How SOC Teams Overwhelmed with Data Can Prepare for the Future

The speed and sophistication of cyber threats has increased dramatically over the last few years. An adversary’s breakout time is now 51 seconds, putting security and IT teams under greater pressure to detect, analyse and respond to threats swiftly and effectively. This sense of urgency has led to a “data paradox” in the security operation centre (SOC). As data ingestion expands to cover every potential threat, SOC teams struggle to process and analyse inputs quickly enough to deliver a resolution.

SOC teams aren’t the only ones burdened with the deluge. This influx of data also overloads security information and event management (SIEM) systems, rendering them less effective. What was once an asset has become a liability: When data can’t be quickly interpreted, critical threats are missed and valuable response time is lost. This paradox of data abundance and the inability to quickly act on it forms a key obstacle in detecting, analysing and responding to threats.

The Evolution of SIEM

To further understand the SOC’s current challenges, we can look to the origins of SIEM, a term coined by Gartner analysts Mark Nicolett and Amrit Williams in 2005 to describe a single interface for gathering security data. SIEM was initially designed to collect and correlate low-fidelity signals across systems, helping security teams identify threats that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. This approach marked a significant advancement in threat detection.

However, as data volumes and threat complexity grew, so did the limitations of legacy SIEMs. Now, these systems are often constrained by slow data processing speeds, high costs and limited storage capacities. SOC teams reliant on legacy SIEMs struggle to keep pace with data ingestion and analysis; further, financial limitations can force organisations into compromising the level of data they collect and store. As a result, these systems are substantially less effective when faced with today’s evolving cyberattacks.

There is a clear need for a solution that balances comprehensive data ingestion and cost-effective management. SOCs must be able to receive and analyse vast amounts of data without overwhelming the system or driving operational costs.

Integrating AI and Automation through Next-Gen SIEM

By integrating artificial intelligence and automation, next-gen SIEMs are revolutionising traditional security platforms. Automation and AI drastically accelerate tasks like data onboarding, data correlation and attack path visualisation. AI assistants can quickly surface critical context and summarise incidents, saving hours of tedious manual work. This workload reduction is a welcome respite for teams that have been striving to stay ahead of threat actors and keep their organisations safe.

AI-driven SIEM solutions are built to overcome data latency issues, ensuring incoming data is processed in real time for immediate threat detection and response. The benefits of these systems

are tangible: faster response times, reduced workload for SOC teams and the ability to scale data ingestion without breaking the bank.

How AI-Driven SOCs Can Transform Security Operations

It's time for SOCs to change their approach to cybersecurity operations. AI-powered tools facilitate this transformation with capabilities that better detect threats, accelerate response times, and automate workflows. An automatic response capability reduces the amount of time it takes to investigate, contain, and mitigate a threat, adding a layer of agility to security operations. When advanced AI models can automatically respond to common threats, SOC teams have more time to prioritise more complex incidents.

To anticipate and mitigate potential threats before they escalate, AI-driven predictive security capabilities can now empower SOC teams to act proactively and stay ahead of threat actors. AI enables an adaptive security posture in which systems are continuously learning from new data and can evolve to address changes in the threat landscape. This agility and adaptive ability makes security operations far more resilient.

AI: The Future of Cybersecurity

In today’s world of fast-evolving threats, AI is no longer optional — it’s essential. The use of AI-driven tools by SOC teams and security analysts is vital to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated threats, which are also leveraging AI to achieve greater speed and volume. Integrating AI into modern SIEM systems allows SOCs to resolve the data paradox by managing high data ingestion while maintaining cost-effective, real-time analysis.

For organisations today, prioritising security means prioritising AI and automation adoption, ensuring their SOC remains resilient, agile and financially sustainable. By adopting these advanced AI-powered tools, organisations can bridge the gap between data ingestion and action, allowing SOC teams to focus on what matters: protecting the business.