What Is 24/7 Monitoring & Incident Response?
For small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), cybersecurity threats can strike at any time. It happens after hours, weekends, or even during a holiday. 24/7 monitoring means that your business’s IT environment is being watched continuously by a Security Operations Center (SOC), not just during office hours. If a threat is detected, incident response experts take swift action to investigate, contain, and resolve it—often before you even know there’s a problem.
Why Does 24/7 Security Monitoring Matter?
The Pain of Missed Threats
Most attacks today are automated, relentless, and opportunistic. Ransomware and phishing don’t wait for business hours. Without continuous oversight, your business is exposed to:
- Missed alerts: Threats may go undetected for hours or days, allowing damage to spread.
- Slow response times: The longer an attack goes unchecked, the greater the impact and recovery cost.
- Lack of expertise: Many SMBs lack an in-house security team with the tools and experience to respond effectively.
Did you know?
According to recent research, the average time to detect a breach in SMBs can exceed 200 days if you don’t have a SOC in place. Early detection is critical for rapid recovery and minimizing losses.
How Does 24/7 Monitoring Actually Work?
- Continuous Threat Detection: Automated tools and security analysts monitor your endpoints, cloud accounts, and network traffic around the clock. Suspicious activity triggers instant alerts.
- Expert Review: Not every alert is a real threat. A real SOC uses a combination of AI-driven automation and human analysts to validate, investigate, and triage incidents.
- Incident Response: If a credible threat is found, the incident response team immediately jumps into action. This may include isolating affected devices, neutralizing malware, and guiding your team through next steps.
- Reporting & Compliance: Every incident and response action is logged, producing documentation for audits and regulatory compliance (HIPAA, PCI, FTC, NIST, and others).
Local Focus: Norfolk-Based Security Experts
While Office Heroes provides national-caliber security, our SOC and support teams are rooted in Norfolk, VA. That means you’re not just a ticket number. You get personalized, local support—with experts who understand the unique compliance needs and business challenges facing Norfolk and Hampton Roads organizations.
- Need urgent help? You’ll talk to a real human, right here in your community.
What’s Included in Office Heroes’ 24/7 Monitoring & Incident Response?
- SOC-driven endpoint monitoring: Proactive, real-time oversight of all computers, laptops, and remote devices.
- AI-powered threat detection: Finds ransomware, zero-day threats, and suspicious user behavior.
- Incident response playbooks: Step-by-step actions to contain and recover from threats.
- Automated alerting: You’ll know about critical issues immediately—no waiting for a call-back.
- Compliance-ready reporting: Meet requirements for HIPAA, PCI, FTC Safeguards, and more.
- Local support & escalation: Rapid response from a Norfolk-based team if needed.
Want the full checklist? See our Incident Response Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
24/7 Monitoring & Incident Response
- How quickly will I be notified if there’s a threat?
You’ll receive immediate alerts for critical threats—often within seconds. Our Norfolk-based Security Operations Center (SOC) analysts follow up with guidance and support, so you’re never left in the dark.
- What types of threats can you detect and respond to?
Office Heroes detects and responds to a wide range of threats, including malware, ransomware, suspicious logins, insider risks, policy violations, and more, whether you’re in the office or working remotely.
- Do I need to install any special equipment or software?
No extra hassle for your team. We handle all setup, providing the endpoint monitoring agents and secure cloud management tools needed for complete protection.
- How do you protect data privacy during incident response?
All investigations and remediation steps follow strict confidentiality and compliance protocols. Every action is encrypted, tracked, and fully auditable to safeguard your sensitive data.
- Will monitoring slow down my business or impact employee productivity?
Not at all. Our monitoring tools operate silently in the background, designed for minimal impact on system performance while delivering maximum security.
- How does 24/7 monitoring help with compliance (HIPAA, PCI, FTC, etc.)?
24/7 monitoring and incident response help you meet regulatory requirements by providing detailed audit trails, real-time reporting, and technical controls needed for compliance with HIPAA, PCI, GLBA, FTC Safeguards Rule, and more.
- What happens after an incident is resolved?
You’ll receive a comprehensive incident report with recommendations for strengthening your defenses. We also assist with compliance documentation and insurance notifications if required.
- Can you provide references or local examples?
Absolutely. Many Norfolk-area businesses trust Office Heroes for their cybersecurity needs, just ask us for case studies or testimonials from organizations like yours.
- Can you provide references or local examples?
Absolutely. Many Norfolk-area businesses trust Office Heroes for their cybersecurity needs, just ask us for case studies or testimonials from organizations like yours.
- How is 24/7 monitoring different from antivirus or firewall protection?
Antivirus and firewalls are important, but they’re not enough on their own. Office Heroes provides continuous human monitoring, advanced threat detection, and live incident response—offering protection far beyond traditional tools.
- What does onboarding look like? How soon can I be protected?
Getting started is fast and easy—most clients are fully onboarded and protected within a few days. We take care of all configuration, initial security scans, and training.
- How is 24/7 support different from break/fix IT services?
Unlike break/fix IT, Office Heroes delivers proactive protection, rapid response, and expert help before, during, and after any incident—all for predictable monthly pricing.
- What should I do if I suspect a breach?
Call our emergency support line anytime—our local security experts in Norfolk are on call 24/7 to help you contain, investigate, and recover from incidents.
- How much does 24/7 monitoring cost?
Pricing is flexible and designed for SMBs. Costs depend on the number of devices and the level of coverage you need. Contact us for a quick, no-pressure quote tailored to your business.
What Happens If a Threat Is Detected?
- Immediate alert: Our SOC sees the suspicious activity within seconds.
- Expert analysis: Analysts determine if it’s a real threat.
- Containment: If needed, affected devices are isolated to stop spread.
- Remediation: The threat is neutralized—files restored, systems cleaned.
- Communication: You’re kept informed every step of the way, with advice on the next actions.
- Audit log: Full incident documentation for compliance and future review.
What Makes Office Heroes’ Approach Different
- Local expertise: Security operations center and support staff right in Norfolk, VA.
- Layered defense: Integrates endpoint detection, backup, patching, and user training.
- Regulatory compliance: Aligned with HIPAA, PCI, NIST, FTC Safeguards, and state/local mandates.
- Rapid response: No “waiting for escalation”—you get priority service when it matters most.
Want to see how protected you really are?
Request a Monitoring Readiness Review
Secure Your Business Today
- Learn more about Guardian: Computer Protection & Endpoint Security
- Curious about how 24/7 monitoring works in practice? Read: What Does “24/7 Monitoring” Really Mean?
- Need to prepare for an incident? Visit: Incident Response Guide
Norfolk Businesses: Ready for True Peace of Mind?
Don’t wait for a wake-up call.
Request your free Monitoring Readiness Review today and see how real-time protection and local expertise can keep your business resilient—day and night.
