24/7 SOC and Its Importance for SMEs

Why Small to Medium Businesses Are the New Prime Targets in a Modern Reality

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) often believe they are too small to be on cybercriminals’ radars. However, the latest Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) and the UK Government Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025 tell a very different story.

In 2024, the number of SMB victims of cybersecurity incidents was almost four times greater than that of large businesses. In the same year, 67% of medium-sized British businesses surveyed reported experiencing a cyberattack.  

Hackers increasingly view SMBs as easy, high-value targets managing significant amounts of sensitive data with often less robust security measures compared to larger companies. Moreover, SMEs play a crucial role in supply chain attacks. For instance, their usually limited budgets hinder them from employing a dedicated security team to monitor threats day and night. That makes them the weakest link that cybercriminals can exploit to access larger companies with more valuable assets.

With attackers ready to strike at any time, 24/7 surveillance has therefore become essential. Here’s how a managed security operation centre (SOC) can help SMEs achieve comprehensive, around the clock monitoring without breaking the bank, so that they can  operate confidently and thrive, without fear.

Are You Ready to Ramp Up Your Protection? Assess Your Current Cyber  Risk Posture

According to the latest Cyber Security Breaches survey, the UK is now one of the most targeted countries for cyber attacks, with 43% of UK businesses reporting a breach in the last 12 months. This shows how critical it is for British SMEs to prioritise and strengthen their defences.

But you can’t protect what you don’t understand. A comprehensive risk assessment is the first step toward effective cybersecurity. This assessment is a holistic evaluation of your entire business’s security posture, covering policies, employee behaviour and tools.

Ensure you run the assessment before implementing any security solution. It will enable you to identify the critical assets that require protection, pinpoint vulnerabilities within your business and detect any existing gaps.

• List the critical assets you need to protect. Create an inventory of your physical and digital assets (e.g., servers, customer data, devices and applications) and evaluate exposure to potential threats. If you are unsure where to start or have limited resources, consider referencing the Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) Cybersecurity Toolkit for Small Business. It’s a valuable tool that can help you accomplish this task. 
• Map your current security landscape. Analyse your monitoring tools and defences, such as firewalls, data encryption and antivirus software. Don’t forget to evaluate your security network infrastructure and the effectiveness of policies and processes. Track down potential issues such as poor patch management, inadequate employee cybersecurity training and awareness and outdated systems.
• Evaluate your compliance obligations. Verify that you meet regulatory requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as well as other financial and industry-specific standards and regulations. Remember that they are constantly evolving, so persistent vigilance is crucial.
• Prioritise your risks. Not all risks are created equal. To focus your efforts and resources effectively and ensure no stone is left unturned, rank the identified problems based on their potential impact and likelihood. 

Once you complete this process, you’ll have a solid foundation to build your security strategy, even with limited resources. In fact, as an SME, you don’t need the heavy, isolated security infrastructure typical of larger businesses. Instead, opt for a tailored, cost-effective security strategy that reduces the burden on your IT and security teams.

This approach integrates 24/7 SOC capabilities, allowing for a seamless blend of security within broader service models. As a result, threat defence shifts from being an overwhelming task to an integrated part of everyday operations. 

Go Beyond Traditional Defences With SOC

In the 1st quarter of 2025, a CheckPoint research reported a 47% surge in cyberattacks per business and a 126% increase in ransomware incidents. Cybercriminals are moving faster, often leveraging new exploit code within 48 hours. 

In such a challenging landscape, where automation and AI tools are fuelling increasingly sophisticated attacks (e.g., polymorphic malware, infostealers and convincing phishing), continuous visibility into your business’s systems and networks is essential.

That is where SOC comes into play. Paired with traditional security tools like basic firewalls and antivirus software that provide a baseline level of security, a modern SOC introduces a proactive approach to cybersecurity that includes:

• Real-time monitoring. A dedicated team of cybersecurity experts monitors your business systems around the clock, every day of the year. That allows you to quickly spot anomalies and suspicious patterns, significantly reducing the time attacks remain undetected (i.e., dwell time).
• Advanced anomaly detection. The SOC team leverages Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), artificial intelligence (AI), threat intelligence and automated detection tools to continuously collect and analyse security logs, network data and endpoint activity. This proactive approach empowers you to stay ahead of malicious actors and evolving cyber threats.

What Is a SOC and Why Should You Implement It? 

A security operation centre is a blend of sophisticated tools and human expertise. SOC combines advanced technologies with skilled analysts who investigate and respond to threats such as ransomware, phishing and other cyber risks within minutes, before they can harm your business. 

This effective strategy helps you dramatically minimise the chances of falling victim to an attack, minimising the average time it takes to identify a security incident after it occurs (i.e.,  mean time to detect or MTTD) and the mean time to respond (MTTR).

Ultimately, by integrating SOC capabilities into your security strategy, you not only gain advanced software and sophisticated protection tools. You get a team of experts that works with those tools to understand the data, recognise patterns and respond promptly to evolving threats. 

Hackers Don’t Take Weekends Off. Here’s Why and What You Can Do About It

52% of ransomware attacks analysed by Semperis occurred on a weekend or during holidays. Attackers strategically launch their campaigns at quiet times. Acting during nights, weekends, or holidays, they aim to exploit the fact that often businesses have limited resources available after hours. Notable examples include:

• The Ingram Micro ransomware attack. The incident, which caused worldwide outages in 2025, occurred shortly before the U.S. Independence Day holiday. 
• The supply chain attack that hit Blue Yonder. The cyberattack had a ripple effect with major retailers like Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Starbucks and their customers just before Thanksgiving. 
• The 2023 MOVEit data extortion. The breach that exposed employees’ data from British Airways, Boots and the BBC made the first victims a couple of days before Memorial Day weekend. 

In each of these cases, the delayed response to patches and mitigation actions resulted in significant operational downtime and reputational damage for the affected businesses.  

SMEs Are Prime Targets and Get Hit the Worst

Since most SMEs can’t afford to keep an incident response team operational during the weekends or holidays, the mean time to detect (MTTD) an attack can extend for hours.

Thus, malicious actors maximise this window of opportunity to escalate privileges, infecting and encrypting systems without the risk of being disturbed or detected.

But, for an SME, an attack going unnoticed for eight to sixteen hours over a weekend can translate into devastating consequences, like, for example:

• Significant data loss. 
• Operational disruption.
• Reputation damage.
• Financial loss. 

Such an outcome can be fatal, as 78% of SMBs polled by ConnectWise confirmed.

Adopt a Security Strategy that Operates Around the Clock

Although you can’t stop holidays or weekends, you can minimise the risk of attacks by implementing a managed SOC. It will ensure that professionals monitor your business’s networks at all times, even when your teams are out of the office.

A 24/7 managed SOC significantly reduces the danger of undetected breaches and enables swift, informed responses to any suspicious activity, no matter when it occurs.

The Strategic Value of a Managed 24/7 SOC

Many businesses mistakenly believe that simply receiving automated alerts about potential security threats 24/7 is sufficient for effective security. However, the real strength of a managed SOC lies in its comprehensive approach to cybersecurity, which encompasses  several key aspects:

• Human Analysis. Trained security analysts review alerts to assess the severity and relevance of threats properly and in a timely way.
• Threat Intelligence Integration. Up-to-date threat intelligence, including behavioural analysis, enhances the SOC’s ability to detect and mitigate emerging risks.
• Guided Response Capabilities. Expert analysts provide strategic remediation steps tailored to the business’s specific security environment.

A Managed SOC Is More Than Just Alerts

Additionally, a carefully implemented managed 24/7 security operation centre offers essential services that significantly enhance your business’s security posture.

• Correlation of Events. Security teams identify genuine threats by correlating events from various sources. This allows them to pinpoint genuine threats among a sea of alerts. For example, several failed login attempts followed by a sudden success might be flagged as suspicious by automated tools. However, only a human expert can understand if the event is due to an employee forgetting a password or to a malicious attack. 
• False Positive Filtering. Advanced filtering helps prioritise critical threats, allowing teams to focus on real security issues while eliminating false positives or irrelevant alerts.
• Forensic Analysis. An in-depth investigation of detected incidents enables you to understand the origin, nature and scope of attacks. It lets you provide context that automated alerts may lack, allowing you to build a better response and prevent false positives. 
• Actionable Remediation Guidance. SOC’s security professionals not only identify and report incidents. They collaborate with your internal IT staff to develop clear, effective response strategies tailored to the business’s infrastructure. This collaboration streamlines incident response processes, thereby reducing potential damage and improving recovery times.
• Fast response. When a threat is detected, it’s addressed immediately, regardless of whether it happens during business hours or at night. This empowers you to deploy effective countermeasures such as isolating compromised devices, locking accounts, or forcing password changes on the spot, before the attack can cause significant damage. 
• Compliance with regulations. A managed SOC facilitates auditing and reporting to ensure compliance with privacy regulations and industry standards such as GDPR and PCI DSS, hence lowering legal and financial risks. 

Managed SOC: the Perfect Solution for SMEs

For SMEs, staffing a round-the-clock, in-house team of security analysts is often economically unviable. In contrast, partnering with a managed SOC, such as Acora One’s Cyber Security Pro service, SMEs can access an affordable, scalable solution that includes world-class security capabilities without the burden of hiring and maintaining a large team.

This strategic partnership not only enhances security but also helps businesses focus on growth and innovation while knowing their digital assets are protected by expert professionals. And if your business grows or your needs change, Acora One’s Pro service grows and adapts with you.

From Detection to Defence: Integrating 24/7 Monitoring Into Your Business Strategy

Integrating 24/7 monitoring into your business strategy lets you transform cybersecurity from a mere IT expense into a strategic business investment that extends beyond technical improvements.

Our managed SOC solution provides you with enterprise-level protection without the associated high cost, which gives you:

• Enhanced Business Continuity. Improved monitoring lets you reduce downtime and mitigate the financial consequences of successful attacks.
• Peace of Mind. Leaders and business owners will be able to focus on core business activities without the constant worry of potential security breaches.
• Professional Commitment to Data Protection. Demonstrating a serious commitment to protecting client and partner data enhances your brand’s reputation, fostering trust and confidence among customers and stakeholders.

In summary, cyberthreats are rapidly evolving. To survive and thrive, SMEs must therefore adapt, acknowledge that they are not immune to these threats and invest in the necessary resources to protect their operations. 

A 24/7 SOC is a fundamental element of responsible business growth and resilience. It empowers you to face these challenges head-on, laying the foundation for a proactive strategy that ensures you can focus on your core operations while prioritising security. 

So, don’t let your business become a statistic. Enhance your security posture and extend your threat coverage to 365 days per year, 24/7, with Acora One. Remember, hackers don’t take weekends off, and your security shouldn’t either.