Home / Blog / Microsoft / The 10 Challenges of Building an In-House Security Operations Center (SOC)

January 24, 2025

Building an in-house Security Operations Center (SOC) is often seen as a way to take full control of cyber security. However, the reality is far more complex, requiring significant resources, expertise and constant management. Here are the key challenges businesses face—and how CyberOne, leveraging the power of Microsoft Security, helps overcome them.

1. High Initial Investment

Creating a fully operational SOC means significant spending on infrastructure, processes, and people recruitment, as well as training and development. The physical space alone, with environmental controls, adds to the expense. CyberOne’s SOC as a Service, powered by Microsoft’s best-of-suite security tools, eliminates the need for upfront investment by delivering enterprise-grade capabilities at a predictable cost​​.

2. Talent Acquisition and Retention

The global shortage of cyber security professionals is driving up salaries and creating fierce competition for talent. Building an in-house team capable of managing round-the-clock operations is a monumental task. CyberOne provides access to an expert team of Microsoft-certified security professionals, ensuring your organisation is always protected without the challenges of recruitment and retention​​.

3. 24×7 Operational Coverage

True 24×7 monitoring is critical for detecting and responding to threats in real-time, but managing multiple shifts is expensive and operationally complex. With Managed SOC services, your organisation benefits from continuous monitoring through the integrated power of Microsoft Sentinel and Defender, offering seamless security without the burden of managing shifts​​.

4. Rapidly Evolving Threat Landscape

The threat landscape evolves daily, with increasingly sophisticated attacks targeting endpoints, identities and cloud environments. Staying ahead requires constant vigilance and real-time threat intelligence. CyberOne leverages Microsoft Defender XDR and Microsoft Sentinel to provide a unified platform that proactively identifies and neutralises emerging threats​​.

5. Integration of Technology

Combining disparate tools into a cohesive SOC environment often results in inefficiencies and compatibility issues. Microsoft’s best-of-suite security approach, which seamlessly integrates Sentinel, Defender XDR and Entra ID, is at the heart of CyberOne’s services. This ensures unified visibility across endpoints, identities, email and cloud, reducing complexity and maximising security​​.

6. Incident Response Expertise

Detecting threats is only part of the challenge. Effective incident response requires experienced professionals to contain breaches and minimise damage. With NCSC and CREST-accredited Cyber Incident Response teams, you can trust that response, remediation and recovery are handled expertly, reducing impact and reputational risk.

7. Data Compliance and Regulatory Requirements

Organisations must meet stringent regulatory standards, from ISO 27001 to solution-certified specialists, while maintaining an efficient SOC. CyberOne simplifies data compliance and security by leveraging Microsoft Purview for data governance and detailed reporting, ensuring your organisation stays aligned with industry requirements​​.

8. Scalability

As businesses grow, so do their security needs. Scaling an in-house SOC means additional infrastructure, staffing and tools—often at a high cost. CyberOne’s scalable Assure 365 solution, built on Microsoft Security, adapts to your organisation’s needs, providing flexible, modular services that grow with your business​​.

9. Monitoring Overload

SOC teams often face alert fatigue due to a high volume of false positives, reducing overall efficiency. With Microsoft Sentinel’s AI-driven threat prioritisation, CyberOne ensures that your team focuses on real threats while automating repetitive tasks, improving accuracy and response times​​.

10. Cost of Maintenance and Upgrades

The ongoing costs of running a SOC—from patching to ensuring you are utilising new security features to maximise your Microsoft return on investment to people development—can be a constant drain on resources and additional cost. CyberOne’s services, underpinned by Microsoft’s continuously evolving technology, ensure that your organisation benefits from the latest advancements without the overhead of maintaining them in-house​​.

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With 20 years of experience, CyberOne combines deep expertise with the power of Microsoft’s Security suite to deliver robust, end-to-end protection. Whether leveraging Microsoft Sentinel for SIEM, Microsoft Defender XDR for advanced threat detection, Entra ID for identity security or Microsoft Purview for Data Security. CyberOne provides a seamless, integrated solution designed to strengthen your resilience.