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From alert fatigue to action: Smarter SOC workflows for defence teams

Free your analysts to focus on what really matters: security outcomes.

By

Crossley McEwen

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Security teams in the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) are facing a dual burden: the growing volume and sophistication of cyber threats and the relentless operational grind of triaging alerts, managing compliance, and stitching together intelligence from fragmented systems.

The reality is clear: Traditional security operations center (SOC) workflows aren't built for today’s pace and quantity of threats. Automation is no longer optional; it’s essential. With limited time and talent, something has to change.

So, what do highly efficient and effective defence SOC operations look like? It’s one where “swivel chair” processes and “firefighting” are no longer the standard approach to supporting the business. Analysts are no longer drowning in alerts as their time is freed up, and they’re empowered to act on what truly matters, fast. It’s where automation streamlines triage, where investigations span domains without manual correlation, and where compliance isn’t a burden but an integrated part of operations.

This is the future many defence and public sector teams are building toward. And with AI-powered detection, cross-domain visibility, and compliance workflows, it’s already becoming a reality.

From manual grind to mission-focused teams

We know that too much of an analyst’s time is still spent on repetitive tasks, such as combing through false positives, manually correlating events, or updating compliance logs. This isn’t just inefficient; it’s also demoralising. Talented professionals are stuck doing tasks that could (and should) be automated.

Elastic's Search AI Platform enables AI-driven investigation capabilities that surface related alerts as unified attack stories. Threat patterns are automatically recognised and contextualised with high-priority incidents flagged. Analysts can interpret risk and guide response by assessing these higher themes rather than slogging through this alert noise.

Elastic's Attack Discovery feature triages hundreds of alerts down to the few that matter — in seconds. It groups seemingly similar events together, so assessment can occur in unison. Moreover, Attack Discovery connects seemingly unrelated security events into coherent attack chains and evaluates them based on severity, risk scores, and asset criticality. It is also able to automatically identify the relationships between events and reveal coordinated attacks that may otherwise remain hidden in isolated alerts. It no longer takes hours of manual correlation to have this contextual awareness.

With API integration capabilities, Elastic enables these analytical functions to be incorporated directly to existing defence security workflows. Security teams can manage workflows, while the automation handles mundane but necessary tasks like managing anonymising data to maintain appropriate security classifications within defence networks.

Fighting analyst fatigue with intelligence

When every alert demands attention, it becomes impossible to focus on what really matters. For many defence SOC teams, fatigue isn’t just a buzzword; it’s the day-to-day reality. The sheer volume of false positives drains time, energy, and morale.

This is where intelligent automation begins to earn its place. By using machine learning-based detection rules and automated triage, Elastic helps filter the noise before it reaches the analyst. Alerts are grouped by context, severity, and relevance so that the team sees what’s truly urgent and not just what’s loud.

Not only does this improve response time, it also gives analysts confidence that what's in front of them genuinely warrants their expertise. It reduces the cognitive load of sifting through hundreds of non-issues every day, freeing up bandwidth for training, mentorship, or proactive threat hunting.

From fragmented response to fluid operations

Fragmented data systems make even the simplest tasks complex. When incidents span multiple networks or security zones, investigations slow to a crawl. Analysts are forced to swivel between tools, jump security boundaries, and manually stitch together the full story.

Elastic's Search AI Platform breaks down data silos, enabling cross-domain visibility and instant correlation of security events across multiple classification levels without switching tools or contexts. Security analysts can execute unified queries across multiple data domains — classified and unclassified; on-prem and cloud — with a single command, regardless of geographical location or security domain. Elastic provides one such tool called cross-cluster search (CCS), which allows analysts to (access permissions permitting) query multiple clusters from a single interface with a single command.

Network trips (and latency) are reduced by having the coordinating node send a single search request to each remote cluster, which then executes locally and returns only final results. Data doesn’t need to be moved or duplicated; the search comes to the data source. That’s a major leap for coordination, especially in defence environments where secure boundaries must be respected.

Security boundaries remain intact through robust authentication mechanisms. Both API key authentication and TLS certificate authentication are supported with role configurations, ensuring analysts only access data they're authorised to see. Resilience is provided through data replication across clusters, safeguarding against data loss and ensuring information remains available even during infrastructure failures and in contested environments.

Streamlining defence compliance through automated auditability

Compliance reporting has long been a hidden tax on security operations. Analysts spend hours generating audit trails and documenting event logs to make sure they align with requirements. But now, governance becomes part of the workflow rather than an added task with audit logging and compliance reporting capabilities that could be configured to meet standards, such as NIST. Analysts no longer need to manually export logs or chase down details after the fact. Instead, every investigation is already tracked, every decision is logged, and every event is accessible on demand.

Elastic’s Search AI Platform can be configured to log specific categories of events at appropriate detail levels, ensuring all necessary information is captured without creating unnecessary data volume. Analysts can easily import or define rules, including acknowledgment, suppression, and custom alert logic, to shape how the system responds to known patterns or routine activity, reducing noise without sacrificing oversight. And when regulations evolve, the system can adapt without requiring process overhauls. Governance is so deeply embedded into daily operations that compliance becomes a natural outcome of everyday operations instead of an afterthought. 

Centralised logging creates an immutable audit trail capturing all security events at configurable detail levels, providing evidence ready for investigations and regulatory inquiries without additional overhead.

The outcome: Focused teams and faster operations

Automation isn’t about replacing people; it’s about elevating them. When tedious tasks are handled by systems, analysts are freed to think, lead, and act. They’re no longer operators stuck in reactive mode. They’re trusted decision-makers driving defence readiness forward.

With intelligent investigation tools, cross-domain visibility, and compliance as an integral part of the product, SOCs can scale their efforts, protect more with less, and keep pace with evolving threats. And for the analysts themselves, that means fewer repetitive tasks, more ownership, and a stronger sense of impact in mission-critical roles.

Learn how your defence security teams can accelerate efficiency, reduce fatigue, and streamline operations with AI-powered automation. Join our webinar Smarter Security: How AI Is Transforming Threat Detection and Analyst Workflows — part one of our four-part webinar series that discovers practical ways AI is reshaping defence SOC operations.

The release and timing of any features or functionality described in this post remain at Elastic's sole discretion. Any features or functionality not currently available may not be delivered on time or at all.

In this blog post, we may have used or referred to third-party generative AI tools, which are owned and operated by their respective owners. Elastic does not have any control over the third party tools and we have no responsibility or liability for their content, operation or use, nor for any loss or damage that may arise from your use of such tools. Please exercise caution when using AI tools with personal, sensitive or confidential information. Any data you submit may be used for AI training or other purposes. There is no guarantee that information you provide will be kept secure or confidential. You should familiarize yourself with the privacy practices and terms of use of any generative AI tools prior to use. 

Elastic, Elasticsearch, and associated marks are trademarks, logos, or registered trademarks of Elasticsearch N.V. in the United States and other countries. All other company and product names are trademarks, logos, or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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