Cybersecurity
Security Operations (SOC) Analyst
Monitors alerts, investigates suspicious activity and escalates incidents in a security operations centre.
Overview
SOC analysts are usually the first responders to security alerts. The day-to-day work is log analysis, alert triage, phishing investigation and documenting incidents. Most employers ask for solid networking fundamentals plus a recognised security certification; hands-on lab practice matters as much as the certificate itself.
Core skills
Network fundamentals
Networking
Addressing, routing, switching, DNS, DHCP and the OSI model.
Security operations
Security
Monitoring, log analysis, alert triage and incident response.
Vulnerability management
Security
Scanning, prioritising and remediating technical weaknesses.
Identity and access management
Security
Authentication, authorisation, MFA and least-privilege design.
Linux administration
Systems
Shell, permissions, services and troubleshooting on Linux hosts.
Recommended certifications
Entry-level certifications
CompTIA Network+
CompTIA • N10-009 • Associate
Networking fundamentals first — most SOC work is reading network and log evidence.
CompTIA Security+
CompTIA • SY0-701 • Associate
The most commonly requested baseline security certification for SOC roles.
Intermediate certifications
Fortinet Certified Associate – FortiGate Administrator
Fortinet • FCA • Associate
Firewall and traffic inspection skills used daily in blue-team work.