Independent SOC Oversight for a Newly Formed Media Subsidiary
Client Context
A newly formed digital media subsidiary of a Fortune 50 enterprise engaged LockStock Cybersecurity & Analytics to provide strategic oversight of its managed Security Operations Center (SOC). Although the company was new, it inherited the enterprise-grade detection and response tooling of its parent. This created both opportunity and complexity. The client had advanced platforms in place but lacked internal SOC leadership to ensure performance, alignment, and accountability.
Client Challenge
The organization faced several challenges common to fast-forming entities in highly regulated industries. It had a managed SOC provider but no dedicated SOC Manager to oversee performance or translate outputs into business-level insight. The executive board required visibility into detection and response maturity, while auditors raised questions about governance and escalation clarity.
Compliance pressures added urgency. The company needed to demonstrate that SOC monitoring and incident response aligned with:
SOX internal control requirements tied to its parent’s public company obligations.
PCI DSS standards due to potential credit card payment processing.
GDPR for data protection and breach readiness affecting EU users.
FCC rules governing communications and media companies.
COPPA requirements for safeguarding children’s personal information across digital platforms.
Without oversight, there was a risk that managed SOC activities would remain tactical and disconnected from regulatory obligations and organizational priorities.
Lockstock Approach
LockStock delivered a structured oversight model combining governance, quantitative analysis, and executive communication. Activities included:
Direct engagement with the managed SOC provider to align goals, priorities, and compliance requirements.
Tooling coverage review with recommendations for tuning, optimization, and detection engineering.
Regulatory mapping, ensuring SOC monitoring and escalation processes supported SOX, PCI DSS, GDPR, FCC, and COPPA obligations.
Data-driven performance framework, using advanced metrics such as MTTD, MTTR, SLA adherence, false positive rates, and repeat incident trends.
Machine learning–inspired analysis of detection patterns, escalation pathways, and response quality to identify inefficiencies and improvement opportunities.
Custom dashboards and reports designed for both technical and executive audiences.
Weekly governance cycle that brought together IT leadership, SOC analysts, and executives to track progress, compliance alignment, and accountability.
LockStock acted as both an interim SOC Manager and an independent advisor, ensuring oversight remained strategic, compliant, and objective.
Results and Impact
Within weeks, the client experienced tangible improvements:
Board-level confidence in SOC operations, supported by plain-language reporting tied to compliance outcomes.
Smoother escalations between SOC analysts, IT leadership, and executives.
Improved alignment between managed SOC deliverables, regulatory obligations, and organizational risk priorities.
Data transparency through dashboards and metrics that executives could reference independently.
Over the longer term, LockStock’s oversight created a repeatable model for measuring SOC maturity, enabling leadership to track progress and demonstrate compliance readiness for SOX, PCI DSS, GDPR, FCC, and COPPA requirements.
Strategic Positioning
This case demonstrates LockStock’s differentiated value in bridging the gap between outsourced SOC operations, compliance obligations, and executive oversight.
Independent vendor accountability, ensuring managed SOC services deliver measurable results aligned with compliance frameworks.
Regulatory assurance, embedding SOX, PCI DSS, GDPR, FCC, and COPPA requirements into SOC monitoring, escalation, and reporting.
Strategic advisory capability, translating technical SOC outputs into business-relevant insights for executives and boards.
Advanced analytics, applying data science methods to SOC performance monitoring for greater precision and foresight.
Future-state roadmap, positioning the client to evolve toward detection engineering, SOAR automation, AI-driven monitoring, and eventual in-house SOC leadership.
With LockStock’s guidance, the client accelerated SOC maturity while meeting critical compliance expectations. This ensured executives and the board gained confidence in their ability to manage threats while remaining aligned with regulatory obligations.
