What is the role of a security operations center (SOC) in a utility?

• A. The SOC coordinates field maintenance activities.
• B. The SOC develops long-term energy trading strategies.
• C. The SOC manages customer billing.
• D. The SOC monitors, detects, and responds to security incidents.

Answer: (D)

A security operations center focuses on protecting the utility’s information and control systems by continuously monitoring for threats, analyzing alerts to identify real security incidents, and coordinating the response to contain, eradicate, and recover from those incidents. In a utility, this means watching both IT networks and operational technology (OT) systems that control grids, sensors, and industrial processes, so outages or tampering can be detected early and mitigated quickly. The SOC uses tools like security information and event management (SIEM), intrusion detection systems, and incident response playbooks to detect anomalies, assess risk, and communicate with appropriate teams to restore normal operations and prevent broader impact.

This role is distinct from field maintenance, which handles physical equipment upkeep; energy trading strategies, which are about market activities; and customer billing, which deals with billing and customer services. Those functions fall outside the SOC’s security-focused mandate.