GuideSecurity · 6 min
We need a SOC and a NOC. What are our options, and can AI run them?
Build it, share it, or hand it over: in-house, co-managed, or one provider running both. AI speeds up the first look at each alert, and people make the calls.
The Clectiv team ·
A SOC watches for attacks, and a NOC keeps the network up. Both run around the clock, and both are hard to staff. You can build them, share the work with a provider, or hand it over.
In-house, co-managed or outsourced: what's the difference?#
It comes down to who watches, who owns the tools, and who decides. A SOC (security operations center) is the team that watches for attacks, investigates them and responds. A NOC (network operations center) is the team that watches the network and fixes outages.
| Option | Who does what | What you take on |
|---|---|---|
| In-house | Your people, your tools, your shifts | Hiring, training and covering every hour |
| Co-managed | A provider watches around the clock; your team keeps the tools and the final say | Working with the provider every day |
| Outsourced | A provider runs the tools and the watching | Choosing well, then holding them to the service |
Around the clock means nights, weekends and holidays. People take vacations and move on to other jobs, so a single chair covered every hour takes a team.
Co-managed works when your team wants to keep its hands on the tools. The line to settle is who owns each alert: the provider's first look, or your team's final call.
LevelBlue, BlueVoyant, AgileBlue, Thrive and Cipher Security all sell managed SOC services. LevelBlue and AgileBlue both offer co-managed work. That's who we work with in security, and Clectiv AI runs the process for you, start to finish: start a project.
Before you call anyone#
Tell Clectiv AI what you run and which hours nobody's watching before a SOC provider pitches you its model. Then Clectiv AI runs the process, the providers that fit bid and compete for it, and you choose who wins. Call one first and you hear the model it already sells.
Should one provider run the SOC and the NOC?#
One provider can run both, and one team answers when you can't tell what's wrong. A slow network might be a failed switch, or a flood of traffic aimed at your site. With one team on both, nobody argues over whose problem it is.
Some providers run both, Thrive among them. With separate providers, each can be strong at its own job, and you hold the handoff between them. These are security providers we bring to the table, and Clectiv AI runs the process with them for you: start a project.
You're not starting cold. Clectiv AI runs the process we built with other customers, so you start where they left off. With the plan going straight to these providers, you get the best pricing, terms and contract we can.
Firewalls sit in both worlds. Someone changes the rules, and someone watches what they block. Decide who does which.
Write down who calls whom at 2 a.m., and who's allowed to act, with Clectiv AI. Then every proposal answers the same handoffs:
- Which hours are covered by people, and which by alerts alone.
- What they can do on their own, like isolating a laptop or blocking an address.
- Who owns the firewall, and who answers when you can't tell if it's security or network.
The plan asks the rest, from escalation paths to what you get in your reports.
What does "AI-enabled" mean in a SOC today, and what doesn't it mean?#
Today it means a faster first look at every alert. AI reads each one, pulls the related data, groups the alerts that belong together, and writes a summary a person can check. That's triage: sorting what needs a human from what doesn't.
People still make the calls. Someone decides whether it's an attack, whether to lock an account, and what to tell you. An AI-enabled SOC still has people in it.
AgileBlue's platform uses agentic AI, which takes some steps on its own, like closing an alert that looks harmless. That's why who checks its work matters. Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet both sell AI-driven SOC tools.
These are some of our security providers that do it, and Clectiv AI runs the process for you: start a project.
Ask any provider:
- Which steps does the AI take alone?
- Who checks what it closed?
- Can you see why an alert was closed?
- Does it work on the tools you already own, or only on the provider's?
Judge an AI-enabled SOC by the people behind it. The AI makes them faster, and you still need them.
Common questions#
What's the difference between a SOC and a NOC?#
Can AI replace our SOC analysts?#
What is a co-managed SOC?#
Do we need our SOC and NOC from the same provider?#
How do we know a provider's AI is doing its job?#
How does Clectiv AI get this done?#
First stop: Clectiv AI. Tell it what you run and which hours nobody's watching. It scopes both teams with you and writes your plan: what's watched, who acts, and how the handoff works.
Then the Clectiv team takes your plan to the SOC and NOC providers that fit, all at once, through our partner network of 620+ providers. They each bid, they compete on the same plan, and the team pushes on terms until you choose.
Companies before you did the hard part. Clectiv AI runs the process we've run for other customers, so you start where they ended up. Taking the plan straight to the providers that fit is how you get the best pricing, terms and contract we can.
The whole thing is free to you, and it takes days, not months. Everything we cover in security is on the security page.
Wondering what it costs? Read what 24/7 MDR costs.
Sources and method. No prices appear in this guide. The operating models describe how they're commonly sold, not any one provider's terms. Provider names are examples of who sells managed SOC services and AI-driven SOC tools, from Clectiv's provider directory, not a ranking.