The Growing Need for 24/7 Security Monitoring
Cybersecurity monitoring has become increasingly important for organizations of all sizes, especially as threat actors target vulnerabilities outside regular business hours. Small businesses experienced a nearly 50% cyberattack rate between January and June of 2026 alone. These incidents occur every 7 seconds and for organizations with limited resources, maintaining continuous internal monitoring has become incredibly difficult.
Today, business leaders need to determine what the most practical way to maintain effective security monitoring is. Organizations generally see two approaches: building and maintaining an in-house Security Operations Center (SOC) or outsourcing these capabilities through SOC-as-a-Service.
What You Will Learn
- Building an internal SOC that can monitor activity 24/7/365 from scratch costs around $1.5 million to over $3 million in annual costs.
- Outsourcing your security needs to a SOC-as-a-Service makes costs predictable and less expensive, costing SMBs between $40 to $120 per user per month instead of millions.
- With cyber attacks only taking 20 to 40 minutes for lateral movement, 24/7 monitoring is more important than ever to detect and deter modern cyber threats that regular security teams cannot fight against.
- AI-driven threats like those of credential phishing have increased by 700% in recent years, and not having the proper security staff to counteract these new threats will be detrimental to your organization.
The True Cost of an In-House SOC in 2026
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An in-house SOC requires much more than just purchasing security software; you also need to hire staff. The median annual salary for cybersecurity professionals reached approximately $120,000 in 2025, which is nearly double the national average and this doesn’t include the cost of benefits. Benefits account for almost 30% of the total compensation.
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24/7/365 staffing is a challenge since you will need multiple people working varied shifts. Data shows that a viable 24/7 in-house SOC annually costs roughly $1.5 million at a minimum and upwards of $3 million once fully staffed including systems and overhead. To complicate SOCs, 55% of cybersecurity teams report being understaffed.
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If an organization fails to maintain this coverage, the financial consequences can be devastating if the organization is breached. Average losses for small businesses have reached over $250,000 per breach.
SOC-as-a-Service: What You're Actually Paying for
SOC-as-a-Service provides organizations with an outsourced, fully managed security operations center. When using this service, organizations typically have 24/7/365 security monitoring, dedicated security analysts, alert investigation, SIEM management, and incident response capabilities.
The key insight is that SOC-as-a-Service converts fixed internal costs into a singular operating expense. Rather than spending millions building an internal team, 24/7 SOC monitoring costs a typical SMB roughly $40 to $120 per user per month as a managed service. However, it is important to note that not every provider offers the same solutions. Organizations must ensure their chosen partner provides 24/7 human analyst involvement and robust threat detection capabilities.
In-House SOC vs. SOC-as-a-Service: Cost Comparison
| Feature | In-House SOC | SOC-as-a-Service |
|---|---|---|
| Financial Model | $1.5M to $3M+ annual investment | Predictable recurring monthly or annual costs |
| Staffing Costs | Internal recruiting, benefits, turnover, and 24/7 shift management | Outsourced expertise with provider managing staffing |
| Technology | Independent licensing, infrastructure and maintenance costs | Technology and platform costs are typically included in the service |
| Scalability | Fixed infrastructure that is slow and expensive to expand | Highly scalable services that adjust to organizational growth |
24/7 Coverage: The Biggest Operational Difference
Cyber attacks now only take around 4 minutes to move laterally from initial access to a full system compromise with the average hovering between just 20 to 40 minutes. One or two internal security employees working standard hours cannot realistically provide sustainable 24/7 monitoring.
Without continuous monitoring, breaches become far more expensive. IBM’s recent data shows that organizations with severe security staffing shortages experienced breach costs of $1.57 million to $1.76 million higher on average than fully staffed organizations. SOC-as-a-Service provides an advantage through distributed analyst teams, guaranteeing instant detections of vectors like anomalous logins or denial-of-service attacks during off hours.
Expertise, Technology, and Scalability
Keeping pace with evolving threats requires constant technological adaptation and scalability. For instance, AI-driven cybercrime is accelerating rapidly with credential phishing increasing by 700% year over year. An in-house SOC offers greater direct control, but the organization is completely responsible for keeping tools current against these surging AI threats. This is a challenge since 90% of organizations currently have skill gaps in their existing teams.
SOC-as-a-Service provides immediate access to specialized security personnel who have broad exposure to security events across various global environments. For smaller organizations, having on-demand access to this expertise is often far more valuable than buying more security tools for their current staff to manage.
Which SOC Model Is Right for Your Organization?
The right model depends on an organization’s risk profile, budget, and compliance requirements. An in-house SOC makes sense for large enterprises with security budgets and highly complex environments. On the other hand, SOC-as-a-Service is ideal for SMBs and organizations dealing with a limited cybersecurity team. Knowing that 60% of small companies close within 6 months of being attacked, continuous monitoring is non-negotiable. It also provides a lifeline for companies struggling to recruit security talent but needing predictable costs and immediate, as well as constant protection. Organizations must evaluate their options based on total cost, total coverage, scalability, and operational risk—not just the monthly price tag.
At Total Assure, we help SMBs access enterprise-level security capabilities without having to build and staff an entire SOC internally. From continuous MDR to strict compliance support, we bridge the gap between risk and resilience.
About Total Assure
Total Assure provides uninterrupted business operations with our dedicated 24/7/365 in-house SOC, robust managed security solutions, and expert consulting services. Total Assure provides cost-efficient, comprehensive, and scalable cybersecurity solutions that leverage 30 years of experience and expertise. Total Assure partners with its customers to identify security gaps, develop attainable cybersecurity objectives, and deliver comprehensive cybersecurity solutions that protect their businesses from modern cybersecurity threats.
For more information on how Total Assure can assist your organization in achieving 24/7/365 monitoring, contact our team directly.
