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It’s a little beyond my third cup of coffee, and I’m sitting here staring at my screen thinking about the thirty years I’ve spent around networking (I started as a network admin in 1993) when I had a thought around some of the questions I get asked as a consultant. Do you really need 24×7 NOC support? Or will 8×5 work for you.
Here’s the problem—this is not a simple matter of checking a box on some service form. Your decision can quite literally make or break how much uptime, protection, and plain ole sleep you get. If you’re a business, it’s no longer a nice-to-have to have a team watching your infrastructure (that’s a passive response, we’re a no-go), for many business it is survival. But how careful must you actually be? Let’s dig in — I have skin in the game here, from being around from early PSTN mux setups through the chaos caused by the Slammer worm and helping three of the largest banks in the world as they update their zero-trust architectures — I have seen it from all phases.
Yet it’s not just hours on paper. It’s all about how quickly issues are detected, escalated and resolved.
Most of our SMBs have gravitated to 8×5 to save money — and that’s no surprise, because at the end of the day, I understand. Not every business can afford 24×7, and not every business requires 24×7.
Good fit for businesses that can function without access to the internet outside of regular office hours.
I have helped some cash-strapped startups make 8×5 NOC work for them by using strong automated alerts and a well-documented escalation process for after hours incidents. But — and I really can’t stress this enough — you need to be ready for what comes after 5 p.m.
I remember maintaining networks in the early 2000s where this was not merely inconvenient. It was disastrous. Remember the Slammer worm? It spread like wildfire over PSTN and IP links. Most 8×5 NOCs only saw it after the worm was long gone — it struck late evening. The lesson? For businesses that handle sensitive transactions around-the-clock — banks, e-commerce, health care — running only 8×5 is like locking your car during the day.
Now, 24×7 support. For clients who need it, that’s a no-brainer, honestly.
I’ve just returned from DefCon’s hardware hacking village, abuzz with demos of this sort of exploit. This only strengthened my belief that the pace of threats change quickly. The instant you let down your “business hours” is when the attackers strike.
24×7 NOC costs more. And occasionally, businesses receive some false reassurance from the belief that someone, somewhere will notice every incident. But staffing a real 24×7 NOC is tough. It requires that you have trained engineers working night shifts, the right escalation matrix and access controls — screw it up, and you’re looking at a delay or an insider.
If you answered yes to most, then 24×7 NOC makes sense. If not 8×5 with sound incident escalation should work.
At PJ Networks, we deliver tailored NOC services that fit your business needs. Most recently, we assisted three banks in rolling zero trust architecture across their businesses — and all had extensive, 24×7 operational demands. Rather than just expanding the hours that NOC was available, it also involved real-time intrusion detection, automated patching and continuous endpoint monitoring. These were mission-critical situations, where any delay in response could result in catastrophic data loss.
On the other hand, for SMBs with less complex operations, we made smart 8×5 packages that include automatic alerting, as well as on-call support that activates outside of business hours — once again, striking a good balance between cost and coverage.
When I say I’m flexible, I mean I’m flexible. Why impose a one-size-fits-all model? Your business isn’t McDonald’s drive-thru.
You can’t just rely on NOC. Firewalls, servers and routers – it’s the engine, transmission and brakes of your network car. And you know what, like other old classic cars, they need regular tune-ups, firmware upgrades, and yes — spot-checking for leaks.
Also: chasing down leaks — password policies. Don’t get me started. Complex does not always mean secure, and mandating unnecessary password complexity can blow up in your face quicker than a misconfigured router. The NOC has visibility into policy violations or suspicious logins — but your best defense is in layers.
Don’t believe the hype about every AI-powered security product. This one, I’m suspicious of — as AI being a tool, not a magic bullet. I have looked at solutions that are tagged as AI and all they do is regurgitate old signatures or throw alerts like a broken fire sprinkler. Always ask: does this tool really actually reduce the work load and above all security, or just move it elsewhere?
Decisive factors between 8×5 and 24×7 NOC support come down to the nature of your business, the risks you want to take, and the type of operational needs you have.
Your network is everything. Don’t be caught out by lag time or blind spots.
If you’re interested in discussing whatever’s best for your company—firewalls, NOCs, zero-trust, or maybe even some good old fashioned router tweaks — you know where to find me. I’ve certainly done things wrong so that your journey gets at least a bit of a smoother ride.
Oh — time for coffee four. The grind never ends.
