The 10-Hour Problem: How Visibility Gaps Are Burning Out the SOC

The 10-Hour Problem: How Visibility Gaps Are Burning Out the SOC

CSO Online
CSO OnlineMar 4, 2026

Why It Matters

Visibility gaps inflate operational costs and erode talent, directly weakening an organization’s security posture. Restoring clear, holistic network visibility accelerates response and preserves skilled analysts.

Key Takeaways

  • 61% analysts spend over ten hours weekly analyzing alerts
  • Visibility gaps force manual correlation, extending investigation times
  • Poor NAV leads to analyst fatigue, turnover, slower response
  • Omnis provides packet-level truth and three‑click investigations
  • Enhanced visibility cuts analysis time from hours to minutes

Pulse Analysis

The modern security operations center faces a paradox: threat sophistication has risen, yet the tools that provide clear insight have lagged. The Forrester Consulting study, released in October 2025, found that 61 % of surveyed analysts devote more than ten hours per week merely to piece together fragmented logs and alerts. This “analysis overload” translates into higher operational expenses, longer dwell times, and a growing talent gap as exhausted analysts leave the field. Companies that ignore the visibility deficit risk not only missed detections but also a cascade of compliance and reputational penalties.

Network Analysis and Visibility (NAV) is the linchpin that turns raw traffic into actionable intelligence. When packet‑level data is captured and correlated with metadata, analysts can validate alerts instantly, map lateral movement, and prioritize threats without manual stitching. However, many SOCs rely on siloed tools that deliver incomplete logs, forcing engineers to reconstruct sessions by hand. This manual effort not only slows response but also introduces human error. Integrating a unified NAV layer—one that spans on‑prem and cloud environments—creates a single source of truth, dramatically reducing the time spent in the “analyze” phase.

Omnis Cyber Intelligence exemplifies the next generation of NAV solutions. By delivering trusted packet‑level evidence, automatically enriching it with contextual metadata, and enabling three‑click investigations, the platform shrinks typical investigation cycles from hours to minutes. The result is a measurable drop in analyst fatigue, lower turnover, and faster threat mitigation. For security leaders, the business case is clear: invest in visibility to protect talent, cut operational costs, and strengthen overall resilience. As organizations continue to adopt hybrid workloads, platforms that provide holistic, real‑time visibility will become the cornerstone of a sustainable SOC.

The 10-hour problem: How visibility gaps are burning out the SOC

Comments

Want to join the conversation?

Loading comments...