Large enterprises have Security Operations Centres - rooms full of analysts watching dashboards, investigating alerts, responding to threats around the clock.

You don’t have that. You might have one IT person who also handles the printer.

So how do you monitor for security threats? Here’s what actually works.

The Reality for SMBs

Let’s be honest about the constraints:

• No dedicated security staff
• Limited budget for security tools
• No 24/7 monitoring capability
• IT staff (if you have them) wear many hats
• Alerts need to be actionable, not overwhelming

Given these constraints, the goal isn’t to replicate enterprise security operations. It’s to get meaningful visibility without drowning in complexity.

Tier 1: Use What You Already Have

Before buying anything new, maximise what you’re paying for.

Microsoft 365 Security Features:

If you’re on Microsoft 365 Business Premium, you have:

• Microsoft Defender for Business (endpoint protection with alerts)
• Secure Score (ongoing security assessment)
• Alert policies (notifications for suspicious activity)
• Audit logs (activity tracking)

Configuration steps:

1. Enable alert policies for critical events (admin changes, failed logins, malware detections)
2. Configure email notifications for high-priority alerts
3. Review Secure Score monthly and address top recommendations
4. Enable and review sign-in logs

Time required: A few hours to configure, 30 minutes weekly to review.

Google Workspace:

If you’re on Google Workspace:

• Security dashboard with alert centre
• Investigation tool
• Audit and investigation logs
• Admin alerts

Similar approach: enable alerts for critical events, configure notifications, review regularly.

Your firewall:

Most business firewalls can generate alerts:

• Blocked intrusion attempts
• Unusual traffic patterns
• Connection to known malicious IPs

Make sure logging is enabled and someone reviews it (even weekly).

Your endpoint protection:

Whatever antivirus or EDR you’re running:

• Enable email alerts for detections
• Configure central dashboard (if available)
• Review weekly at minimum

Tier 2: Add Focused Monitoring

If you’ve maxed out built-in tools and want more visibility:

Managed Detection and Response (MDR):

This is the most practical addition for most SMBs. MDR services:

• Collect security data from your endpoints
• Monitor 24/7 with their analysts
• Alert you when something needs attention
• Help with response when threats are detected

Examples: Huntress, Arctic Wolf, Expel, CrowdStrike Falcon Complete

Cost: Typically $3-10 per endpoint per month

Value: Expert monitoring without hiring experts

Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM):

If you use cloud services (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud), CSPM tools monitor for misconfigurations:

• Public S3 buckets
• Exposed databases
• Weak access controls
• Compliance violations

Examples: Wiz, Orca, Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Relevance: More important for businesses with significant cloud infrastructure

Email security monitoring:

Phishing remains the primary attack vector. Enhanced email security provides:

• Detailed threat intelligence
• Click tracking (who clicked malicious links)
• Impersonation attempt detection
• Post-delivery remediation

Examples: Proofpoint, Mimecast, Abnormal Security

Tier 3: Structured Monitoring Approach

If you want to build a more systematic capability:

Define what matters most:

You can’t monitor everything equally. Prioritise:

1. Admin account activity
2. Access to sensitive data
3. Endpoint protection status
4. Email security events
5. External-facing services

Establish review cadence:

• Daily: Check for critical alerts (can be automated to email)
• Weekly: Review security dashboards, investigate medium-priority alerts
• Monthly: Review trends, check Secure Score, update configurations
• Quarterly: More comprehensive review, policy updates

Document your process:

Write down:

• What you’re monitoring
• How often
• Who’s responsible
• What triggers escalation
• Where to escalate

This becomes your mini-SOC procedure, scaled for your size.

The Alert Problem

Here’s the challenge: security tools generate alerts. Lots of them.

Without tuning, you get:

• Thousands of alerts
• Alert fatigue
• Important alerts lost in noise
• Staff ignoring all alerts

Solutions:

Prioritise ruthlessly: Configure only critical alerts to go to email/SMS. Review lower-priority alerts in weekly dashboard sessions.

Tune false positives: When you investigate an alert and it’s benign, update the tool to reduce similar false positives.

Use severity levels: Most tools categorise alerts. Only push high/critical to phones. Review medium/low in batches.

Leverage automation: Some tools can auto-remediate low-risk issues (quarantine suspicious files, block known bad IPs). Let them.

Working with IT Providers

If you have a managed service provider, security monitoring should be part of the conversation.

Questions to ask:

• What security monitoring do you provide?
• What alerts do you respond to vs pass to us?
• What’s your response time for critical alerts?
• What reporting do we receive?
• How do we access monitoring dashboards?

What good looks like:

• 24/7 monitoring of critical systems
• Defined SLAs for alert response
• Regular reporting (monthly minimum)
• Transparent access to your own data
• Proactive recommendations

If your provider doesn’t monitor security, you have a gap. Either address it with them or supplement with MDR.

The Human Element

Tools generate alerts. Humans decide what to do.

Even with limited resources, you need:

Someone responsible: One person (could be part-time) designated as security point person. They review alerts, make decisions, escalate when needed.

Decision authority: When that person sees a real threat, they need authority to act. Disconnect systems. Block accounts. Engage responders.

Escalation path: When the point person is overwhelmed or uncertain, where do they escalate? Could be IT provider, MDR service, or incident response firm.

Practical Implementation

Week 1:

• Audit current security tool configurations
• Enable critical alerts in existing tools
• Set up email notifications for high-priority events

Week 2:

• Create a simple monitoring checklist
• Schedule weekly security review time
• Document who’s responsible for what

Week 3:

• Review and tune initial alerts
• Reduce false positive noise
• Consider MDR evaluation if gaps remain

Ongoing:

• Weekly: Dashboard reviews, alert investigation
• Monthly: Trend review, Secure Score check
• Quarterly: Process review and improvement

When to Escalate

Define when your internal capability isn’t enough:

Escalate immediately if:

• Evidence of active attack (ransomware deploying, data exfiltration)
• Compromise of admin accounts
• Confirmed malware that endpoint protection didn’t stop
• Breach of systems with sensitive data

Escalate soon if:

• Unusual activity you can’t explain
• Multiple failed attacks suggesting you’re being targeted
• Vulnerability discovered that you can’t patch quickly
• Alert patterns you don’t understand

Who to escalate to:

• IT provider for technical response
• MDR service (if you have one) for investigation
• Incident response firm for confirmed breaches
• ACSC for reporting and potential guidance

The Cost of Not Monitoring

Some businesses skip security monitoring to save money. This is false economy.

What you miss:

• Early warning of attacks
• Evidence for investigation and insurance
• Compliance with insurance requirements
• Visibility into your security posture

What happens:

• Attacks progress further before detection
• Recovery takes longer and costs more
• Insurance claims become problematic
• You learn about breaches from customers or attackers

Basic monitoring using existing tools costs nothing but time. MDR services are a few hundred dollars monthly for small businesses. Compare that to breach costs averaging hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Getting Expert Help

For businesses that want professional guidance without hiring security staff, AI consultants Melbourne and similar firms can help:

• Design monitoring approaches appropriate to your size
• Configure tools for effective alerting
• Establish review processes and runbooks
• Provide ongoing oversight and guidance

The value is getting enterprise-appropriate monitoring scaled for SMB resources and budgets.

Metrics to Track

How do you know if your monitoring is working?

Activity metrics:

• Number of alerts reviewed weekly
• Time to review alerts
• Percentage of alerts investigated vs ignored

Outcome metrics:

• Threats detected and stopped
• Mean time to detect suspicious activity
• False positive rate (improving over time?)

Coverage metrics:

• Percentage of endpoints monitored
• Percentage of users with MFA (visible through monitoring)
• Patch compliance rates

If metrics aren’t improving, your monitoring approach needs adjustment.

Final Thought

You don’t need a SOC. You need appropriate visibility for your size and risk profile.

Start with what you have. Add MDR if gaps remain. Build sustainable processes that someone actually follows.

The goal isn’t to match enterprise security operations. It’s to know when something’s wrong before it becomes a catastrophe.

Working with specialists like Team400 can help design monitoring that fits your resources. The important thing is having something in place rather than flying blind.

Perfect monitoring you can’t afford is worth less than basic monitoring you actually do.