SOAR Optimization and Metrics

Deployed SOAR requires ongoing optimization to maximize value. Measuring effectiveness, identifying improvement opportunities, and scaling automation extends SOAR benefits.

Measuring SOAR Effectiveness

Time savings - How much analyst time does automation save? Compare time before and after automation for common tasks.

Mean time to respond (MTTR) - How quickly do incidents reach resolution? Automation should reduce response time.

Alert handling capacity - How many alerts can the team handle? Automation should increase throughput without adding staff.

Accuracy - Are automated actions correct? Track false positive rates in automated decisions.

Coverage - What percentage of alerts have playbooks? Gaps represent automation opportunities.

Identifying Optimization Opportunities

Analyze failures. Why do playbooks fail? Integration issues, edge cases, or design flaws? Each failure reveals improvement opportunities.

Track manual steps. When analysts intervene in otherwise automated workflows, that represents automation potential.

Measure bottlenecks. Where do alerts queue waiting for human action? Can those gates be widened or automated?

Review false positives. High false positive rates might indicate detection tuning needs rather than more automation.

Scaling with Automation

Playbook libraries. Build reusable playbook components. Common enrichment steps can serve many workflows.

Templates and standards. Consistent playbook structure eases maintenance and onboarding.

Tier appropriate automation. Simple, high-volume alerts get more automation. Complex incidents get more human involvement.

Continuous improvement. Each incident creates learning. Did the playbook work? What would make it better? Regular reviews drive improvement.

Human-Automation Balance

Automation handles:

• High-volume, repetitive tasks


• Data gathering and enrichment


• Standard notifications and ticket creation


• Clear-cut containment actions

Humans handle:

• Judgment calls on ambiguous situations


• Novel attack patterns


• Business impact assessments


• Communication with stakeholders


• Complex investigation and correlation

The goal is not to eliminate human involvement but to focus human expertise where it matters most. Automation handles the routine; analysts handle the exceptional.

Scaling the Team

Effective SOAR enables:

• Handling more alerts without hiring


• Faster response improving security outcomes


• Analyst time freed for hunting and improvement


• Consistent response quality regardless of who is on shift

Document SOAR value for leadership. Quantify time savings, improved metrics, and risk reduction.