Implementing an OT or industrial SOC in the Agri-Food Sector

When people talk about an “industrial SOC,” many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the agri-food sector see it as an investment beyond their reach: they picture rooms full of analysts, high fixed costs, and technology that only large corporations can understand. That perception isn’t entirely unfounded, but it doesn’t reflect the current reality of the market or the alternatives that now exist.

What an industrial SOC is (and is not)

An industrial SOC is a set of capabilities—people, processes, and technology—focused on detecting, analyzing, and responding to threats or cyberattacks that can affect industrial systems: PLCs, SCADA, HMIs, line sensors, process controllers, and IoT gateways, as well as the IT layer that connects them.

The importance of implementing a SOC in Agri-Food SMEs

The agri-food sector has undergone rapid digitalization: production line automation, traceability control, mixing sensors, and inspection cameras transmitting real-time data. This increased connectivity expands the attack surface. Moreover, SMEs make up the majority of the sector’s productive base, and many cybercriminals see them as easy targets due to their lack of robust security controls.

Cybersecurity incidents in SMEs are common and can lead to production downtime, product recalls, regulatory penalties, and reputational damage. For this reason, while investment levels must remain proportionate, implementing detection and response capabilities is not optional.

Options for implementing a SOC in your SME

Managed SOC (MSSP/MDR) with an OT Focus

Outsourcing monitoring and response allows access to technical expertise and specialized tools without the need to hire a full in-house team. Look for providers that offer integration with industrial controllers and service level agreements (SLAs) that include response times and familiarity with industrial processes.

Minimum Viable Hybrid SOC (MVSOC)

In this model, the SME retains critical internal functions (identity management, backups, segmentation) while delegating continuous monitoring and advanced analysis to a partner. This requires first investing in asset inventory, IT/OT segmentation, and essential telemetry (logging from gateways, industrial firewalls, and network sensors). The goal isn’t to monitor everything from day one, but to cover critical assets and scale up in phases.

Shared or Sectoral SOC

Within agri-food clusters or cooperatives, the idea of sharing detection and response capabilities through a common service is gaining traction. It reduces costs and enables the collection of sector-specific threat intelligence but requires clear agreements on governance and data protection.

Architecture and minimum data requirements (What to instrument from the start)

An efficient industrial SOC for an SME doesn’t need to ingest every bit of factory telemetry from day one. There are technical priorities that provide the greatest defensive “leverage” at a moderate cost.

First, establish separation and control between IT and OT networks through segmentation and industrial firewalls. Second, enable event collection from OT gateways, firewalls, SCADA/HMI servers, and, when possible, from PLCs (or their network switches).

Key telemetry includes logs of HMI/SCADA access, PLC logic changes, security device alarms, integrity failures, and anomalous traffic in industrial protocols. With this foundation, you can design high-priority use cases such as detecting unauthorized PLC changes, unplanned remote access, data exfiltration from gateways, and lateral movement from IT to OT.

Legal and regulatory framework: NIS2 and other obligations

At the European level, the NIS2 Directive expands risk management and incident reporting obligations to medium and large companies in critical sectors, including the agri-food sector. This means that companies exceeding certain size thresholds or considered critical must adapt their internal controls and cyber incident response capabilities. Although the transposition into national law may introduce some variations in scope, NIS2 significantly increases the need for incident detection, response, and reporting capabilities.

For an SME, anticipating these requirements and aligning a SOC (whether in-house or managed by an external provider) with the best practices in governance, incident management, and vulnerability management proposed by NIS2 is a strategic investment. This not only helps reduce regulatory risks, but also protects the company’s reputation and enhances its resilience against cyber threats.

How to implement an OT or industrial SOC in the Agri-Food Sector: strategic steps

• Conduct an asset inventory and criticality analysis: Identify assets whose unavailability would have industrial or health impacts.

• Segregate IT and OT networks: Separate operational technology (OT) networks from corporate IT networks. Apply strict access controls and least-privilege policies.

• Implement minimal telemetry: Monitor gateways, industrial firewalls, and SCADA servers. Collect key events to enable early detection of incidents and anomalies.

• Select a SOC approach: Choose an MSSP/MDR provider with OT experience or design a hybrid SOC with clearly defined responsibilities.

• Define and test operational playbooks: Develop incident response procedures tailored to production environments. Conduct regular drills with plant personnel to ensure effectiveness and coordination.

• Leverage public funding and digitalization programs: Explore grants and co-financing programs to support SOC implementation and staff training.

These steps reduce the initial complexity and allow the SOC’s coverage to scale according to needs and organizational maturity. Implementing an industrial SOC in an agri-food SME is not an impossible task, but it is far from a simple plug-in solution. It requires prioritization, OT expertise, collaboration between cybersecurity and production teams, and often, specialized external support.

The most practical paths for an SME involve managed or hybrid solutions, phased instrumentation, and leveraging public funding and digitalization programs.

With this approach, the SME not only reduces operational and reputational risk but also positions itself more effectively in relation to regulatory frameworks like NIS2 and potential incidents, which, statistically, are increasingly affecting smaller companies.