Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platforms have been around for more than a decade, and in that time, they have become an essential part of the security landscape. However, as our State of SIEM report shows, there are many challenges facing SIEM users today. In this article, we will explore five of the most pressing challenges faced by security teams today and how SIEM can help address them.
According to the security practitioners we surveyed, alert quality is one of the biggest concerns for security teams today. Poor quality alerts can clog up the security team’s inbox with signals that are not actually threats and lead to wasted time and resources as the team investigates false alerts. In addition, false positives can cause a loss of trust in the SIEM’s capability to do its job accurately. All of these factors can significantly impact the security team’s effectiveness.
A modern SIEM platform should reduce the volume of low-quality alerts and provide context and risk-based prioritization by allowing you to write flexible, robust detections. By using Python and standard CI/CD workflows, you can refine your alerts to those you need while reducing the noise created by false positives. With context and automatic prioritization based on risk, security teams can focus on the most critical signals and reduce the risk of being overwhelmed by false positives.
Many security professionals feel that their current SIEM solution only covers a limited amount of their critical data. Nearly half said their legacy solution protects only 50% of their essential security data.
One of the biggest challenges for security teams is that their data comes from various sources. It’s essential for security teams to have a way to collect, normalize, and store all this data in a single place so they can analyze it effectively.
A data lake is a perfect solution for this challenge. It can also handle large volumes of data at a low cost. Security teams can use this data to investigate suspicious activities quickly.
Traditional SIEMs are complicated and bulky tools that require a lot of heavy lifting at every stage, including configuration and deployment, integration with data sources, and writing detections. Most respondents said receiving high-value alerts takes longer than a month. This doesn’t have to be the case, as there are ways to speed up the process.
One reason it can take so long to deploy a SIEM is to agree on a critical data source, integrate with that source, and define schemas to ingest the data. Additionally, SIEMs may also require additional infrastructure to be stood up and maintained.
The cost of current SIEM solutions is a significant concern for many users. Organizations can easily spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for a SIEM solution. The cost often increases as the number of sensors and data sources grows. In addition, many users feel that the functionality of current SIEM solutions is limited, and there needs to be more innovation in this area.
These factors can lead users to look for a new SIEM platform. Fortunately, options today offer more features at a lower cost than legacy SIEM platforms. In addition, innovative new platforms provide features not found in legacy SIEM solutions. Security teams should evaluate these new platforms to see if they offer a better fit for their needs.
One of the main reasons security teams say they don’t use a SIEM platform is that they find them too complex to implement. In addition, many users feel that the complexity of current SIEM platforms makes it difficult to get value from them.
A modern SIEM platform should be easy to install and use. It should provide an intuitive user interface that makes it easy for security teams to collect and analyze data effectively. It should also automate common tasks like data collection and analysis so security teams can focus on investigating threats and incidents.
When it comes to detecting and preventing cybersecurity threats, a modern SIEM platform must react quickly and accurately. Using a universally accessible and well-understood language makes it easier for a broader range of experts to create custom detections and improves the platform’s overall effectiveness.
One solution to reduce your security operations’ complexity is choosing a cloud-native SIEM provider. Not only will you save time and relieve your team of unnecessary burdens, but outsourcing to a cloud-native SIEM can streamline your security operations and give you peace of mind.
When purchasing security software, focusing solely on initial costs can be tempting. However, this narrow focus can lead to overlooking the vital factor of the total cost of ownership. In addition to initial licensing fees, factors such as the time and resources required for onboarding new log sources, writing and editing detections, and searching for Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) can all add up in the long run. Considering these additional costs is crucial before making a final decision on a security platform.
Taking the time to assess the total cost of ownership thoroughly can save money and valuable resources in the long run. It’s a critical aspect that organizational leaders should pay attention to during the purchasing process.
Ultimately, choosing the right SIEM means choosing one that can help solve the challenges listed above, placing you in a better position to defend your organization more effectively and efficiently.
