NOC to SOC... advice please...

phantasm

So I'm starting my MSISA at WGU next month and currently have my Sec+ and CCNA. I've been in a NOC environment for 2yrs now and am finding it harder and harder to keep going back. When I got my Sec+ my manager stated that I could move to the SOC if I wanted. We then discussed my plans to obtain my MSISA and my manager agreed it would be a good fit.

So, for those of you who have made the jump... how big of a jump is it? My security knowledge is about Sec+ level. I know Windows and Linux, Cisco IOS and Junper as well as Brocade. Looking for any tips or advice anyone has to offer.

networker050184

From what I've seen the SOC is the same as the NOC, just on security gear so I doubt it will be much different than what you do now. Of course it changes by company so that may not apply where you are.

Forsaken_GA

Generally speaking, a SOC tends to be reactive to security events, whether internal or external, whereas a NOC tends to be reactive to infrastructure events. Sometimes there's some crossover, ie, if the infrastructure is getting rolled by a DDoS.

That interpretation is, of course, up to individual companies. I've seen NOC's that were actually nothing more than a helpdesk, NOC was chosen as the departments designation because Network Operations Center sounds cooler when talking to customers than the Helpdesk. Other variations on this include names like Command Center