SOC and MDR Explained: Security Monitoring for Small Business

Think of your business as a digital vault holding customer data, financial records and the systems that keep you running. Two terms come up when people discuss watching that vault: SOC and MDR. They sound similar, so here is the plain-language version.

What is a SOC?

A Security Operations Center (SOC) is a team and a set of tools that monitor your environment for suspicious activity and investigate alerts. It collects signals from endpoints, email, servers and cloud services and decides which ones matter.

What is MDR?

Managed Detection and Response (MDR) is a service in which a specialist team actively looks for threats, investigates what it finds and helps contain and remove the problem. It adds response and threat hunting on top of monitoring.

How they work together

Monitoring is only useful if somebody acts on what it finds. For a small business, building a staffed SOC is rarely realistic, so the practical route is a provider that delivers SOC and MDR as a service alongside the rest of your managed IT.

What to ask a provider

• What is monitored: endpoints, email, identity, cloud?
• Who reviews alerts and who decides when to act?
• What is included in the monthly price?

SOC and MDR are included in PDX IT Platinum plans. For a deeper comparison, read our guide on SOC vs MDR for small business.

Related reading

• managed cybersecurity for Portland businesses
• SOC vs MDR for small business
• EDR unlocked: the secret weapon against cyber nasties

Talk to a local team

PDX Information Technology Services provides managed IT, cybersecurity and compliance support for small businesses in Portland, Lake Oswego, Beaverton, Hillsboro and Vancouver, WA. Plans start at $100 per user per month (Gold) and $180 per user per month (Platinum). Call 971-331-4871 or book a free assessment.