Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) platforms help security teams act quickly when cybercriminals threaten critical assets and data. By aggregating data and enabling automated incident response, SOAR reduces key performance metrics like Mean Time-to-Respond (MTTR).  

However, security leaders have many choices when it comes to implementing SOAR technology. Some SOAR platforms are standalone solutions that integrate with every security tool in your tech stack. Others are packaged alongside Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) or Extended Detection and Response (XDR) tools. 

Finding the right solution for your organization can be a challenge. What works for one organization may not be the right choice for another. Conducting accurate SOAR solution evaluations is a critical step in the implementation process. 

Identify your security needs and SOAR use case 

Navigating the complex marketplace for SOAR solutions requires careful assessment of your organization’s use case for the technology. Truly understanding the value of coordinating incident response with automation means pinpointing the problems you want automation to solve. 

This depends a great deal on your particular organization’s size, complexity, and risk exposure. A multinational enterprise with its own in-house Security Operations Center (SOC) has different needs compared to a small business or a local government agency. 

To get an idea of how the technology can help your organization, take a close look at the capabilities it offers. SOAR platforms are named for the three ways they enhance security operations:  

• Orchestration integrates disparate security tools into a single, centralized system. Crucially, this includes third-party security tools that may not otherwise feature native integration. Instead of moving between several different tools and systems, security teams can manage incident response from a single control panel. 

• Automation launches pre-programmed workflows and incident response playbooks. These workflows usually involve repetitive high-volume tasks that take up a great deal of analysts’ time. Automation speeds up the process and eliminates human error—as long as it’s configured correctly. 

• Response covers the coordination of security talent and resources to mitigate threats and pursue recovery. SOAR centralizes response actions in a unified system, increasing efficiency and reducing overlap. 

Start with your existing tech stack 

SOAR works by integrating security operations across multiple tools in your tech stack. That means that your assessment must begin with the security tools you currently use. If your security team is spending a lot of time switching between manual processes with tools that don’t integrate natively, SOAR may fix that problem. 

Similarly, your security tools may integrate with one another but lack automation capabilities. SOAR can enable automation across your security tech stack, allowing you to configure automatic actions between toolsets.   

For example, you may configure your XDR solution to isolate an endpoint based on data gathered from your Network Detection and Response (NDR) solution. Alternately, you may enrich incoming security event data with the latest indicators of compromise identified by threat intelligence providers. 

Each of these examples requires you already have the prerequisite technology in your tech stack. SOAR helps you consolidate them in a way that optimizes security operations. 

Key characteristics a best-of-breed SOAR solution should have 

Most SOAR solutions operate along similar lines, but the differences between them matter. Many valuable features are not automatically included in the base offering, or may require additional tooling to use correctly. When assessing your options for SOAR implementation, take a careful look at the following: 

1. Scalability 

Scalability is key to long-term success with SOAR. Growing organizations will need to push increasingly large volumes of data through their security tech stack as time goes on. Your SOAR solution must be able to support those volumes going forward.  

Pay special attention to hidden costs for ongoing maintenance and support. This is especially true for solutions that rely on self-managed infrastructure. If these costs are not taken into consideration early, they may become a security performance bottleneck in the future.  

2. Customizability 

Customization may not seem like a core necessity at first glance. However, complex security technologies can’t deliver their full value in a default configuration. Since your organization’s use case and risk profile is unique, your SOAR platform must be able to conform to its needs.  

Even something as simple as creating and modifying dashboards on a per-user basis can unlock significant value. SOAR technology is designed to enhance collaboration, so the way it shares information between users is important. 

3. Simple Integration 

Another core SOAR feature is the ability to unify disparate security tools. This process can be complex, and its success hinges on two important factors. 

The first factor is how compatible your SOAR platform is with your current tech stack. It should not take too much time and effort to adapt your processes and methods to a SOAR-centric workflow. However, every organization has different security needs, so some platforms will be easier to implement than others. 

Access to specialist expertise and product knowledge is the second factor. Implementing new technology requires a different set of skills than conducting incident response operations. Highly experienced configuration expertise helps streamline the implementation process. 

4. Support for custom rules and playbooks 

Incident response playbooks establish pre-configured, automation actions to take when security events meet certain conditions. SOC teams use these to establish standard operating procedures for high-likelihood security events. Taking full advantage of your SOAR platform means implementing your own rules and building your own playbooks.  

Most SOAR platforms already feature playbooks based on popular incident response frameworks. These can be incredibly useful, but they are a starting point for your organization to achieve operational security excellence. 

5. API support 

Application programming interfaces (APIs) do the heavy lifting when coordinating automatic actions between different systems. Since this kind of coordination is core to the value proposition of SOAR technology, API-oriented architecture is a must-have.  

This allows the APIs driving automation throughout your IT environment to contribute to your incident response workflow. Your security team can coordinate incident response across multiple tools and systems more successfully when leveraging API architecture. 

Find out what SOAR can do for your organization 

Lumifi helps organizations of all sizes implement best-of-breed security technologies. We provide visibility into security operations and support incident response with deep product knowledge and customization. Discover how Lumifi can help you achieve flexibility while automating complex incident response workflows and consolidating security tools.