SANS Survey Shows Staffing Shortfalls and AI Hurdles in SOCs

A recent survey by SANS Institute has highlighted staffing as the primary challenge for security operations centers (SOCs), with only 14% of practitioners acknowledging it as their main concern, contrasted by over half of leaders recognizing its importance. Additionally, while 79% of SOCs utilize AI or machine learning tools, only 36% have effectively integrated them into their daily operations.

The report also noted discrepancies between management’s understanding of staffing needs and actual practitioner experiences, and identified key areas where SOCs struggle, such as cyber-threat intelligence, OT/IoT monitoring, and operational metrics.