How to choose between 24/7 outsourced monitoring and building your own security operations centre
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Real numbers and benchmarks for UK SMEs—compare cost, deployment speed, staffing requirements, and detection capabilities.
Managed SOCs cost 60-80% less than building an in-house security team. UK SMEs spend £6,000–72,000 annually on managed services versus £96,000–360,000+ for in-house teams.12
UK SMEs face an average data breach cost of £75,0003, with detection taking 197 days on average4. A managed SOC typically achieves MTTD under 4 hours5.
An in-house SOC requires at least 6 staff for small organisations and 10+ for medium businesses6 for 24/7 coverage. Tier-1 analysts earn £45,000–60,0008, tier-2 earn £55,000–75,00010.
Managed SOCs go live in 2–4 weeks; in-house teams take 6–18 months11 to build, train, and operationalise. Email protection often live within 48–72 hours.
NCSC-assured incident response providers must respond within 1 hour maximum12 and deploy incident response teams within 24 hours globally.
75% of UK SMEs lack dedicated in-house security staff13, making outsourced 24/7 monitoring the only feasible option for continuous threat detection and response.
The math is brutal. Building an in-house SOC costs £150k in setup plus £96k/year per analyst. Amvia Managed SOC gives you a mature, NCSC-accredited security centre for 80% less—starting next month. Stop burning budget on hardware.
See the 2026 Cost BreakdownCompare 14 critical factors across cost, deployment, staffing, and operational metrics. All figures grounded in UK government and global industry research.
| Aspect | Managed SOC | In-House Security Team |
|---|---|---|
| Setup Time |
Days to weeksFast deployment Modern UK managed SOCs can be onboarded remotely in days – some providers start monitoring within a few days of contract signing. Assure Technical |
6+ months to operationalSlow build-out Designing, tooling and staffing a 24/7 in-house SOC typically takes 6+ months according to industry TCO studies. Lumifi • LMNTRIX |
| Initial Investment |
Low capexMinimal upfront Delivered as OPEX subscription with little or no hardware/SIEM capital expenditure for SMEs. NetNavi UK 2025 |
£500k–£3m+ buildHeavy capital SIEM, logging and monitoring platforms alone can cost ~$500k to implement. Total year-one costs across typical models range $1.9m–$3.9m. Lumifi • LMNTRIX |
| Monthly Cost |
From ~£500/monthPredictable OPEX UK pricing: £500–£2,000/month for small businesses, £4,000–£12,000/month for medium firms. Some start from ~£6.70/device/month. NetNavi 2025 • Assure Technical |
Significant fixed overheadHigh salary costs UK SOC analyst salaries: ~£45k–£60k. A 24/7 team (7–10 analysts) exceeds £300k+/year before technology and overhead. Barclay Simpson 2024 |
| Annual Cost (Small) |
£6,000–£24,000/yearSME-friendly UK small businesses typically spend around £6k–£24k/year on outsourced cyber security services including managed SOC/MDR. NetNavi 2025 |
£150,000+/year salariesExpensive to staff A modest team (3–4 analysts at £45k–£60k plus on-call) reaches £150k–£250k/year before tooling, SIEM licensing and management overhead. Barclay Simpson • ITJobsWatch |
| Annual Cost (Medium) |
£50,000–£140,000/yearScales with need Full managed security (including SOC & monitoring) for medium organisations runs approximately £4,000–£12,000/month in the UK. NetNavi 2025 |
£300,000–£600,000+/yearVery expensive Proper 24/7 coverage demands at least 7–10 analysts, implying hundreds of thousands in salaries annually before SIEM, EDR and infrastructure. LMNTRIX • Lumifi |
| 24/7 Coverage |
Included in serviceAlways on Managed SOC contracts are 24/7/365 by design, with SLAs aligned to NCSC guidance and MDR best practice. IBM MDR |
Complex and costlyStaffing nightmare Covering 8,760 hours/year requires at least 5 analysts (single-operator) up to 10 for dual coverage, or "at least eight analysts" by other models. LMNTRIX • Lumifi |
| Staffing |
Analysts providedNo hiring needed Provider absorbs recruiting, training and retaining scarce cyber talent in a market with an estimated 93k+ unfilled UK roles. CompTIA / ISC2 |
Hire, train, manageRecruitment burden UK research shows 44% of businesses have basic cyber skills gaps and 27% have advanced gaps, making SOC staff sourcing difficult. DSIT Skills 2024 |
| Expertise Access |
Instant specialistsImmediate expertise Managed SOC vendors pool experienced analysts, threat hunters and incident responders, giving SMEs access to skills often out of reach. ISC2 Workforce Study |
Limited by marketTalent shortage Global workforce gap is nearly 4.8 million professionals. UK organisations report significant difficulty retaining cyber talent. ISC2 2024 • ISACA 2024 |
| Scalability |
Flexible capacityHighly scalable SOC-as-a-Service lets you add or reduce coverage, data sources and endpoints as you grow, avoiding fresh capex. Lumifi |
Slow, resource-heavyNot agile Scaling requires new headcount, training and tool expansion – all constrained by skills shortage and long time-to-hire. Statista |
| Detection Time (MTTD) |
Detection in hoursFast detection MDR services explicitly aim to cut MTTD and MTTR, often targeting detection and containment in hours rather than months. IBM MDR • SentinelOne |
Average: ~200 daysSlow + risky IBM's 2024 study: average breach lifecycle is 258 days (identify + contain), with ~197 days to identify a breach. IBM 2024 • Pyralink |
| Response SLA |
1-hour responseNCSC-aligned UK NCSC's CIR standard views 1 hour as maximum reasonable response time with 24/7 contact. Many managed SOCs align SLAs accordingly. NCSC CIR Enhanced |
Internal SLAs onlyNo guarantee In-house teams set their own response targets and may not meet NCSC-style "within 1 hour" expectations without 24/7 staffing. |
| Hiring & Retention |
No recruitmentZero turnover risk Provider absorbs analyst churn and backfilling. Some studies report over 40% analyst churn annually in internal teams. Bitdefender / Ponemon |
High turnoverExpensive to replace Over half of organisations struggle to retain cyber staff, with stress, pay and limited progression key reasons. ISACA 2024 |
| Compliance |
Built-in UK expertiseGDPR, FCA, NHS, PCI, SRA Mature managed SOCs embed controls aligned to UK GDPR 72-hour rule, NCSC CIR, NHS DSPT, FCA PS21/3, SRA guidance and PCI DSS Req 10. GDPR Art.33 • DSPT • FCA PS21/3 • PCI DSS 10 |
Continuous internal effortOngoing cost Staying current with UK GDPR, ICO guidance, FCA, NHS DSPT, SRA and PCI DSS requires continuous training and policy updates. SRA • Law Society |
| Control |
Third-party operatedBurden offloaded Day-to-day detection and response handled by provider under contract with clear SLAs, reporting back into your risk framework. |
Full internal controlYou own all risk Complete control but must fund, manage and evidence SOC capabilities for regulators, customers and insurers without external guarantees. |
For most UK SMEs, a managed SOC delivers enterprise-grade monitoring at a fraction of in-house costs. Global models show in-house SOCs can exceed $1m/year (Lumifi), while UK SME budgets for outsourced security typically sit in five figures (NetNavi).
A serious breach costs SMBs around £7,960 to recover from. Investing £6k–£24k/year in managed security is far more attainable than hiring a full SOC team.
Full managed security runs £50k–£140k/year, whereas 24/7 in-house SOC (7–10 analysts + tooling) pushes costs into high six or seven figures.
Industry average: 258 days breach lifecycle, ~197 days to identify. MDR services target detection and containment in hours, not months.
41–67% of UK businesses report annual breaches, yet most lack specialists. With a 93k-person skills gap and 50%+ retention struggles, managed SOC is the pragmatic choice.
A managed Security Operations Centre (SOC), also known as managed detection and response (MDR), provides continuous monitoring of your IT infrastructure using specialised SIEM platforms, threat intelligence, and certified security analysts.
The service operates around the clock—24/7 security monitoring—detecting suspicious activity, investigating alerts, and coordinating incident response.
Detection speed is critical—while the average UK SME takes 197 days to detect a breach, a managed SOC typically achieves MTTD under 4 hours. This rapid response capability integrates seamlessly with email security solutions, which address the primary attack vector where most breaches originate.
When you engage a managed SOC service (also called an outsourced SOC), your infrastructure is connected to the provider's monitoring platform. Security analysts—trained and CISM or CISSP certified—continuously review events and logs in real-time. When a potential threat is detected, the team triages the alert, determines severity, and initiates containment steps if needed. Many managed SOC providers also include threat hunting, where analysts proactively search for indicators of compromise you may have missed.
Response times are governed by strict SLAs: mean time to acknowledge (MTTA) is typically under one hour, and mean time to detect (MTTD) is benchmarked under four hours. This compares to in-house teams that struggle with alert fatigue, staffing gaps, and inconsistent detection capabilities.
Most UK SMEs lack the budget and talent pool to build and maintain an in-house team. A managed SOC eliminates the need to hire multiple analysts, invest in expensive SIEM tools, and provide continuous training. The provider assumes responsibility for staffing, tool maintenance, compliance expertise, and incident response—turning cybersecurity from a capital-intensive headache into a predictable monthly service.
Traditional managed IT service providers (MSPs) offer antivirus, firewalls, and basic threat alerts. A managed SOC goes deeper: it includes active threat hunting, forensic analysis, detailed incident response, and compliance remediation. Traditional MSPs typically respond to tickets during business hours; a true managed SOC operates 24/7 with dedicated analysts and incident response specialists.
Beyond personnel costs, an in-house SOC requires integration with endpoint protection, communications security, and network monitoring. AMVIA's managed approach bundles your Microsoft 365 management security, email threat intelligence, and full-stack SOC capabilities into a single managed service—eliminating gaps between disconnected tools.
A "9-to-5" security team leaves you exposed for 128 hours every week. Real 24/7 monitoring requires a minimum of 6 staff and a massive payroll. We handle the nights, weekends, and bank holidays your team won't—without the recruitment nightmare.
Close Your Coverage GapUnderstand which approach fits your organisation's size, budget, and security requirements.
Even mid-market businesses with 250 employees often choose a hybrid model—a managed SOC for continuous monitoring plus an internal security team for strategy and governance. This balances cost, control, and expertise.
Compare annual costs, setup investments, and staffing requirements backed by UK government data, salary guides, and industry TCO models.
Predictable monthly subscription with zero setup fees. UK market pricing shows outsourced SOC typically costs £500–£2,000/month for small businesses and £4,000–£12,000/month for medium firms.
| Business Size | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Small 1–50 staff | £500 – 2,000 | £6,000 – 24,000 |
| Medium 50–250 staff | £2,000 – 6,000 | £24,000 – 72,000 |
| Enterprise 250+ staff | £6,000 – 15,000+ | £72,000 – 180,000+ |
High initial setup (SIEM, tools, infrastructure: ~$500k tooling alone) plus ongoing staffing and 24/7 coverage. Year-one total cost models range $1.9m–$3.9m globally.
| Business Size | Setup Cost | Annual Run Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Small 1–50 staff | £150,000 – 250,000 | £96,000 – 180,000 |
| Medium 50–250 staff | £300,000 – 500,000 | £180,000 – 360,000 |
| Enterprise 250+ staff | £500,000 – 1M+ | £360,000 – 600,000+ |
True 24/7/365 SOC coverage typically requires 5–10 analysts across multiple tiers, plus a dedicated SOC manager. Salary bands shown are UK market rates from industry surveys.
Add SIEM/EDR/SOAR tools (£50k–150k/year), infrastructure, training, and overhead. This is why industry TCO models estimate in-house SOCs cost:
The average UK SME doesn't see a breach for 6 months. By then, the data is gone. Amvia's Managed SOC benchmarks a mean-time-to-detect (MTTD) of under 4 hours. Speed isn't a luxury feature—it's the only difference between a "near miss" and a fine.
Check Your Breach RiskIt's important to be realistic when estimating the entire cost of setting up a Security Operations Centre
One critical measure of SOC effectiveness is mean time to detect (MTTD)—how quickly the team identifies a security incident. This directly affects damage containment and breach costs.
| Metric | Managed SOC | In-House Average | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| MTTD Mean Time to Detect |
<4 hours Industry standard |
197 days avg Verizon 2024 |
197-day gap = 4,728 hours for attackers to move laterally |
| MTTA Mean Time to Acknowledge |
<1 hour 24/7 coverage |
Variable Alert fatigue delays |
Immediate triage vs. delays from understaffing |
| MTTR Mean Time to Remediate |
24–72 hours NCSC standard |
Extended Staffing constraints |
Critical incidents require rapid containment |
| Alert Accuracy Relevant alerts percentage |
70–80% Relevant alerts |
40–50% False positives |
Reduced burnout, faster real threat response |
A managed SOC detects breaches in hours; an in-house team with limited staff may miss critical indicators for weeks or months, giving attackers time to move laterally and exfiltrate data. DCMS data shows the average UK breach discovery takes 197 days, resulting in far greater damage.
Security analysts in under-resourced in-house teams face alert fatigue—constant low-priority warnings that cause them to miss genuine threats.
Studies show that teams investigating 5,000+ alerts daily have a significant miss rate on real incidents. Managed SOCs, with dedicated threat intelligence and automated filtering, reduce false positives dramatically, keeping analyst focus sharp.
Automated threat intelligence and ML-powered filtering reduce noise by 50–70%, ensuring analysts focus only on genuine threats and maintain peak detection accuracy.
GDPR requires organisations to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data.
A managed SOC satisfies Article 32 requirements through:
In-house teams can meet GDPR requirements but must invest in compliance frameworks, documentation, and regular audits—costs often underestimated.
Cyber Essentials—the UK government-backed certification—does not mandate a SOC, but insurance providers and larger clients increasingly require it. A managed SOC typically includes Cyber Essentials alignment and can support compliance audits; in-house teams must implement these controls internally.
Regulatory requirements and implementation approaches across key industries.
| Sector | Requirement | Managed SOC Alignment | In-House Need |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⚖Law Firms | SRA compliance, attorney-client privilege | Built-in secure handling | Must train staff on privilege protocols |
| £Finance | FCA operational resilience, incident reporting | Formal incident response SLA | Requires documented procedures |
| 🛒Retail | PCI DSS (payment card data) | Compliance monitoring included | Must implement PCI DSS controls |
| +Healthcare | NHS Digital standards, incident reporting | Pre-built NHS frameworks | Custom implementation needed |
Most organisations focus on cost and detection speed. But the real choice involves control, customisation, and risk tolerance. Here's what each approach actually sacrifices.
Managed SOC excels at detection speed and cost efficiency; in-house excels at customisation and control. For most UK SMEs facing skill shortages and budget constraints, the 197-day detection gap makes managed SOC the pragmatic choice. For regulated industries requiring absolute data control, in-house or a hybrid model with 2–3 internal staff may be justified.
Many medium-sized businesses adopt a hybrid approach to balance cost and control.
This model typically costs £40,000–100,000 annually and combines the best of both: continuous coverage + strategic control. UK SMEs in regulated industries (law, finance, retail) often choose this approach.
Building internal capability is a year-long project of hiring, training, and buying tools. We plug into your existing infrastructure and start hunting threats in 2–4 weeks. No capital expenditure. No "learning curve." Just instant protection.
Get a Deployment TimelineComprehensive answers to common questions about security operations centres, detection times, costs, and NCSC accreditation.
Managed SOC and MDR are often used interchangeably, both providing 24/7 security monitoring, threat detection, and incident response. Technically, MDR emphasises threat hunting and faster response times, while a managed SOC may include broader compliance reporting. Amvia's managed SOC includes full MDR capabilities, threat hunting, and compliance support, combining detection speed with regulatory oversight.
Enterprise-class managed SOCs benchmark at mean time to detect (MTTD) under 4 hours, compared to 197 days for UK SMEs using in-house teams. Fast detection is critical because every hour an attacker remains undetected increases data theft risk, regulatory fine exposure, and recovery costs. Amvia's managed SOC typically detects breaches within 1–4 hours of attack initiation.
Yes—this hybrid model is common for mid-sized businesses. The managed SOC handles 24/7 monitoring and initial response; your internal team (often 2–3 staff) focuses on security strategy, compliance, threat intelligence, and employee training. This balances cost (£40,000–100,000 annually) with strategic control and avoids the £180,000+ expense of a full in-house SOC.
Many managed SOC providers hold NCSC certification under the Cyber Incident Response (CIR) scheme at Standard or Enhanced levels. NCSC certification ensures the provider meets minimum response times (1 hour maximum) and incident handling standards. Amvia is NCSC CIR certified; ask your provider for proof of accreditation before engagement.
Reputable managed SOC providers maintain redundant infrastructure across multiple UK data centres with 99.9% uptime SLAs in contracts. Additionally, providers maintain incident response capability even if monitoring temporarily fails—they respond to customer-reported incidents. In-house teams face identical outage risk without redundant infrastructure investment.
Yes—managed SOC contracts typically allow 30–90 day notice periods with no penalties. Some providers offer month-to-month contracts. Unlike in-house teams (requiring heavy hiring and training investment), managed services offer flexibility. However, switching providers may cause temporary detection gaps during transition, so plan handover carefully with overlapping monitoring periods.
Managed SOC providers integrate with most major platforms: Microsoft Defender, Cisco, Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, Splunk, and others via API connections or log forwarding. The provider's security team manages integration; you don't need internal technical resources. In-house teams must manage all integrations themselves, requiring additional staff expertise and 4–6 week implementation timelines.
Yes—this is one of the managed SOC's key strengths. A centralised managed SOC monitors all branch sites simultaneously, providing consistent threat detection across dispersed locations. In-house teams struggle to scale across multiple sites without duplicating security staff at each location, making managed SOCs ideal for businesses with 3+ office locations.
Most UK managed SOC providers offer 1–3 year contracts with flexibility options (month-to-month or 12-month rollover). Longer contracts typically offer 10–15% discounts. Reputable providers allow exit with 30–90 days' notice, balancing provider revenue protection with customer flexibility. Amvia offers 12-month agreements with 60-day termination rights.
Key metrics include mean time to detect (MTTD), mean time to acknowledge (MTTA), mean time to remediate (MTTR), alert accuracy rate (% actionable vs. false alerts), and incidents identified monthly. Request monthly or quarterly reports from your provider; transparency indicates maturity. Additionally, ask if they conduct regular penetration testing or security assessments of your environment.
Sarah Mitchell, CISSP, CISM leads AMVIA's cybersecurity practice, specializing in UK SME threat protection. Former GCHQ-certified analyst with 15 years experience in healthcare, legal, and financial services security.
All statistics and claims on this page are backed by authoritative UK government reports, industry research, and established cybersecurity organizations. Citations last verified December 2024.
Amvia Limited provides cybersecurity solutions including managed security operations centre (SOC) services and managed detection and response (MDR). This comparison reflects industry best practices, UK government guidance, and publicly available research (Verizon 2024 DBIR, NCSC CIR Standards, IBM Data Breach Report). However, managed SOC solutions represent Amvia's service offering. We've included balanced trade-offs and in-house advantages to help you assess both approaches objectively for your organisation's needs.
trusted by SMEs as well as the world's largest brands
Real numbers and benchmarks for UK SMEs—compare cost, deployment speed, staffing requirements, and detection capabilities.
Managed SOCs cost 60-80% less than building an in-house security team. UK SMEs spend £6,000–72,000 annually on managed services versus £96,000–360,000+ for in-house teams. Source: TechMagic, Reflective IT
UK SMEs face an average data breach cost of £75,000, with detection taking 197 days on average. A managed SOC typically achieves MTTD under 4 hours. Source: Forensic Control, GEO Plan
An in-house SOC requires at least 6 staff for small organisations and 10+ for medium businesses for 24/7 coverage. Tier-1 analysts earn £45,000–60,000, tier-2 earn £55,000–75,000, and SOC managers earn £70,000–100,000+. Source: Bitlyft, Wiz
Managed SOCs go live in 2–4 weeks; in-house teams take 6–18 months to build, train, and operationalise. Email protection often live within 48–72 hours. Source: Evalian, Reflective IT
NCSC-assured incident response providers must respond within 1 hour maximum and deploy incident response teams within 24 hours globally. Source: NCSC CIR Standard
75% of UK SMEs lack dedicated in-house security staff, making outsourced 24/7 monitoring the only feasible option for continuous threat detection and response. Source: GEO Plan Analysis
The math is brutal. Building an in-house SOC costs £150k in setup plus £96k/year per analyst. Amvia Managed SOC gives you a mature, NCSC-accredited security centre for 80% less—starting next month. Stop burning budget on hardware.
Compare 14 critical factors across cost, deployment, staffing, and operational metrics. All figures grounded in UK government and global industry research.
| Aspect | Managed SOC | In-House Security Team |
|---|---|---|
|
Setup Time
|
Days to weeks
Fast deployment
Modern UK managed SOCs can be onboarded remotely in days – some providers start monitoring within a few days of contract signing.
|
6+ months to operational
Slow build-out
Designing, tooling and staffing a 24/7 in-house SOC typically takes 6+ months according to industry TCO studies.
|
|
Initial Investment
|
Low capex
Minimal upfront
Delivered as OPEX subscription with little or no hardware/SIEM capital expenditure for SMEs.
|
£500k–£3m+ build
Heavy capital
SIEM, logging and monitoring platforms alone can cost ~$500k to implement. Total year-one costs across typical models range $1.9m–$3.9m.
|
|
Monthly Cost
|
From ~£500/month
Predictable OPEX
UK pricing: £500–£2,000/month for small businesses, £4,000–£12,000/month for medium firms. Some start from ~£6.70/device/month.
|
Significant fixed overhead
High salary costs
UK SOC analyst salaries: ~£45k–£60k. A 24/7 team (7–10 analysts) exceeds £300k+/year before technology and overhead.
|
|
Annual Cost (Small)
|
£6,000–£24,000/year
SME-friendly
UK small businesses typically spend around £6k–£24k/year on outsourced cyber security services including managed SOC/MDR.
|
£150,000+/year salaries
Expensive to staff
A modest team (3–4 analysts at £45k–£60k plus on-call) reaches £150k–£250k/year before tooling, SIEM licensing and management overhead.
|
|
Annual Cost (Medium)
|
£50,000–£140,000/year
Scales with need
Full managed security (including SOC & monitoring) for medium organisations runs approximately £4,000–£12,000/month in the UK.
|
£300,000–£600,000+/year
Very expensive
Proper 24/7 coverage demands at least 7–10 analysts, implying hundreds of thousands in salaries annually before SIEM, EDR and infrastructure.
|
|
24/7 Coverage
|
Included in service
Always on
Managed SOC contracts are 24/7/365 by design, with SLAs aligned to NCSC guidance and MDR best practice.
|
Complex and costly
Staffing nightmare
Covering 8,760 hours/year requires at least 5 analysts (single-operator) up to 10 for dual coverage, or "at least eight analysts" by other models.
|
|
Staffing
|
Analysts provided
No hiring needed
Provider absorbs recruiting, training and retaining scarce cyber talent in a market with an estimated 93k+ unfilled UK roles.
|
Hire, train, manage
Recruitment burden
UK research shows 44% of businesses have basic cyber skills gaps and 27% have advanced gaps, making SOC staff sourcing difficult.
|
|
Expertise Access
|
Instant specialists
Immediate expertise
Managed SOC vendors pool experienced analysts, threat hunters and incident responders, giving SMEs access to skills often out of reach.
|
Limited by market
Talent shortage
Global workforce gap is nearly 4.8 million professionals. UK organisations report significant difficulty retaining cyber talent.
|
|
Scalability
|
Flexible capacity
Highly scalable
SOC-as-a-Service lets you add or reduce coverage, data sources and endpoints as you grow, avoiding fresh capex.
|
Slow, resource-heavy
Not agile
Scaling requires new headcount, training and tool expansion – all constrained by skills shortage and long time-to-hire.
|
|
Detection Time (MTTD)
|
Detection in hours
Fast detection
MDR services explicitly aim to cut MTTD and MTTR, often targeting detection and containment in hours rather than months.
|
Average: ~200 days
Slow + risky
IBM's 2024 study: average breach lifecycle is 258 days (identify + contain), with ~197 days to identify a breach.
|
|
Response SLA
|
1-hour response
NCSC-aligned
UK NCSC's CIR standard views 1 hour as maximum reasonable response time with 24/7 contact. Many managed SOCs align SLAs accordingly.
|
Internal SLAs only
No guarantee
In-house teams set their own response targets and may not meet NCSC-style "within 1 hour" expectations without 24/7 staffing.
|
|
Hiring & Retention
|
No recruitment
Zero turnover risk
Provider absorbs analyst churn and backfilling. Some studies report over 40% analyst churn annually in internal teams.
|
High turnover
Expensive to replace
Over half of organisations struggle to retain cyber staff, with stress, pay and limited progression key reasons.
|
|
Compliance
|
Built-in UK expertise
GDPR, FCA, NHS, PCI, SRA
Mature managed SOCs embed controls aligned to UK GDPR 72-hour rule, NCSC CIR, NHS DSPT, FCA PS21/3, SRA guidance and PCI DSS Req 10.
|
Continuous internal effort
Ongoing cost
Staying current with UK GDPR, ICO guidance, FCA, NHS DSPT, SRA and PCI DSS requires continuous training and policy updates.
|
|
Control
|
Third-party operated
Burden offloaded
Day-to-day detection and response handled by provider under contract with clear SLAs, reporting back into your risk framework.
|
Full internal control
You own all risk
Complete control but must fund, manage and evidence SOC capabilities for regulators, customers and insurers without external guarantees.
|
For most UK SMEs, a managed SOC delivers enterprise-grade monitoring at a fraction of in-house costs. Global models show in-house SOCs can exceed $1m/year (Lumifi), while UK SME budgets for outsourced security typically sit in five figures (NetNavi).
A serious breach costs SMBs around £7,960 to recover from. Investing £6k–£24k/year in managed security is far more attainable than hiring a full SOC team.
Full managed security runs £50k–£140k/year, whereas 24/7 in-house SOC (7–10 analysts + tooling) pushes costs into high six or seven figures.
Industry average: 258 days breach lifecycle, ~197 days to identify. MDR services target detection and containment in hours, not months.
A managed Security Operations Centre (SOC), also known as managed detection and response (MDR), provides continuous monitoring of your IT infrastructure using specialised SIEM platforms, threat intelligence, and certified security analysts. The service operates around the clock—24/7 security monitoring—detecting suspicious activity, investigating alerts, and coordinating incident response.
Detection speed is critical—while the average UK SME takes 197 days to detect a breach, a managed SOC typically achieves MTTD under 4 hours. This rapid response capability integrates seamlessly with email security solutions, which address the primary attack vector where most breaches originate.
When you engage a managed SOC service (also called an outsourced SOC), your infrastructure is connected to the provider's monitoring platform. Security analysts—trained and CISM or CISSP certified—continuously review events and logs in real-time. When a potential threat is detected, the team triages the alert, determines severity, and initiates containment steps if needed. Many managed SOC providers also include threat hunting, where analysts proactively search for indicators of compromise you may have missed.
Response times are governed by strict SLAs: mean time to acknowledge (MTTA) is typically under one hour, and mean time to detect (MTTD) is benchmarked under four hours. This compares to in-house teams that struggle with alert fatigue, staffing gaps, and inconsistent detection capabilities.
Most UK SMEs lack the budget and talent pool to build and maintain an in-house team. A managed SOC eliminates the need to hire multiple analysts, invest in expensive SIEM tools, and provide continuous training. The provider assumes responsibility for staffing, tool maintenance, compliance expertise, and incident response—turning cybersecurity from a capital-intensive headache into a predictable monthly service.
Key Differences from Traditional MSP Security
Traditional managed IT service providers (MSPs) offer antivirus, firewalls, and basic threat alerts. A managed SOC goes deeper: it includes active threat hunting, forensic analysis, detailed incident response, and compliance remediation. Traditional MSPs typically respond to tickets during business hours; a true managed SOC operates 24/7 with dedicated analysts and incident response specialists.
Beyond personnel costs, an in-house SOC requires integration with endpoint protection, communications security, and network monitoring. AMVIA's managed approach bundles your Microsoft 365 management security, email threat intelligence, and full-stack SOC capabilities into a single managed service—eliminating gaps between disconnected tools.
Effective SOC monitoring requires visibility across your entire technology estate—from cloud platforms to on-premises infrastructure. Our managed SOC integrates with managed desktop services for complete endpoint visibility, ensuring no device or data point falls outside your security perimeter. This comprehensive approach is the foundation of any robust cybersecurity strategy designed to protect growing UK businesses.
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A "9-to-5" security team leaves you exposed for 128 hours every week. Real 24/7 monitoring requires a minimum of 6 staff and a massive payroll. We handle the nights, weekends, and bank holidays your team won't—without the recruitment nightmare.
Even mid-market businesses with 250 employees often choose a hybrid model—a managed SOC for continuous monitoring plus an internal security team for strategy and governance. This balances cost, control, and expertise.
Compare annual costs, setup investments, and staffing requirements backed by UK government data, salary guides, and industry TCO models.
Predictable monthly subscription with zero setup fees. UK market pricing shows outsourced SOC typically costs £500–£2,000/month for small businesses and £4,000–£12,000/month for medium firms.
High initial setup (SIEM, tools, infrastructure: ~$500k tooling alone) plus ongoing staffing and 24/7 coverage. Year-one total cost models range $1.9m–$3.9m globally.
True 24/7/365 SOC coverage typically requires 5–10 analysts across multiple tiers, plus a dedicated SOC manager. Salary bands shown are UK market rates from industry surveys.
Add SIEM/EDR/SOAR tools (£50k–150k/year), infrastructure, training, and overhead. This is why industry TCO models estimate in-house SOCs cost:
£1m+ per year to run properly
The average UK SME doesn't see a breach for 6 months. By then, the data is gone. Amvia’s Managed SOC benchmarks a mean-time-to-detect (MTTD) of under 4 hours. Speed isn't a luxury feature—it's the only difference between a "near miss" and a fine.
It's important to be realistic when estimating the entire cost of setting up a Security Operations Centre
One critical measure of SOC effectiveness is mean time to detect (MTTD)—how quickly the team identifies a security incident. This directly affects damage containment and breach costs.
A managed SOC detects breaches in hours; an in-house team with limited staff may miss critical indicators for weeks or months, giving attackers time to move laterally and exfiltrate data. DCMS data shows the average UK breach discovery takes 197 days, resulting in far greater damage.
Security analysts in under-resourced in-house teams face alert fatigue—constant low-priority warnings that cause them to miss genuine threats. Studies show that teams investigating 5,000+ alerts daily have a significant miss rate on real incidents. Managed SOCs, with dedicated threat intelligence and automated filtering, reduce false positives dramatically, keeping analyst focus sharp.
Automated threat intelligence and ML-powered filtering reduce noise by 50–70%, ensuring analysts focus only on genuine threats and maintain peak detection accuracy.
GDPR requires organisations to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data. A managed SOC satisfies Article 32 requirements through:
In-house teams can meet GDPR requirements but must invest in compliance frameworks, documentation, and regular audits—costs often underestimated.
Cyber Essentials—the UK government-backed certification—does not mandate a SOC, but insurance providers and larger clients increasingly require it. A managed SOC typically includes Cyber Essentials alignment and can support compliance audits; in-house teams must implement these controls internally.
Regulatory requirements and implementation approaches across key industries.
Most organisations focus on cost and detection speed. But the real choice involves control, customisation, and risk tolerance. Here's what each approach actually sacrifices.
Outsourced security operations
MTTD under 4 hours vs. 197 days for in-house average
Provider absorbs hiring costs; 93k+ UK skill gap becomes irrelevant
£500–£2,000/month for SMBs; no surprise licensing or salary escalations
Access threat data from hundreds of customer environments
Live in 2–4 weeks; no 6–18 month build-out required
Switching becomes difficult after 12+ months. Your data sits in their platform.
Detection tuning and response workflows follow vendor playbooks.
Security logs live externally. Some regulated sectors may reject this.
Outages or vendor issues become your problem to absorb.
Internal security operations
Logs stay on your infrastructure; no third-party access to events
Tailor detection rules to your exact infrastructure and risk profile
Full control over tooling; swap SIEM, EDR, or platforms anytime
Your team owns the response; no dependency on vendor SLAs
Critical infrastructure and defence may require internal-only monitoring
£500k–£3m+ setup; year 1 often exceeds £1m for 24/7 coverage.
6–18 months to hire, train, and operationalise. Unprotected while building.
93k+ unfilled UK roles. SOC analysts (£45k–£75k) take 3–6 months to hire.
40–50% of analysts leave annually. Turnover costs are relentless.
Detection misses and compliance failures are 100% your liability.
Managed SOC excels at detection speed and cost efficiency; in-house excels at customisation and control. For most UK SMEs facing skill shortages and budget constraints, the 197-day detection gap makes managed SOC the pragmatic choice. For regulated industries requiring absolute data control, in-house or a hybrid model with 2–3 internal staff may be justified.
Many medium-sized businesses adopt a hybrid approach to balance cost and control:
This model typically costs £40,000–100,000 annually and combines the best of both: continuous coverage + strategic control. UK SMEs in regulated industries (law, finance, retail) often choose this approach.
Building internal capability is a year-long project of hiring, training, and buying tools. We plug into your existing infrastructure and start hunting threats in 2–4 weeks. No capital expenditure. No "learning curve." Just instant protection.
Comprehensive answers to common questions about security operations centres, detection times, costs, and NCSC accreditation.
Sarah Mitchell, CISSP, CISM leads AMVIA's cybersecurity practice, specializing in UK SME threat protection. Former GCHQ-certified analyst with 15 years experience in healthcare, legal, and financial services security.