The terms in plain English
- SOC (Security Operations Center): the team and tools that watch your systems for attacks and respond.
- Managed SOC / SOC as a service: an outside provider runs that SOC for you, 24/7, usually across your logs, cloud, endpoints and network.
- MDR (Managed Detection and Response): a provider that focuses on spotting and actively stopping threats. It is often built around EDR (software on each computer that spots and stops attacks).
- MSSP (Managed Security Service Provider): a broader term for outsourced security. It often means managing devices like firewalls and passing on alerts.
How they compare
| Managed SOC | MDR | Traditional MSSP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Broad: logs, cloud, endpoints, network, SaaS | Often endpoint-led, growing wider | Devices and alerts |
| Response | Investigates and responds, with your playbooks | Hands-on containment, such as isolating a laptop | Often notifies you to act |
| Threat hunting | Usually included | Core part of the service | Sometimes |
| Compliance reporting | Strong, useful for SOC 2 and ISO 27001 | Varies | Varies |
In practice the lines blur. The useful question is not the label. It is what the provider will really do at 3 a.m. when something looks wrong.
Questions to ask any provider
- Which of our systems will you monitor: cloud, endpoints, identity, SaaS apps, network?
- Who looks at alerts, and how fast? Ask for real response time figures, not just "24/7".
- What will you do on your own, and what needs our approval? Can you isolate a device or disable an account?
- Do you hunt for threats (look for hidden attackers), or only react to alerts?
- What reports do we get, and will they work as evidence for SOC 2 or ISO 27001?
- What happens in a major incident? Is incident response included or extra?
What it costs
Pricing is usually monthly. It is based on what is monitored: the number of users or endpoints (laptops, servers and phones), log volume and cloud accounts. Building your own 24/7 SOC needs several full-time analysts to cover every shift, plus tools. So a managed service is usually far cheaper for small and mid-size companies.
Which do you need?
- Small team, mostly laptops and SaaS: an MDR-style service may be enough.
- Cloud platform, customer data, SOC 2 or ISO 27001: a managed SOC that covers cloud, login and app logs, with compliance reports.
- High-risk sectors such as fintech or iGaming: a managed SOC that also watches for signs of fraud and account takeover.
Our 24/7 SOC monitoring covers detection, investigation and response, with monthly reports you can use as audit evidence.
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Written by
NextGarrison Security TeamPenetration testers, SOC analysts and compliance consultants
Our consultants test applications and networks, run 24/7 security monitoring and prepare companies for SOC 2, ISO 27001 and PCI DSS assessments. We write about what we see in real engagements, in plain English.