Tools and technologies used in SOC

In 2024, cybercrime cost the global economy nearly $9.5 trillion, according to a report by Cybersecurity Ventures. Data is the new gold, and today, companies are facing a constantly growing number of threats and doing everything they can to counter them effectively. This makes the Security Operations Center an indispensable asset — the digital shield of your company. Today, we’ll look at the most important tools such as SIEM, EDR, SOAR, and Threat Intelligence – the key components of an effective SOC. 

A Security Operations Center is not just a physical space with analysts in front of screens. It’s a set of integrated technologies operating in real time, monitoring and analyzing hundreds of thousands of events. How does a SOC work daily? The goal of the SOC is to detect incidents as quickly as possible, analyze them, and then respond effectively — preferably in an automated way. In the world of cybersecurity, time is not just money – it’s the difference between neutralizing an attack and suffering its catastrophic consequences. The key elements of this puzzle are: SIEM, EDR, SOAR, and threat intelligence platforms.

SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) is the technological command center of the SOC — the true heart of data analysis. This tool collects logs from various systems (firewalls, operating systems, cloud applications), then aggregates and correlates the data to detect suspicious patterns. 

SIEM solutions such as Microsoft Sentinel, Splunk, IBM QRadar, or LogRhythm enable large-scale anomaly detection and threat analysis. Their undeniable advantages include great flexibility and adaptability to any environment, while their drawbacks include implementation complexity and high maintenance costs. This is a solution for those who want to see broadly and deeply — like a satellite over the company’s infrastructure. 

While SIEM works globally, EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) focuses on protecting specific devices, also called endpoints — laptops, servers, smartphones. EDR solutions such as Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, SentinelOne, or CrowdStrike monitor behavior at the level of processes, files, or system registries. 

EDR detects ransomware-like activity, stops suspicious processes, and isolates infected devices from the network. This limits the spread of threats and gives analysts time to respond. In the era of remote work, EDR is the foundation of corporate infrastructure protection. 

SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation and Response) takes control of repetitive tasks. By integrating with SIEM, EDR, and other tools, SOAR automates incident analysis, classification, and response. 

Systems like Palo Alto Cortex XSOAR, Splunk SOAR, or IBM Resilient allow alerts to be quickly closed, notifications to be sent to the team, or even user access to be blocked — all without human involvement. This not only saves time but also reduces errors caused by human negligence. In an innovative SOC, humans delegate while machines respond. 

A modern SOC needs knowledge about what is happening in the threat landscape. This is where threat intelligence platforms (TIP) come in, providing information about indicators of compromise (IOC), attack techniques (TTP), and APT group activity. 

Solutions such as MISP, Recorded Future, or Anomali integrate with SIEM and SOAR, improving detection quality and enabling proactive protection. With them, the SOC knows how to recognize and neutralize a threat even before it reaches the organization. It’s our secret informant in the cybercrime world — revealing attack details before it even begins. 

A modern SOC needs to understand what is happening in the threat landscape. This is where threat intelligence platforms (TIP) come into play, providing information about indicators of compromise (IOC), attack techniques (TTP), and APT group activity.

Solutions such as MISP, Recorded Future, or Anomali integrate with SIEM and SOAR, improving detection quality and enabling proactive defense. Thanks to them, the SOC knows how to identify and neutralize threats before they even reach the organization. It acts as our secret informant in the world of cybercrime—revealing the details of an attack even before it is carried out.

An effective SOC is an integrated ecosystem, in which open APIs and standardized interfaces (e.g., STIX/TAXII, REST) play a crucial role. Thanks to them, SIEM, EDR, SOAR, and threat intelligence can seamlessly cooperate, exchange data, and automate responses. Organizations can take two paths: 

• The modular path, where the best tools in each category are selected and integrated, 
• Or the all-in-one approach, choosing a comprehensive platform (e.g., Microsoft 365 Defender, Cortex, QRadar Suite). 

 

“Every integration between SIEM, EDR, and SOAR is a touchpoint that must not only be configured but also constantly monitored. An API is not magic – you need to know what connects and why, to ensure the system behaves predictably”.

 

Modularity offers flexibility, while all-in-one ensures faster implementation. But in both cases, the key role is played by the SOC engineer, responsible for integration, configuration, alert tuning, and maintaining system coherence. 

 

“Integrating tools is one thing, but the key lies in their configuration and ongoing tuning. That’s why more and more companies rely on external SOC providers — it’s access to know-how that can’t be built overnight”.

 

And if you’re aiming for deeper detection and analyst support, regardless of the path chosen, it’s worth considering supporting tools such as NDR (ExtraHop, Vectra), UEBA (Exabeam, Securonix), or honeypots.

The SOC uses integrated technologies: SIEM, EDR, SOAR, TIP – creating a system resistant to cyberattacks. Automation, integration, and up-to-date data are the foundation of effective protection today. SOC is not a sprint, but a marathon – but with the right tools, you’re running with turbo boost.