Optimizing Cyberdefense With Managed Security Services
A strategic partner can help organizations manage risks, automate threat detection, strengthen their security posture and reduce complexity while staying ahead of evolving threats.
- BUILDING AN INTERNAL SECURITY TEAM
- NAVIGATING STAFFING ISSUES
- RESPONDING IN INTERNAL SOCS
To staff an in-house security operations center with 24/7 coverage, an organization typically needs at least five to eight full-time employees to account for shifts, vacations and sick leave. The cost includes:
SOC Personnel Costs (Salaries + Benefits)
Role
Estimated Annual
Salary (USD)
Headcount Needed
SOC Analysts (L1 & L2)
$80,000 - $120,000
4-6
Senior Analyst (L3)
$120,000 - $160,000
1-2
SOC Manager
$140,000 - $180,000
1
Threat Intelligence Analyst
$120,000 - $160,000
1 (optional)
Incident Responder (Optional)
$110,000 - $150,000
1 (optional)
Total Personnel Costs
$600,000 - $1.2 million+
5-8 FTEs
SOC Infrastructure Costs
- Security information and event management (SIEM), security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR), endpoint detection and response (EDR), network detection and response (NDR), threat intelligence, and other security tools: $300,000 - $1 million+ per year
- Cloud infrastructure and licensing: $100,000 - $250,000 per year
- Training, certifications and ongoing development: $50,000 - $100,000 per year
- Office space, power, monitoring screens, VPN access and redundancy: $100,000+ per year
Estimated Internal SOC Cost: $1.2 million - $3 million+ per year
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Cost of MSSP for 24/7 Coverage
MSSPs typically charge based on:
- Number of endpoints, logs ingested (e.g., gigabytes per day) or users
- Service tiers (basic monitoring vs. full incident response)
- Add-ons (such as proactive threat hunting, forensics or compliance support)
MSSP Pricing Examples
- Small business: $10,000 - $30,000 per month ($120,000 - $360,000 per year)
- Midsized business: $30,000 - $80,000 per month ($360,000 - $1 million per year)
- Enterprise: $80,000 - $200,000 per month ($1 million - $2.5 million per year)
Estimated MSSP Cost: $300,000 - $2.5 million per year, depending on scope
Average Cost Savings From MSSP
Category
Internal SOC
Salary (USD)
MSSP
Personnel
$600,000 - $1.2 million+
Included
Security Tools
$300,000 - $1million+
Included (partially or fully)
Infrastructure
$100,000 - $250,000
Included
Training/Certs
$50,000 - $100,000
Included (optional)
Total Annual Cost
$1.2 million - $3 million+
$300,000 - $2.5 million
Key Takeaways
- MSSPs can save 30%-50% compared with running a fully in-house SOC.
- Enterprises with high compliance and security needs (e.g., those in the government or the financial and healthcare industries) may still need hybrid models (using internal resources combined with an MSSP).
- MSSPs reduce demands on internal IT teams around hiring, retention and skill gaps, which are major challenges in cybersecurity.
- If existing infrastructure (SIEM, EDR, etc.) is in place, MSSP costs may be lower due to reduced log ingestion pricing.
The disparity in retention rates between cybersecurity professionals who work a standard 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday schedule versus those working rotating shifts or on-call duty is significant. While exact figures vary by organization, industry surveys and reports consistently show that shift-based and on-call security roles experience significantly higher turnover rates due to factors such as burnout, stress and challenges related to maintaining work-life balance.
Retention Rate Comparison
Work Schedule
Average Annual
Turnover Rate
Retention Challenges
8 a.m.-5 p.m.,
Monday-Friday
10%-20%
Career growth, workload, skill gaps
Rotating Shifts
(24/7 SOC)
25%-40%
Burnout, sleep disruption, limited advancement
On-Call
30%-50%
High stress, unpredictable hours, lack of work-life balance
Key Reasons for High Turnover in Shift-Based or On-Call Roles
Burnout and Fatigue
- Night shifts and irregular hours affect mental and physical health.
- High-stakes incidents and alert fatigue increase stress levels.
Work-Life Balance Issues
- Weekend and holiday work and unpredictable on-call schedules cause personal conflicts.
- Employees struggle to maintain a consistent routine.
Lower Career Growth Perception
- Some SOC analysts feel stuck in “alert triage” roles with few promotion opportunities.
- Many move to threat hunting, consulting or cloud security roles to escape shift work.
Compensation Disparity
- Some organizations do not adequately compensate shift-based employees for the additional stress.
- Night shifts and on-call duties demand premium pay, but it's not always enough to offset burnout.
Market Demand for Cybersecurity Talent
- The cybersecurity unemployment rate is near zero, meaning skilled analysts can easily switch to jobs with regular hours.
- Many shift-based SOC analysts leave for roles in threat intelligence, cloud security or vendor companies where schedules are more predictable.
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A Critical Lack of Cybersecurity Talent
457,000
The number of unfilled cybersecurity job in the U.S. in 2025
Source: cyberseek.org, “Hack the Gap,” March 18, 2025
83%
The percentage of corporate boards that recommend increasing IT security headcount
Source: nist.gov, “Cybersecurity Workforce Demand,” June 5, 2023
46%
The percentage of leaders who identify cloud security as a “highly needed” skill, more than any other competency
Source: nist.gov, “Cybersecurity Workforce Demand,” June 5, 2023
25%
The percentage of business leaders in the insurance and asset management industry who feel confident they have the cybersecurity talent they need; numbers were even lower in critical sectors such as energy and utilities (20%) and banking (14%)
Source: nist.gov, “Cybersecurity Workforce Demand,” June 5, 2023
The conditions that internal SOC employees work in can affect the mean time to respond (MTTR) to a cybersecurity incident or breach.
SOC Staffing and Skill Levels
- Understaffed SOCs or those with mostly junior analysts have longer response times.
- High analyst turnover leads to inconsistent processes and slower responses.
Automation and Orchestration (SOAR)
- SOCs using SOAR tools can reduce MTTR by 50% to 80%.
- Playbooks for common attacks (such as phishing and malware) significantly improve response times.
Alert Volume and Triage Efficiency
- Overwhelmed SOCs suffer from alert fatigue, increasing MTTR.
- Roughly more than 80% of alerts are false positives in many SOCs, slowing response to real threats.
Integration of Security Tools
- Disconnected SIEM, EDR, and NDR platforms cause delays in correlation and response.
- Cloud environments can further complicate response if logging is incomplete.
Incident Escalation and Response Processes
- Well-defined escalation paths (Level 1 → Level 2 → Level 3 → incident response) help streamline response.
- Many SOCs struggle with handoffs, delaying containment and resolution.
Threat Intelligence and Detection Maturity
- Advanced SOCs that leverage real-time threat intelligence and behavior-based detection respond much faster than those relying on signature-based detection.
Retention Rate Comparison
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Key Takeaways
- Basic internal SOCs have MTTR of 8 hours or more, while advanced SOCs (with automation) can get it down to less than 2 hours.
- MSSPs often have lower MTTR (less than 1-2 hours) due to scale, automation and dedicated 24/7 staffing.
- SOAR adoption is the biggest factor in reducing MTTR.
Benefits of an MSSP
Enhanced Security: Organizations often encounter challenges in hiring, training and retaining skilled SOC analysts. Resource constraints and frequent turnover can lead to missed alerts and delayed incident response, exposing the organization to potential risks. Internal security teams can be overwhelmed with repetitive tasks, leading to burnout and diminished morale. Partnering with a mature MSSP equipped with defined workflows, SOAR automation and integrated threat intelligence can substantially transform an organization’s security operations. The 24/7 monitoring and rapid response provided by MSSP experts can allow internal teams to focus on proactive threat hunting, security architecture and strategic initiatives. This transition not only improves the organization’s risk posture but also promotes employee retention and work-life balance.
Simplified Compliance: IT leaders often face considerable difficulties in achieving security operations objectives and complying with frameworks such as the International Organization for Standardization’s ISO 27001 and National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Special Publication 800-53 due to resource constraints and evolving threats. Partnering with an MSSP offers immediate access to specialized knowledge, automation and 24/7 monitoring, which accelerates compliance processes while strengthening the organization’s overall cybersecurity readiness and operational efficiency.
Improved MTTR: Most organizations struggle with an average MTTR of 4-6 hours, which can delay effective threat containment and increase risks. By leveraging extensive threat intelligence, process automation and machine learning-driven analysis, an MSSP can drastically reduce an organization’s MTTR to under 1 hour for high-priority threats. An MSSP’s expertise in security technologies and adherence to well-defined workflows ensures that organizations receive high-confidence, actionable intelligence in real time. This approach minimizes the time security teams spend on false positives, allowing them to focus on proactive security measures. Continuous monitoring and automation provided by an MSSP significantly strengthens an organization’s state of security, ensuring threats are detected and contained before they escalate.
Managed Security Services from CDW can
help you transform your security posture.
Robert McFarlane
Managed Svc Sol Sales Spec
