What is security information and event management (SIEM)?

Every action, event or movement within a digital network creates data — even the most clandestine intruder leaves behind footprints. Where things become complicated is in how much data there is and determining which data could indicate an attack. SIEM applies predetermined rules to sift through the massive amounts of log data from host systems, software applications and security devices and deliver the results to a single, centralised location for a holistic view of the organisation’s entire IT environment.

With the relevant security data fully categorised, security teams can then use SIEM tools to prioritise and investigate threats and respond to malicious activity before it can hamper business operations.

As networks continue to expand, they face almost constant assault from external (as well as internal) security threats. SIEM gives your security teams clearer insight into what is happening within the network, allowing them to filter vast amounts of security log data to uncover any evidence of unauthorised access. This gives them the visibility to detect even the most subtle security incident, prioritise security alerts and mitigate attacks much more quickly than otherwise possible.

This creates several noteworthy advantages for modern businesses.

Given that SIEM is designed to help optimise your entire network security posture, the benefits it represents are likewise extremely far-reaching. These include:

• Centralised visibility
  Businesses gain the advantage of bringing all relevant security data together into a centralised system so that all authorised departments, teams and individuals have access to a single source of truth for making security decisions.
• Real-time threat recognition
  When addressing security threats, every second counts. SIEM activity monitoring alerts response teams to potential network threats immediately as they occur. This gives organisations precious lead time in isolating and eliminating these threats before they can cause damage.
• Improved regulatory compliance
  As data regulatory laws become more widespread, organisations need improved data visibility to ensure that they remain compliant. SIEM simplifies these processes, providing essential compliance data at the push of a button.
• Detailed auditing and reporting
  It’s not always enough to have access to relevant network data; businesses need to be able to create audit trails and deliver thorough reports, particularly where compliance standards are concerned. SIEM tools give businesses these capabilities, making auditing and reporting an intuitive and straightforward process.
• Transparency for applications, devices and users
  Modern networks are made up of potentially thousands (or more) components. SIEM prevents applications, users and devices from fading into the background, providing optimal visibility into the network elements that might be hiding security threats.
• Advanced automation and machine learning
  Modern SIEM solutions not only provide network visibility — they also enhance and support IT teams to accomplish more, with greater accuracy. SIEM automation ensures that incident response protocol next steps move forward correctly, and deep machine learning gives SIEM tools the ability to adapt to address unknown network behaviour.
• Enhanced response coordination
  Network security is the responsibility of your entire organisation. SIEM solutions create a unified staging area for coordinating security procedures, reviewing relevant data, and communicating and collaborating threat responses.
• Cutting-edge novel threat detection
  Data-security threats are constantly evolving; network security must evolve as well. SIEM solutions use AI and deep learning technology to learn from experience and apply data insights to identify and counter unknown threats. These include new and evolving distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, SQL injections, malware attacks, phishing and other social engineering attacks, data exfiltration, and more.