Tl;dr: A network operations center (NOC) focuses on day-to-day network operations and performance, while a security operations center (SOC) specifically focuses on security threats and protecting against cyber threats.
In this post, we’ll explore similarities and differences between the NOC and SOC. Then we’ll take a look at some tools that help NOCs and SOCs accomplish their core functions—as well as some tips for overcoming the main challenges to their smooth operation within your organization.
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What is a NOC?
The network operations center (NOC) team keeps the network running smoothly. They are responsible for maintaining network infrastructure performance: uptime, connectivity, and speed.
This includes activities like:
Using network monitoring systems (NMS) and performance monitoring tools to collect data on bandwidth usage, latency, packet loss, and more to ensure networks are running smoothly
Troubleshooting and analyzing networks as needed to pinpoint the source of connectivity issues
Implementing redundant systems, performing routine maintenance, and proactively planning for future needs to keep networks stable over time
The NOC team also oversees proactive measures related to the network like upgrading hardware, software, and firmware (including incorporating AI); capacity planning to avoid bottlenecks; and phasing out end-of-life hardware.
What is a SOC?
The security operations center (SOC) team is responsible for preventing cyberattacks such as malware or intrusion. They do this through establishing security baselines, identifying and mapping cloud assets and resources, threat intelligence, and more.
SOC activities may include:
Conducting threat modeling and vulnerability assessments to identify and prioritize risks
Implementing security information and event management (SIEM) systems for log analysis to spot malicious activity
Establishing and following playbooks to respond, remediate, and recover from security incidents
Regularly scanning for and patching vulnerabilities in systems and applications
Using a variety of detection methods to search for and investigate security risks and suspicious activity
The SOC team may also help meet regulatory requirements like NIST and HIPAA. NOC teams, too, will be part of compliance efforts across the organization.
What are some similarities and differences between NOC and SOC?
While NOC and SOC perform very different functions in your organization, as you can see, there are also multiple areas of overlap.
How are NOC and SOC different from one another?
The scope, skillsets, and metrics required to run the NOC and SOC are very different.
| NOC | SOC | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Focuses on optimizing network performance | Focuses on preventing and detecting cyber threats |
| Skillsets | Strong networking skillsTitles may include network support engineer, network administrator, network architect, CTO | Technical and security skills Titles may include security analyst, incident responder, security architect, CISO |
| Metrics | Networking metrics may include uptime, availability, latency, bandwidth utilization, mean time to resolution (MTTR) for outages | Security metrics may include number of incidents, mean time to detection (MTTD), mean time to resolution (MTTR), false positive rates, compliance audits |
How do NOC and SOC work together in cloud environments?
NOC and SOC teams complement each other’s tasks to complete the big picture of enterprise cloud operations. But it’s important to remember that the goals of each team may be slightly different.
| NOC | SOC |
|---|---|
| Manages underlying IT infrastructure | Focuses on higher-level security functions |
| Optimizes resources for cost and functionality | Mitigates security risk and protects data |
| Generally works proactively but also responds to network problems | Works both proactively and reactively to contain and mitigate damage |
Keeping these differences in mind, there are several areas where NOC and SOC work together:
Incident response
Both NOC and SOC teams play critical roles in responding to incidents, but their focus areas differ:
NOC: Concentrates on isolating networks, restoring service, and ensuring minimal downtime.
SOC: Focuses on containment; eradication of threats; and forensic analysis to identify attackers, vulnerabilities, and attack vectors. For instance, if a cloud-hosted application is compromised, the SOC team will analyze logs to trace the breach, while the NOC works to reestablish functionality.
Effective communication and coordination between the two teams are essential for timely incident resolution.
Security monitoring
Continuous monitoring is a shared responsibility, but each team prioritizes different aspects:
NOC: Monitors performance metrics, resource utilization, and system availability to prevent downtime or resource wastage.
SOC: Investigates security alerts such as suspicious login attempts, unusual traffic patterns, or unauthorized access. Advanced tools like SIEM and threat intelligence platforms aid SOC teams in identifying potential threats in real time.
Together, these teams ensure comprehensive visibility into both operational and security-related aspects of the cloud environment.
Posture management
Maintaining a strong cloud security posture requires input from both teams:
NOC: Ensures the infrastructure is configured according to best practices and compliance standards. For example, the NOC may implement microsegmentation to enhance network security.
SOC: Identifies and mitigates security vulnerabilities. For instance, if a sudden spike in traffic suggests a DDoS attack, the SOC takes immediate action to stop malicious processes while the NOC stabilizes the affected systems.
Collaboration here ensures that both infrastructure and security configurations align with organizational goals and compliance requirements.
Policy development and implementation
Both teams contribute to creating and enforcing cloud policies. For example:
The rise of “Bring-Your-Own-Device” (BYOD) policies requires the NOC to focus on network access controls and bandwidth optimization, while the SOC ensures robust authentication, endpoint security, and data protection measures.
The development of access control policies may require the NOC to manage technical implementations (e.g., network segmentation), while the SOC ensures policies comply with regulations like GDPR or HIPAA.
This collaboration ensures policies are comprehensive, balancing technical efficiency with security compliance.
Tools and technologies used in NOC and SOC
Both NOC and SOC teams rely on a wide range of tools to fulfill their distinct yet complementary roles in managing and securing enterprise cloud environments.
NOC tools
NOC tools are designed to monitor and maintain the health, performance, and availability of IT infrastructure while optimizing resource utilization. Common tools include:
Network monitoring and observability tools: These tools provide real-time insights into network health, performance, traffic patterns, and configuration issues. Features like deep packet inspection allow for granular visibility into data flows.
Provisioning, deployment, and configuration tools: These streamline processes such as resource provisioning and infrastructure-as-code (IaC) deployments to reduce human error and improve operational efficiency.
Automated analysis tools: Leverage automation to identify and resolve network bottlenecks, misconfigurations, or potential performance issues proactively.
Application performance monitoring (APM): Tools that help track the health and performance of applications running on cloud environments.
SOC tools
SOC tools focus on protecting the organization’s cloud environment from cyber threats, vulnerabilities, and breaches. These include:
Detection and Response Tools: Detect and respond to threats across endpoints, networks, and cloud environments.
Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS): Detect unauthorized access or malicious activities within the network.
Threat intelligence platforms: Provide actionable insights by aggregating and analyzing data about emerging threats, attack patterns, and vulnerabilities.
Vulnerability scanning tools: Identify weaknesses in infrastructure, applications, and configurations that could be exploited by attackers.
Security information and event management (SIEM): Consolidate and analyze logs from various sources to identify and respond to suspicious activities.
Security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR): Automate workflows and orchestrate responses to security incidents to improve efficiency and reduce mean time to respond (MTTR).
Shared tools
NOC and SOC teams also leverage several tools that overlap in functionality, enabling collaboration and unified visibility across cloud operations:
Monitoring and logging platforms: Essential for tracking and analyzing performance and security data in real time, providing critical insights for both operational and security teams.
Ticketing systems and collaboration platforms: Facilitate communication between teams and ensure efficient tracking of incidents and tasks.
Data visualization tools: Dashboards unify data from all environments, providing a "single pane of glass" for better situational awareness. This capability is critical for identifying patterns, trends, and anomalies across the IT environment.
Automation platforms: Enable both teams to streamline repetitive tasks and ensure consistency in responses, from infrastructure provisioning to incident resolution.
What are some challenges in operating NOCs and SOCs?
Despite lots of overlap between NOC and SOC functions, they’re often siloed, which can cause problems. One side may not know what the other is doing, leading to redundant efforts or gaps in coverage.
Sometimes their functions may even clash around fundamental issues like uptime vs. risk. The NOC generally prioritizes minimizing service disruptions and maintaining uptime. This could come into conflict with SOC goals, which require security measures like patching, scans, or pen testing that can lead to resource instability, reboots, or temporary service interruptions.
Another issue that NOC and SOC may disagree on is performance vs. controls. The NOC strives to provide fast, direct network paths and minimal latency. But SOC tasks like establishing security checkpoints, traffic inspection, and additional authentication steps slow things down almost by definition.
In addition to these inherent conflicts, sometimes the toolsets used by each department don’t work well together.
Open-source is one culprit here. Even though there are many excellent and popular open-source options available, choosing these solutions could reinforce silos because their functionality is so limited. This leads to a patchwork of tools that often ends up duplicating work, along with massive alert volumes, leading to fatigue and overwork.
Plus, when tools aren’t designed to work together, they can’t benefit from each other’s data. With each tool running in a separate box, there’s a limit to how much insight it can offer you.
When it comes to breaking down silos and simplifying efforts across your entire organization—rather than just for a single team—integrated solutions are a better bet, giving you the big picture and letting all your teams work smarter.
How Wiz Defend enhances SOC cloud operations
There’s often a strong relationship between NOC and SOC teams when managing cloud security incidents. While NOC teams focus on infrastructure performance and uptime, SOC teams detect and respond to security threats. Wiz provides a CNAPP that bridges security and operational gaps, delivering full code-to-cloud protection across three core pillars:
Wiz Code for secure development and code security
Wiz Cloud for cloud security posture management (CSPM) and compliance
Wiz Defend for real-time cloud threat detection and response, helping SOC teams identify, prioritize, and remediate security risks
Since it integrates with your existing security stack, Wiz Defend enables a unified security approach—eliminating the silos between fragmented security tools.
What does Wiz Defend offer your SOC team?
Cloud-native threat detection using Wiz’s security graph to correlate risk signals
Incident prioritization to focus on the biggest risks to critical workloads
Attack path analysis to visualize security gaps and threat progression
Automated remediation workflows to speed up response
How Wiz Enhances Cloud Security Visibility for NOC Teams
While Wiz Defend is focused on security operations, Wiz Cloud provides posture management insights that can help NOC teams understand misconfigurations and risks affecting cloud infrastructure performance.
With integrated CSPM and real-time detection capabilities, Wiz delivers a holistic approach to cloud security, reducing complexity while enabling better collaboration across SOC and NOC teams.
See how all your teams can benefit—get a demo of Wiz Defend today.
Cloud-Native Incident Response
Learn why security operations team rely on Wiz to help them proactively detect and respond to unfolding cloud threats.
