SOC and compliance

In a world where new regulations appear faster than cloud applications, companies face a double challenge: protecting themselves against cyberattacks and proving that they do so in accordance with the law. GDPR, ISO 27001, NIS2 and DORA make up a set that can give even the most experienced IT managers a headache. 

Fortunately, we are not alone on this side of the barricade. The Security Operations Center, which we have already discussed in articles such as What is SOC? and How to Build a SOC?, is now not only a response center but also “material evidence” that a company takes compliance seriously. 

Regulators have never been known for their sense of humor, but 2024 proved that they have stepped up their efforts even more. According to the Enforcement Tracker (CMS), the number and value of penalties, as well as the average fines in 2024, have significantly increased, showing a growing scale of sanctions for data protection violations. 

Industry research also clearly shows a significant increase in cybersecurity spending -PwC indicates that nearly 77% of organizations expect budget growth in the area of digital trust, while EY reports document high levels of increasing attention and planned investments in cybersecurity*.  

The trend is clear: Incidents are no longer evaluated only by what happened, but by how the company responded. 

And a SOC is the place where that response is created, measured, and meticulously documented. 

If someone still associates SOC only with a team of analysts staring at black screens, we sound the alarm – it’s high time to update that vision!

Today’s SOC is: 

• an analytical center operating 24/7, 
• a source of reports and evidence for auditors, 
• the heart of security processes, 
• a tool that truly supports regulatory compliance. 

What’s more – SOC integrates data from across the organization to create a complete security picture. That’s why it’s used not only by IT teams, but also compliance and audit departments. 

“If data is the fuel of modern organizations, logs and monitoring are their black boxes – and SOC is the team that knows how to read them. At Euvic, we approach the security area – as every other – by prioritizing quality. That’s why we provide our clients with security that meets all, even the strictest, standards“.

GDPR leaves no doubt: an incident must be detected quickly, documented, and – if it involves personal data – reported within 72 hours. The problem is that industry analyses and supervisory reports show that many organizations struggle with delays in detecting and reporting violations, significantly increasing not only the risk of sanctions but also costs*. 

Additionally, industry reports (e.g., IBM and market analyses*) show that the average time to identify an incident is still high (hundreds of days in the detection/closure cycle), and as we know – time is money, so quick detection is simply crucial.  

This is why SOC addresses modern challenges and changes the game: 

• detects anomalies in near real-time, 
• correlates data from SIEM, EDR and identity services, 
• automatically classifies incidents with GDPR in mind, 
• prepares reports enabling structured, non-chaotic notification, 
• documents every decision and action. 

Moreover, UEBA mechanisms are becoming increasingly popular, allowing detection of unusual user behavior before it becomes a real threat. This “proactivity” makes SOC a key element in meeting Articles 32 and 33 of GDPR. 

ISO 27001 is a standard that requires more than good intentions – it demands consistent risk and process monitoring. And this fits the SOC’s mission perfectly. 

SOC supports the most important elements of key controls: 

• A.12 – through logs, monitoring, and access control, 
• A.16 – through a full incident management lifecycle, 
• A.5 – through security policies based on hard operational data. 

Real case studies clearly confirm it – preparing for audits and gathering evidence is significantly faster when a company has SOC operational data. This can save even dozens of hours of work*. 

It’s no surprise that organizations with a functioning SOC pass audits faster – they are simply ready for them, because most evidence already exists, is consistent, and ready to be presented. 

Importantly, auditors often identify SOC as tangible proof of ISMS maturity after all, operational data can express more than a thousand words. 

• Reduces the risk of fines and violations (detection and documentation).
• Streamlines GDPR and ISO audits (ready-made evidence and reports).
• Centralizes incident documentation.
• Increases transparency of IT activities.
• Automates procedures thanks to SOAR.
• Strengthens trust of customers and partners.

If this sounds good and you want to learn about the tools behind it all, check out our article: SOC Tools: SIEM, EDR, SOAR.

“In a well-organized SOC, compliance is not an add-on to security – it is its natural outcome. If incidents are detected quickly, analyzed thoroughly and properly documented, compliance with GDPR or ISO 27001 becomes a natural consequence of SOC operations“.

SOC is no longer just a “firefighting” team. In the era of NIS2, DORA, and increasing supervisory requirements, it is becoming a key element of an organization’s compliance strategy. It provides monitoring, documentation, evidence, and full operational transparency – exactly what regulators expect. 

Therefore, investing in a SOC is not only a guarantee of security but also a foundation for building resilience and accountability across the entire organization. 

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Bibliography:

1. https://cms.law/en/media/international/files/publications/publications/gdpr-enforcement-tracker-report-may-2024 [access: 08.12.2025r.]
2. https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/news-room/press-releases/2024/pwc-2025-global-digital-trust-insights.html [access: 08.12.2025r.]
3. https://www.edpb.europa.eu/our-work-tools/our-documents/annual-report/edpb-annual-report-2024_en [access: 08.12.2025r.]
4. https://www.varonis.com/blog/data-breach-statistics [access: 08.12.2025r.]
5. https://sprinto.com/shellkode-case-study/ [access: 08.12.2025r.]