SOC-as-a-Service Pricing in India: What You Should Budget by Company Size

SOC-as-a-Service is a form of managed cybersecurity (Security Operations Centre) where experts will monitor for, detect, investigate, and respond to potential threats without the need for the business itself to have their own Security Operations Centre on full-time staff. Businesses in India are able to achieve a higher ROI due to the reduction in cost associated with hiring analysts, enhancing incident response times and using SOC-as-a-Service to monitor compliance. 

Why SOC-as-a-Service Pricing Matters for Indian Businesses 

The cost of SOC-as-a-Service is more than just the technical cost of providing the service to the business; it has a direct connection to risk management (risk exposure), downtime (uptime) of business operations, compliance readiness and the trust of the customer. For example, a small company may only require simple monitoring of email or endpoints, whereas a mid-level company may require 24/7 SIEM monitoring capabilities, as well as cloud workload protection, identity threat detection and incident response. 

Our technical team has determined that the majority of businesses in India under-budget their SOC requirement by only using the typical allocation for the cost of equipment. In fact, a basic SOC-as-a-Service offering includes but is not limited to: Security tools, Logging Ingestion, Remote Analyst Monitoring, Threat Intelligence, Escalation Workflows, Reporting, Compliance Support and Response SLA. 

Key Industry Challenges Driving SOC-as-a-Service Adoption 

Organisations across India have reported three key challenges related to security. Firstly, they are being targeted by cyber attackers at an ever-increasing speed, and phishing, ransomware, theft of credentials, and compromise of cloud accounts are some of the fastest-growing threats. Secondly, because hiring qualified Security Operations Centre analysts for 24/7 monitoring (which many organisations need) is prohibitively expensive and difficult, an increasing number of organisations are turning to managed service providers (MSPs) for their security monitoring services. Finally, with the increased use of Microsoft 365, Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, SaaS applications and remote devices, businesses have a much larger attack surface than they did before.  

From an implementation perspective, most internal IT teams have a range of security controls in place (e.g., firewalls, antivirus software, and email security); however, most are not integrated and have no central view of all their alerts. There are numerous sources for where these alerts come from, including Microsoft Defender, firewall logs, endpoint tools, identity systems, and cloud dashboards. As a result, organisations often experience delayed detection of security incidents as well as ineffective incident response. 

SOC-as-a-Service addresses these issues by providing a centrally managed, scalable security monitoring solution. 

SOC-as-a-Service Pricing in India by Company Size 

When determining the SOC pricing structure in India, various factors come into play, including company size, number of endpoints, number of servers, number of cloud accounts, volume of data being ingested, compliance requirements, and expected response time. 

Startups and Small Businesses: 25–100 Users 

In general, small businesses can anticipate spending approximately ₹25,000 to ₹1,00,000 per month for a basic managed SOC. This would typically involve endpoint monitoring and email security alerts, as well as conducting firewall log reviews and providing monthly reporting for incident response purposes on an escalating basis. 

A small business requiring protection from phishing, malware, and other types of malicious activity (for example, from suspicious login attempts) would generally be considered a candidate for such a basic level of service. 

Growing SMEs: 100–500 Users 

For expanding owner-managed businesses (typically classified as SMEs), the anticipated SOC-as-a-Service budget can range from ₹1,00,000 to ₹4,00,000 per month. Companies in this budget range will likely start to require more robust monitoring capabilities, such as the integration of a SIEM system, alerting through Microsoft Defender, identity monitoring of individual employees within the organisation, vulnerability context, and access logs generated by cloud applications, and faster escalation times for suspected or confirmed incidents. 

Based on the information from relevant case studies, it is strongly suggested that companies at this level stop viewing their security function purely as a component of “IT support” and begin to establish a formal and systematic approach to detection and response. 

Mid-Market Companies: 500–2,000 Users 

A mid-market company can expect its expenses to be between ₹4,00,000 and ₹10,00,000 monthly based on the volume of logs, how compliant they need to be, and how critical their business is. When allocating budgeted amounts, you will want all the things indicated above included with your SOC, which should consist of having 24/7 monitoring, threat hunting, having a Microsoft Sentinel (or similar), having an incident response runbook guidance, having an executive-level dashboard, and obtaining compliance-related reporting. This is very relevant for companies in BFSI, healthcare, IT services, manufacturing, education and e-commerce. 

Large Enterprises: 2,000+ Users 

An enterprise company may need to budget between ₹10,00,000 and ₹20,00,000+ monthly for advanced ongoing managed SOC services (with costs being even higher when they have a complex network with multiple sources of cloud, using large amounts of log data, require a stringent SLA, have many remote workers or need specialised analyst support). 

For an enterprise customer, having SOC-as-a-service extends beyond just providing basic monitoring functions - it also includes the security layer integrated to their governance, compliance, business continuity, and board-level reporting related to risk management. 

Technical Entities That Strengthen SOC Digital Identity 

It's important for any SOC vendor to actively partner with trusted cybersecurity frameworks, platforms, and standards - since digital identities will be entity-based. According to what I just said, all SOC vendors must work within five important technical entities to be considered credible SOCs: Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Defender XDR, Microsoft Entra ID, MITRE ATT&CK, and ISO/IEC 27001. 

With Microsoft Sentinel being a cloud-native SIEM system & orchestration tool, it enables orchestration of security functions. Microsoft Defender XDR correlates data from endpoint devices, emails, & cloud-based apps in order to improve security posture as well as provide alerts of possible intrusions onto the organisation's network. Entra ID provides identity & access management capabilities, while contributing towards improving organisational security posture significantly through incident reduction related to identity/account compromise. 

MITRE ATT&CK provides detailed mapping of threats, using common/known adversary tactics that have been used successfully against GRC organisations. ISO/IEC 27001 provides a standard for the management and operationalisation of information security. 

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 defines the functional domains of governance, identification, protection, detection, response, and recovery, and can be used as a roadmap to define the maturity of the SOC. 

Architecture Table: Traditional Method vs Our IT Solution 

SOC-as-a-Service Implementation Roadmap 

Phase 1: Security Assessment 

You want to assess your organisation’s Users, Endpoints, Servers, Cloud Platforms, Microsoft 365 Licenses, Firewall Logs, Existing Endpoint Protection, and Current Incident Response Process. 

Phase 2: Tool and Log Integration 

In a SOC, key data from Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Entra ID, Firewalls, Servers, Cloud Platforms, VPN, Email Security, and Business Critical Applications are linked together. 

Phase 3: Detection Engineering 

Real Security Operations Centre (SOC) maturity starts with this phase of the project. Associates map Rules to the impact on actual business risk instead of mapping the impact to a generic software alert. The use of MITRE/ATT&CK to identify suspicious behaviour (example: Credential Access, Lateral Movement, Privilege Escalation, Data Exfiltration). 

Phase 4: Response Workflow 

Every alert must have a clearly defined owner, Severity, Time, and Action Path. The objective is not just to generate alerts; the goal is to respond faster in an efficient, documented way that is safe for the business. 

Phase 5: Reporting and Optimisation 

The Monthly Report will include an Incident Summary, High-Risk Users, Vulnerable Assets, Repeated Attack Patterns, SLA Performance, and Recommended Improvements. 

Future-Proofing Your Business with SOC and Microsoft 365 

When SOC-as-a-Service is combined with the appropriate Microsoft 365 licenses, it becomes very effective. Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Defender, Entra ID, Intune, and Sentinel form a great platform to protect your identity, endpoints, emails, and to monitor the cloud. 

The ideal approach for Indian businesses is to purchase the correct licenses, configure them correctly, and link them to a managed SOC model. This will provide better use of tools and an increased ROI for security. 

BM Infotrade can provide the right license stack and implementation model if you are looking at Microsoft 365 security, cloud licensing, SOC-as-a-Service, or managed IT security as part of your organisation’s plans. Use the Buy Now button on our website to purchase Microsoft 365 and other cloud licenses from BM Infotrade, or connect with the team to discuss your SOC budget before making a final decision. 

To discover your monthly security budget based on your business size, number of users, number of endpoints, and compliance goals, view our SOC Readiness Whitepaper or consult with a solution expert at BM Infotrade. 

Conclusion 

SOC as a Service (SOC2) is an excellent choice for Indian enterprises looking for improved threat detection and quicker response; it provides security services without the need for a dedicated in-house security operations centre (SOC). An appropriate budget to support this service depends on a number of elements, including the size of the company, the quantity of users and endpoints, the type of cloud platforms and their application, and the required level of monitoring. 

Businesses can build a cost-effective, scalable security service using a combination of Microsoft 365 security services such as Defender, Entra ID, Intune, and Sentinel, as well as using their respective Microsoft 365 and cloud licenses. For details regarding purchase options, please visit BM Infotrade and click on the buy now button. 

FAQs 

1. What is SOC-as-a-Service? 

A SOC-as-a-Service is a cybersecurity managed service that allows you to have a professional team monitor, detect, investigate and respond to threats against your company's infrastructure while preventing you from having to build an internal SOC. 

2. How much does SOC-as-a-Service cost in India? 

SOC-as-a-Service pricing in India generally ranges from ₹25,000 per month for a small business to ₹10,00,000+ per month for large businesses, based on your number of users, endpoints, log volume and compliance requirements. 

3. Which company size needs SOC-as-a-Service? 

If your company does any of the following, you should consider SOC-as-a-Service: uses cloud services, has Microsoft 365 users, has remote employees, stores customer data, or conducts business online. This service is particularly beneficial for small and mid-sized enterprises, mid-size technology firms, companies in banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), health and fitness, eCommerce and retail industries. 

4. Is Microsoft 365 enough for complete security? 

Microsoft 365 has some of the best security tools available, such as Defender, Entra ID and Intune. However, many organisations still need to have their security services configured correctly and monitored effectively with appropriate alerting and response procedures. SOC-as-a-Service will help ensure that your organisation is meeting these requirements. 

5. Can BM Infotrade help with Microsoft 365 licenses? 

It is true! BM Infotrade sells Microsoft 365 and other cloud service licenses. These licensing options can be purchased through our website by selecting the Buy Now button or contacting BM's consulting team for assistance.