Nearly 90% of Organizations Prefer Outsourced or Hybrid SOC Models, Kaspersky Study Reveals
SOC outsourcing has become the preferred strategy for organizations building Security Operations Centers, with nearly 90% choosing outsourced or hybrid models according to new research from Kaspersky. This shift reflects the growing complexity of cyberthreats and the challenges organizations face in maintaining round-the-clock security monitoring with internal resources alone.
The comprehensive global survey conducted by Kaspersky reveals that 69% of companies in Saudi Arabia plan to outsource part of their SOC, combining internal capabilities with external expertise. Meanwhile, 25% are ready to fully implement a SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS) model, while only 6% plan to build their SOC entirely in-house.
Why Organizations Choose SOC Outsourcing
The leading motivator for SOC outsourcing in Saudi Arabia is the need for 24/7 protection, cited by 57% of respondents. This operational requirement proves difficult for many internal teams to sustain alone. Another highly cited benefit is reducing workload on internal IT security specialists at 49%, enabling teams to focus on strategic tasks rather than routine monitoring.
Access to advanced solutions and technologies drives 50% of outsourcing decisions, while external support to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and standards motivates 34% of organizations. Interestingly, budget optimization is important for only 38% of companies, indicating that the primary value of SOC outsourcing lies in improved protection rather than cost savings alone.
Most Commonly Outsourced SOC Functions
Among organizations planning to outsource SOC functions, the most commonly delegated tasks to third-party providers in Saudi Arabia include solution installation and deployment at 58%, solution development and provisioning at 55%, and SOC design at 62%. Companies show a clear preference for maintaining strategic tasks internally while leveraging external teams and advanced technologies for operational and highly technical workloads.
When engaging external SOC specialists, companies demonstrate strong demand for first-line analysts and second-line analysts, each at 40%. These figures illustrate that companies focus more on frontline and intermediate security tasks, such as monitoring and responding to threats, rather than higher-level strategic functions.
Comprehensive SOC Outsourcing Services
SOC outsourcing enables organizations to delegate selected functions or even the entire operational cycle to a trusted external provider. This approach encompasses a variety of services including design and architecture of the SOC, deployment and maintenance of SOC technologies, monitoring and analysis by external security analysts, consulting and training services, and full SOCaaS delivery where the provider handles detection, investigation and response around the clock.
The trend towards outsourcing SOC functions, whether fully or partially, is primarily driven by the necessity for enhanced operational focus and strategic agility. By shifting routine and technical tasks externally, organizations are able to concentrate on high-value activities such as strategic decision-making and orchestrating responses to sophisticated threats.
Sergey Soldatov, Head of Security Operations Center at Kaspersky
Kaspersky Recommendations for Building a SOC
For companies planning to build a SOC, Kaspersky recommends engaging with Kaspersky SOC Consulting during initial setup or when enhancing existing security operations. Organizations should also boost security performance with Kaspersky SIEM, powered by advanced AI capabilities that aggregate, analyze and store log data across entire IT infrastructures.
Protection against a wide range of threats is available through solutions from the Kaspersky Next product line, providing real-time protection, threat visibility, investigation and response capabilities of EDR and XDR for organizations of any size and industry. Equipping cybersecurity teams with in-depth visibility into cyber threats through Kaspersky Threat Intelligence enables timely identification of cyber risks throughout the entire incident management cycle.
