: Detection tools, threat intelligence and more.
• Simplified compliance: With easier reporting workflows.
• Built-in scalability: So your security can grow with your business.

Making the Right Choice for Your Business

This isn’t just about dollars and cents—it’s about what works best for your business. If your team’s already stretched thin, launching a full-scale SOC could be more of a headache than a help. A managed solution can help you level up faster, fill resource gaps and stay ahead of today’s most pressing cyber threats.

Before making the call, take an honest look at what you can support. Can you really run a 24/7 SOC with trained staff, tested processes and constantly updated tools? Or would your team breathe a little easier with an expert partner handling the day-to-day?

At the end of the day, this isn’t about build vs. buy—it’s about what fits your business goals, budget and risk profile. The answer won’t be the same for everyone. But asking the question? That’s the first step toward better security.