SOAR

SOAR

It stands for Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response. It is a category of security tools that helps teams connect different security products, automate repetitive tasks, and follow response workflows during incidents. Microsoft describes SOAR as tools and services that automate cyberattack prevention and response, and Microsoft Sentinel’s SOAR features use automation rules and playbooks for recurring response tasks.

Example: A phishing alert comes in. The SOAR platform automatically collects the email details, checks the sender and links against threat intel, opens a case, and can trigger a response workflow such as isolating the affected mailbox or sending the incident to an analyst for approval. Microsoft says SOAR tools can correlate data and run pre-scripted playbooks to address known incident types.

Use case: A SOC team uses SOAR to reduce manual work and respond faster to common alerts like phishing, malware, or suspicious logins. Instead of analysts doing every small step by hand, the platform handles the routine steps so analysts can focus on more complex investigations.