A Security Operations Centre (SOC) is a well-structured department dedicated to responding quickly to alerts and solving incidents. If you have ever visited or worked at a SOC, you understand how difficult it is to get systems, tools and staff to coordinate detection and response across all incoming attacks.
One of the most overbearing tasks is figuring out what threats are actually real by correlating data and coordinating the right response. With new technology arriving in the cyber world every day, teams need to stay agile, adapt and learn quickly.
Where orchestration comes in
The main challenge is to organise all new technology so it does not just create noise that drowns out real threats. Security orchestration connects security tools and integrates disparate systems. This connected layer streamlines and centralises security processes and powers automation.
What SOAR actually does
With the volume of output from today's security tools, alert fatigue is a serious problem. A SOAR product coordinates the flow of data and tasks by integrating existing tools and processes into repeatable, automatable playbooks. It connects systems, tools and processes, allowing automation where appropriate and getting more value out of the centre by reducing response time and automating repetitive manual tasks.
From luxury to necessity
Automated systems are shifting from a luxury to a necessity. Managing a variety of security tools manually is inefficient and introduces human error. The effort to manually retrieve data is extensive.
What the team gets back
Security orchestration takes those tasks and delivers results with better accuracy, leaving managers more time on the business side of their work. With SOAR in place, security teams can free themselves to focus on strategy and deeper layers of defence.
Originally published 27 April 2017. Migrated to the new IRC site in 2026.