How to Build a Security Operations Center (SOC) on a Budget
A complete guide to building a SOC using open-source and commercial tools. From monitoring and detection to incident response and threat intelligence — get the right stack for your team size and budget.
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Build My SOC Stack →What is a SOC Stack?
A Security Operations Center (SOC) stack is the collection of tools that security teams use to monitor, detect, investigate, and respond to security incidents. A well-designed SOC stack covers five key layers:
1. Log Collection & Aggregation
Every device, application, and service in your infrastructure generates logs. You need a centralized system to collect, normalize, and store these logs. Popular open-source options include the ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana) and Graylog. Commercial options include Splunk and Datadog.
2. Threat Detection & Analysis
Once logs are centralized, you need tools to detect suspicious activity. This includes SIEM platforms that correlate events, IDS/IPS systems that monitor network traffic, and endpoint detection tools that monitor workstations and servers.
3. Vulnerability Management
Proactive security requires knowing your attack surface. Vulnerability scanners like Nessus, OpenVAS, and Nuclei help you identify and patch weaknesses before attackers exploit them.
4. Incident Response & Forensics
When an incident occurs, you need tools to contain, investigate, and recover. This includes forensic analysis tools, malware sandboxes, and case management platforms.
5. Threat Intelligence
Understanding the threat landscape helps you prioritize defenses. Threat intelligence platforms collect, analyze, and distribute IOCs (Indicators of Compromise) and TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, Procedures).
SOC Stack by Team Size
Solo / Small Team (1-5 people)
Focus on free and open-source tools. Wazuh provides SIEM + endpoint security in one platform. Suricata handles network detection. OpenVAS covers vulnerability scanning. MISP shares threat intelligence. Total cost: $0/mo + your time.
Medium Team (5-20 people)
Add commercial tools where they provide clear ROI. Consider Splunk or Elastic SIEM for log analysis, Nessus for vulnerability management, and a commercial threat intel feed. Budget: $500-2,000/mo.
Enterprise (20+ people)
Full commercial stack with 24/7 coverage. Splunk Enterprise, CrowdStrike or SentinelOne for EDR, Qualys for vuln management, and a dedicated threat intel platform. Budget: $2,000-10,000+/mo.
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