What are SOAR Tools? Definition, Uses, Top Tools, Vendors and Challenges

Implementing SOAR tools enhances security operations, yet organizations face hurdles such as integration complexities, high costs, alert fatigue, automation resistance, scalability concerns, and compliance issues. This article explores these challenges in detail, outlining how security teams can overcome obstacles while ensuring SOAR platform effectiveness in threat detection and response, security workflows, and incident management.  

What is SOAR in cybersecurity? 

SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) enhances security operations by integrating multiple security tools and automating repetitive tasks, reducing response time and improving security posture. It collects and analyzes security data from SIEM systems, threat intelligence feeds, and other sources to automate security workflows and execute predefined actions.  

SOAR collects and enriches threat intelligence from multiple sources, improving SOC decision-making. 

What Are SOAR Tools? 

SOAR tools are designed to enhance security operations by integrating multiple security tools into a unified system. These platforms help security teams automate security operations, streamline workflows, and improve incident response efficiency by reducing response time and manual workload on security analysts. Within 12 months of implementing a SOAR solution, a global fintech company achieved a tenfold improvement in Mean Time to Response (MTTR), automated 90% of Tier 1 SOC activities, and significantly reduced reliance on Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs), leading to substantial cost savings. 

Why Organizations Use SOAR Tools? 

Organizations adopt SOAR solutions to tackle security challenges such as alert overload, slow response times, and fragmented security workflows.  

The benefits include: 

• Improved Detection and Response: By integrating SIEM and SOAR, security teams can detect security issues faster and respond to security threats more efficiently. 
• Reduction in Security Alerts Fatigue: SOAR automates the triaging of security alerts, reducing noise and allowing security analysts to focus on critical threats. The Software Engineering Institute reports that the average SOC receives 10,000–15,000 alerts per day, leading to security analyst burnout and inefficient threat triage. 
• Enhanced Security Infrastructure: Unifies security operations across various security tools, enabling security teams to work with greater precision.  
• Scalability and Adaptability: Supports existing security investments, ensuring compatibility with evolving security systems and compliance requirements. 

What are the top SOAR platforms available today? 

Several vendors provide leading SOAR solutions tailored to enterprises, MSSPs, and security operations centers (SOCs). SOAR acts as the autopilot for your security operations, reducing manual workload.   

The most prominent SOAR platforms available today include: 

• Splunk SOAR – Offers a highly customizable platform with deep integration capabilities across multiple security tools. Splunk SOAR automatically correlates EDR alerts with MITRE ATT&CK TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures), identifying Command-and-Control (T1071) or Credential Dumping (T1003) attempts within seconds. 
• Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSOAR – A comprehensive SOAR tool that integrates security orchestration, case management, and automated response to help security teams manage security incidents effectively. 
• IBM Security QRadar SOAR – Designed to enhance incident response processes by automating workflows, enabling faster threat remediation, and integrating with SIEM and security information tools. Within 12 months of implementing IBM QRadar SOAR, a global fintech firm achieved a 92% reduction in manual SOC workloads and improved MTTR from 4 hours to under 20 minutes. The firm used automated playbooks to handle phishing incidents and ransomware containment, reducing their MSSP dependency by $1.2 million annually. 
• Microsoft Sentinel SOAR Capabilities – A cloud-native solution that unifies security analytics, orchestration, and automation to detect, investigate, and respond to security threats efficiently. 
• Swimlane – A low-code SOAR platform designed for enterprises that need flexible security automation to unify their security operations. 
• Siemplify (Acquired by Google Cloud Security) – A security operations platform that simplifies case management, automation, and threat detection workflows. 
• DFLabs IncMan SOAR – Specializes in machine-based execution of security actions, providing automated incident response and enhanced security event management. 
• Rapid7 InsightConnect – Focuses on integrating and automating security tasks, reducing alert fatigue, and improving overall security response. 

What are the strengths and weaknesses of top SOAR providers?

Each SOAR platform comes with advantages and limitations. A detailed breakdown helps organizations select the right SOAR solution based on their security challenges:  

What Are the Challenges in Implementing SOAR Tools? 

Gartner's 2022 Market Guide highlighted that SOAR adoption is driven by staff shortages (65% of security teams report workforce gaps), alert overload (SOC teams handle an average of 14,000 security alerts daily), and growing cyber threats. 

The challenges faced in execution of SOAR:  

• Implementing a SOAR tool requires seamless integration with existing security infrastructure to avoid operational silos and ensure compatibility with security tools and processes. 
• Configuring SOAR solutions to match an organization's specific security concerns is challenging due to complex security workflows and varying use cases. 
• The high initial costs of deploying a SOAR platform include expenses for technology, training security personnel, and continuous maintenance. 
• Excessive security alerts from multiple security tools can lead to alert fatigue, making it difficult for security analysts to prioritize security incidents effectively. 
• Security teams may resist security orchestration and automation due to concerns about losing control over security operations and the potential for misconfigurations. 
• Ensuring SOAR tools scale effectively is critical, as increased security data volumes can impact performance and real-time security response capabilities. 
• Compliance with industry regulations presents challenges in SOAR and SIEM integration, security information and event management, and data privacy considerations. 
• A well-implemented SOAR platform enhances SOC by enabling security teams to unify security operations and improve security incident response.

What is SOAR Tool Open Source? 

A SOAR tool integrates security tools and processes to automate incident response and enhance security operations. Open-source SOAR solutions offer flexibility and customization, enabling security teams to tailor workflows and integrate with existing security investments. These tools improve threat detection and response by using SIEM and SOAR data for security automation and security analytics. Open-source SOAR platforms scale efficiently, helping enterprises and managed security providers automate security workflows and enhance overall security posture.