Automating security tasks has long been a priority for security leaders, driven by growing network complexity, a proliferation of human and machine identities, and a shortage of skilled defenders. This was highlighted in a recent IDC survey, where security automation was the number one European CISO investment priority for 2025.

Automation in a SOC offers the prospect of greater cost efficiency, reduced manual tasks, improved threat detection and response, and ultimately better risk management. These are highly attractive benefits for organizations who are migrating to cloud or pursuing a cloud-first strategy, and CISOs in these organizations are attracted to the visibility and scalability offered by cloud-first SOCs. 

So how can UK Public Sector organizations improve the automation of security operations, and how will this change as SOCs are increasingly cloud-first? And, in this future environment, when is a human in the loop – or a machine – preferable or essential?  

Listen now, to experts from IDC and Palo Alto Networks who discussed the key challenges to SOC automation and offered recommendations for UK public sector security leaders.