Security

Almost half of Indian companies build SOCs to enhance cybersecurity

Among the primary reasons for establishing a Security Operations Center (SOC) are strengthening cybersecurity posture, enabling faster detection and response and gaining a competitive edge. Interestingly, despite the increasing demand for automated cybersecurity solutions, businesses rely on skilled security professionals to make key decisions, as human expertise remains essential for effective security management.

A SOC is a dedicated organizational unit responsible for continuous monitoring and safeguarding of a company's IT infrastructure. Its core mission is to proactively detect, analyze and respond to cybersecurity threats. To identify the main drivers, strategic priorities, and potential challenges in SOC planning and implementation, Kaspersky has conducted a comprehensive global study involving senior IT security specialists, managers and directors from companies with 500 or more employees. All participants operate without a Security Operations Center (SOC) but have plans to establish one in the near future. The study spans 16 countries across APAC, META, LATAM, Europe, and Russia, providing valuable insights into the emerging trends and best practices in SOC development worldwide.

The findings of the research revealed that according to respondents from India 44% of companies intend to establish SOCs mainly to strengthen their cybersecurity posture, this is a tad lower than the global result of 50%. In addition, 41% of companies here are motivated by the need to address increasingly sophisticated and dangerous threats.

Globally, the secondary drivers of building SOC include budget optimization, the necessity for faster detection and response, and the expansion of software, endpoints and user devices - factors that demand more comprehensive and layered security measures. These are cited by 41% of organizations. Additionally, 40% seek better protection of confidential information, 39% aim to meet regulatory requirements and one-third (33%) expect SOC capabilities to provide a competitive edge. Larger enterprises tend to cite each of these reasons more often, reflecting the broader operational and regulatory pressures they experience.

Continuous monitoring becomes the leading SOC requirement

Among the key functions Indian organizations plan to delegate, 24/7 security monitoring leads at 54%. This around-the-clock vigilance enables early detection of anomalies, prevents escalation and sustains cyber resilience in real time. This demand highlights a strategic requirement for proactive risk management, as organizations aim to defend against persistent threats that can strike at any moment.

Companies intending to fully outsource SOC operations show a stronger interest in applying “lessons learned” methodologies, whereas those developing internal SOCs focus more on access management to maintain tighter control.

Human expertise drives SOC technology choices

While SOCs use advanced technology, the choices made by organizations in India show that human analysts are very important. The top three selected technologies - Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems (47%), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (40%) and Threat Intelligence Platforms (38%) - are sophisticated solutions that automate data collection and reduce operational load, however, they depend heavily on skilled security professionals who provide critical context, interpret complex findings and make final decision when guiding appropriate responses.

Additional solutions chosen include Extended Detection and Response 40%, Network Detection and Response 33% and Managed Detection and Response 26%. Large enterprises Globally tend to adopt more technologies (5.5 per SOC on average), while smaller ones integrate fewer (3.8)

"To successfully build a SOC, companies must prioritize not only the right mix of technology but also the careful planning of processes, clear goal-setting and effective resource distribution. Well-defined workflows and continuous improvement are essential to ensure that human analysts can focus on critical tasks, making the SOC a proactive and adaptable component of their cybersecurity strategy," comments Roman Nazarov, Head of SOC Consulting at Kaspersky.

Adding to that Adrian Hia, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky says, “As cyberthreats in India grow in volume and sophistication, driven by rapid digitalization, cloud adoption, and the expansion of critical infrastructure, effective cybersecurity is no longer about adding more tools, but about enabling the right people behind them. A modern SOC provides the structure, visibility, and speed needed to manage today’s threat landscape, but its real strength lies in skilled professionals who can contextualize intelligence, make informed decisions, and respond decisively. At Kaspersky, we see human expertise and advanced technologies as complementary forces, working together to help Indian organizations build resilient, future-ready cybersecurity strategies.”

To successfully establish and effectively maintain your SOC, Kaspersky recommends the following:

● Engage with Kaspersky SOC Consulting during the initial setup or when enhancing your existing security operations. Our comprehensive consulting services are designed to help companies build a robust SOC and streamline its processes.

● Boost your security performance with Kaspersky SIEM, powered by advanced AI capabilities. This solution aggregates, analyzes and stores log data across your entire IT infrastructure, providing contextual enrichment and actionable threat intelligence insights.

● Protect your company against a wide range of threats with solutions from the Kaspersky Next product line that provide real-time protection, threat visibility, investigation and response capabilities of EDR and XDR for organizations of any size and industry.

● Equip your cybersecurity team with in-depth visibility into cyber threats targeting your organization. The latest Kaspersky Threat Intelligence delivers rich, contextual insights throughout the entire incident management cycle, enabling timely identification of cyber risks.