When “All Clear” Isn’t Clear: Why a Managed SOC is Essential for Modern Security

Your systems may all show green. Your firewall blocks known threats. Your email filter catches obvious phishing. Your antivirus reports no issues.

But attackers don’t need malware anymore. Increasingly, they use your own systems against you, logging in with stolen passwords and running everyday tools like PowerShell or Teams in ways that look legitimate. 

The Visibility Gap 

Think of it like this: 

• Your VPN shows a successful login (but it’s at 2 AM, from another country). 

• PowerShell runs (but it’s being used to search your network). 

• Encrypted traffic spikes (but it looks like normal cloud activity). 

Individually, each system thinks everything is fine. Together, it’s a coordinated attack. Most businesses never connect those dots, until it’s too late. 

This is the difference between having security tools and having security visibility. 

The Speed Challenge 

“Attackers don’t wait until Monday morning. If you’re only looking at alerts during business hours, you’re already giving them a head start.” — Lewis Pack, Head of Cyber Threat Defence at CyberOne  

Attackers don’t wait for business hours. The average time it takes them to spread across a network is now under an hour. Many businesses only check alerts during the day, meaning by Monday morning attackers may already be inside, stealing data or setting up backdoors. 

Without around-the-clock monitoring, the opportunity to stop the attack can disappear before you even know it happened. 

What a Managed SOC Delivers 

A Managed Security Operations Centre (SOC) changes the game. Instead of relying on isolated alerts, a Managed SOC: 

• Connects the dots across identity, devices, data and networks 

• Detects abnormal behaviour (like admin accounts logging in at odd hours) 

• Hunts proactively for threats, not just waiting for alarms 

• Responds quickly to contain and stop attacks before they disrupt business 

At CyberOne, our Managed SOC is powered by Microsoft Sentinel and staffed by a CREST-accredited team of experts. It runs 24x7, giving you peace of mind that someone is always watching for suspicious activity and ready to act. 

The Business Reality 

Owning security tools is not the same as being secure. Without correlation and expert monitoring, you’re collecting data, not detecting threats. 

• Businesses without SOC capabilities take an average of 212 days to detect an incident. 

• With a Managed SOC, that shrinks to just 10 days. 
  That difference can mean the survival of your business. 

The Mindset Shift 

The focus is no longer just on keeping attackers out. It’s about seeing them quickly when they get in and ensuring they can’t do damage. 

Cyber security is not just a technology problem. It’s an expertise and visibility challenge. That’s why mid-market organisations increasingly turn to CyberOne to close the gap gaining enterprise-grade protection without the cost and complexity of building it in-house. 

“Security tools can tell you when something looks wrong, but they can’t tell you the whole story. A SOC team’s job is to connect those signals, interpret them in real time, and act before attackers get the upper hand.”

— Lewis Pack, Head of Cyber Threat Defence at CyberOne 

Next Steps: Closing the Security Gap 

Transitioning from simply having security tools to achieving true security visibility requires a deliberate plan. If you’re considering how to strengthen your defenses, here’s how to get started: 

1. Assess Your Current Posture 
   Review how you monitor logins, endpoint activity, and cloud usage today. Identify where your visibility ends and where attackers could hide. 

1. Understand the Business Risk 
   Compare your current detection and response times against industry benchmarks. Quantify the potential cost of delayed detection in terms of downtime, lost data or compliance penalties. 

1. Explore Your Options 
   Look at different approaches to 24x7 monitoring and response, from building in-house SOC capabilities to partnering with external experts. Evaluate the tradeoffs in cost, expertise and speed. 

1. Start With a Proof of Value 
   Run a pilot engagement to validate the benefits of continuous monitoring and proactive threat hunting. Use real findings to build your business case for ongoing SOC coverage. 

1. Evolve From Tools to Outcomes 
   Move beyond owning security products to achieving measurable resilience, backed by round-the-clock monitoring and rapid incident response. 

The best time to strengthen your defenses is before an incident happens. Talk to CyberOne today to learn how our Managed SOC can give you round-the-clock protection.