Highlights
As many as 67%* of companies admit they lack sufficient resources to effectively respond to security incidents, according to a study by the Ponemon Institute. Yet the growing number of threats means that cybersecurity is becoming a top concern for every business owner—regardless of company size. Choosing the right Security Operations Center (SOC) model has never been more critical.
Should you build an in-house SOC or outsource it?
What’s the right choice? It depends—on your company’s needs, resources, and business goals. If you’re wondering whether it’s worth investing in an in-house SOC team or if outsourcing your SOC might be a safer and more cost-effective option, you’re in the right place. Today, we’ll take a close look at both approaches, analyzing their advantages, disadvantages, and practical applications. We’ll also examine the costs involved.
In-house SOC – benefits and challenges
Building an in-house SOC gives your organization full control over systems, information flow, and security standards. An internal team is also more familiar with the company’s specific operations, processes, and organizational culture, allowing for quicker and more accurate responses to threats.
However, this path is far from easy. Maintaining a 24/7 SOC operation is a major challenge – it requires costly recruitment, advanced tools, training, and continuous adaptation to an ever-changing cyber threat landscape. The difficulty is compounded by the ongoing shortage of skilled IT professionals.
Outsourced SOC – benefits and challenges
SOC outsourcing is becoming increasingly popular, especially among small and medium-sized businesses. The main advantage? Access to experienced teams and cutting-edge technologies without the need to build them in-house. IT companies offering SOC services often operate security centers that meet the highest standards and are ready to act immediately.
But this model has its drawbacks as well. Working with an external provider may mean less customization of services, and some companies (often unnecessarily) fear losing control over their data. That’s why choosing a trusted and transparent partner is absolutely crucial.
In-house SOC or external service?
“Investing in a SOC – regardless of the chosen model – is not just an expense, but a strategic safeguard for the organization. Although the costs of building or outsourcing a SOC may seem high, it’s important to view them in terms of long-term return on investment – both by reducing potential financial losses and by improving operational resilience and customer trust. Let’s remember that the true value of such an investment reveals itself most clearly in times of crisis – what may seem like savings today could lead to much higher costs tomorrow”.
In-house SOC – the real costs
Let’s move on to the issue that always draws the most attention—cost.
Building and maintaining a 24/7 in-house SOC is not just about technology, but primarily about human resources. Based on our sample calculation, a basic team setup (6 full-time positions, including 4 analysts for continuous monitoring and 2 specialists for incident response and SIEM/XDR system management) generates a monthly employer cost of around 48,000 PLN, which translates to 576,000 PLN per year.
It’s important to note that this figure includes only salaries—it does not account for the cost of training, employee equipment, or licenses for advanced tools like SIEM, SOAR, or XDR.
SOC Outsourcing – cost and service scope
For comparison, an external SOC service in a subscription model (covering up to 50 incidents per month) costs 13,499 PLN per month, which amounts to 161,988 PLN annually. For this price, the organization receives:
- Full triage, threat analysis, and mitigation,
- Administration of SIEM/SOAR/XDR-class systems,
- Malware analysis in a secure environment,
- Incident handling based on a flat-fee model (no cost variability with a fixed number of incidents).
As with the in-house model, this calculation does not include the cost of tool license.
Lower cost, higher operational efficiency
When comparing both models, the annual cost difference amounts to 414,012 PLN, representing savings of approximately 72%. For many companies, this can be a decisive factor – especially in times of budget constraints and challenges in hiring qualified specialists.
But outsourcing is not just about saving money. According to the IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023, companies working with an external SOC reduce the average time to detect and contain an incident by as much as 54 days. In terms of actual financial impact, this translates to an average $1.76 million saved per incident.
Summary & recommendations: in-house SOC or outsourcing?
Before making a decision, ask yourself a few key questions:
- What type of data does your company process?
- What are your staffing and budgetary capabilities?
- Are you ready for a long-term investment, or do you need a quick deployment?
- How important is service customization to you?
Once you have the answers, assess your IT maturity level, the potential cost of a security incident, and the SOC providers available on the market. While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the question “In-house or outsourcing?”, one thing is certain:
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Bibliography:
- https://www.eweek.com/security/study-finds-companies-lack-plans-resources-to-thwart-cyber-attacks/ [Access: 22.09.2025r.]
