What is a SIEM?
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) – A SIEM platform centrally collects data from multiple devices on your network, including your existing security appliances. Through an advanced correlation engine, it is able to proactively identify security events not otherwise detected by standalone security technology.
A SIEM system centralizes logging capabilities on security events for enterprises and is principally used to analyze and/or report on the log entries received. The analysis capabilities of SIEM systems can detect attacks not discovered through other means and can direct the reconfiguration of other enterprise security controls to plug holes in enterprise security. Some of the top SIEM products — assuming an attack is still in progress — can even stop detected security breaches.
Why do people use a SIEM?
A SIEM is used differently based on the perceived outcomes and benefits of the tool. The top reasons organizations purchase a SIEM is as follows:
- Compliance reporting obligations
- Log management and retention
- Continuous monitoring and incident response
- Case management or ticketing systems
- Policy enforcement validation and policy violations
Why should I use a SIEM?
Do you have a need to:
- Streamline compliance reporting?
- Detect security incidents that would not otherwise be detected?
- Save time and resources of your IT or security team?
We think a SIEM is a must have because the benefits of SIEM products enable an organization to get the “big picture” view of its security events throughout the enterprise. By bringing together security log data from enterprise security controls, host operating systems, applications, and other software components, a SIEM can analyze large volumes of security log data to identify the attacks and compromises hidden within it. A SIEM is often able to identify malicious activity that no other single host could identify because the SIEM is the only security control with true enterprise-wide visibility.
I'm thinking of building a SOC internally
We encounter several organizations that purchase a SIEM and then ask us to manage it for them. This is because many assumptions are made when purchasing a SIEM that they are easy to use and don’t require dedicated resources. We discuss this and the cost comparison of building a 24/7 security operations center (SOC) to the cost of outsourcing it.
View the ebook here: https://www.cybriant.com/insource-vs-outsource/
Why Managed SIEM?
There are many reasons to consider Managed SIEM including:
- Finding and maintaining experienced SIEM/SOC Security Analysts is NOT EASY (and also expensive)
- You could build it, but it will take much longer than outsourcing to a professional security services provider like Cybriant
- You are getting everything from an MSSP only at a fraction of what you could spend internally
- Scalable and Flexible
- Greater Threat Intelligence – We’ve been doing this awhile and we’ve seen a lot of things.
Without the proper planning and expectations around people and processes up front, the odds of achieving even the minimal capabilities of a SIEM solution are slim to none.
Find out more about this on “Is Managed SIEM right for me?”
Why Cybriant?
Cybriant has worked with several hundred happy clients on the installation, management, and monitoring of their SIEM platforms. Please see our client use cases: https://www.cybriant.com/client-use-cases/
We are happy to provide references upon request.
Why do it now?
Cybercrime is rampant and rising at an alarming rate. It is often assumed that hackers are targeting large enterprise organizations, but in reality, everyone is a target. Working with a professional security services provider like Cybriant will ensure that you are protected from cyber threats around the clock.