Challenge
Limited personnel and high alert volumes overwhelmed the SOC, delaying responses and increasing costs.
Solution
SDG enhanced Microsoft Sentinel with automation, playbooks, real-time remediation, and optimized alert triage.
Result
90% reduction in analyst hours, faster response times, cost savings, and full threat visibility—leveraging current Microsoft investment
Summary
Our client, a leading healthcare insurance provider, needed to ensure round-the-clock SOC monitoring and threat response but faced a critical shortage of personnel, making continuous security coverage a challenge. With an overwhelmed team struggling to manage incidents, the client sought an efficient, cost-effective solution. SDG implemented an unmanned SOC powered by Microsoft Sentinel, leveraging automation to streamline security operations. This humanless SOC zeroed analyst workload in off business hours, improved incident response time, and optimized operational costs, allowing the security team to focus on complex threats while maintaining 24/7 security monitoring.
In Depth
Challenges
The client faced a persistent security coverage gap during off-business hours. Due to staffing constraints and high alert volume, their Microsoft Sentinel-based SOC frequently failed to meet SLAs for incident triage after-hours. Analyst burnout, slow remediation times, and excessive managed service costs forced leadership to re-evaluate their operating model.
- Analysts spent 80+ hours/month triaging low-value alerts during evenings and weekends.
- 40% of events went unreviewed until the next business day.
- At least one vendor tool removed for duplicating effort with overlapping alert telemetry.
- Security operations cost $100K+ annually in after-hours labor alone.
Solution
SDG enhanced the client’s existing Microsoft Sentinel SOC by:
By automating repetitive tasks and streamlining security workflows, SDG’s humanless SOC allowed the client’s security team to focus on critical threats during business hours while maintaining 24/7 coverage with unmanned operations during off-business hours.
Results
After implementing SDG’s automated, unmanned SOC, the client achieved:
Conclusion
By partnering with SDG and Microsoft, the client successfully transitioned to a cost-efficient, fully automated security model, ensuring 24/7 protection with minimal human intervention. The integration of automation into their existing Microsoft Sentinel SOC reduced costs, improved response times, and enhanced security posture. As a result, the client’s SOC team could dedicate its resources to proactive threat hunting, ensuring a more resilient, cost-effective security infrastructure.
