The U.S. Department of War began developing the concept of Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control in 2019 as an effort to improve command and control by connecting systems across the land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace domains. New network infrastructure related to this effort must be both efficient and resilient, requiring dedicated personnel and resources to manage the infrastructure, troubleshoot problems, and provide cybersecurity. The Department of the Air Force has proposed standing up a command-and-control combined network and security operations center to support operational elements.
Private industry has been employing digital integration to engage customers and maintain services that sustain revenue for some time. Organizations generally operate two core functions to maintain both digital reliability and security: These are a Network Operations Center (NOC) and a Security Operations Center (SOC), respectively.
This paper details common approaches used by NOC and SOC organizations in private industry, highlighting (1) which practices could improve efficiency in the new Department of the Air Force center and (2) situations in which a different approach might be needed. The authors survey both NOC and SOC functions and responsibilities, organizational structures commonly used by private companies, and the corresponding manpower and staffing requirements. The authors also describe how advances in cybersecurity technology might reduce staffing requirements if properly implemented.
This publication is part of the RAND expert insights series. The expert insights series presents perspectives on timely policy issues.
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