In the past, SEM (Security Event Management) and SIM (Security Information Management) were the two distinct security solutions. However, they combined to form the technology SIEM, and many organizations are already investing in this tool due to the many advantages they gain from using it.
Organizations get many benefits from SIEM that they can’t get when using other web security solutions like firewalls and anti-virus software. So, in this article, we will discuss why many organizations are keen on using SIEM and why it is important for yours.
What is SIEM?
Security information and event management (SIEM) is a web security solution comprising a combination of two other web security tools. So, the two other security tools in question are SIM (Security Information Management) and SEM (Security Event Management). Apparently, this explains why SIEM is more about managing information and events to ensure the web security of individuals and organizations.
The primary function of SIEM is that it helps in the monitoring of the digital architecture of an organization, looking to detect when a threat is about to occur. Once it detects any ongoing or potential cyber attack, it proceeds to reel out measures to prevent and keep it at bay. Hence, it is obvious that SIEM helps take preventive steps to stop the occurrence of cyber-attacks. Other technologies that one is more likely to see within SIEM are User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA), Automation and Response (SOAR), AI, and machine learning.
How Does SIEM Work Towards Ensuring Web Security?
Together with the integration of other tools, SIEM solutions take many actions to provide security in the daily operations of a business. The number one step usually lies in log management, where many data logs are collected from all devices that access an organization’s network. In most cases, the collected data are stored and sorted in a centralized location for easy access to the security operations center (SOC).
The second step is usually the event correlation, where the data are analyzed to find possible dangers they might present to the network. This is also where the baseline between normal and abnormal/malicious network activity is established. After this comes monitoring all the security issues and devices in a network and alerting the security team when necessary. Another secondary function of SIEM is that it offers data retention services, which can be crucial in compliance analysis and reporting.
Why is SIEM so Important For an Organization?
Below, we will have a comprehensive overview of the reasons SIEM is very important for the daily operations of an organization:
Speedy and Efficient Network Analysis
One of the issues that many security teams of an organization have is that they don’t usually have a good overview of what is happening at any given time. One of the benefits of having SIEM in your organization is that it helps to monitor all the devices and activities in a network consistently. This helps the security operations center to have a better understanding of the security situation of the organization at any given time.
The primary reason is the speedy and efficient network and data analysis SIEM offers its users. SIEM goes through a wide range of datasets and logs, analyzes them, and they can tell if it’s malicious or not.
Real-time Monitoring and Threat Detection
One of the benefits your organization will get from SIEM when they start using it is that they get to monitor and detect threats consistently in real-time. Most standalone web security solutions are often passive in detecting and reacting to threats. In some cases, the cyber attacks have already happened before the tool started taking measures to prevent further damage.
However, in the case of SIEMs like Stellar Cyber, they offer real-time monitoring and threat response simultaneously. It can alert an organization’s security even when the cyber threat is still in its early stages. Due to human factors, the personnel of a security team might commit a blunder, but the SIEM works very hard to detect and redress these errors.
SIEM Is Very Important in Compliance
Every organization that follows compliance regulations knows how hard it is to meet the requirements. Any organization that has to work with compliance standards and requirements knows they can be fined or banned even if they fail to keep. However, this is something that a web security tool like SIEM tries to simplify through its data retention capabilities. With the log data it collects and stores, a SIEM solution can generate well-detailed reports that fit compliance requirements.
SIEM Protects Against Advanced Persistent Threats
One of the developing trends within the security spectrum of many organizations is that cybercriminals are now using advanced persistent threats (APTS) in their attacks. An advanced persistent threat is when cybercriminals combine simple and complex attack vectors to gain access to data.
In other words, they don’t use a single attack element, often making it hard for standalone solutions like firewalls to handle. Hence, more sophisticated security tools like SIEM solutions are needed to combat this form of threat. By centralizing data collection, a SIEM solution can bring large volumes of data into a single engine, which begins to address each security breach with lightning speed.
Automation of Threat Detection and Response
One of the benefits of using SIEMs like Stellar Cyber in an organization is that it automates almost all the processes. In other words, all the steps required, from detecting a web security threat to responding, are automated. Some SIEMs already have a well-detailed incident response plan, which guides them on what to do assuming a security breach.
Conclusion
A security information and event management (SIEM) solution helps many organizations monitor and respond to various cyber threats. It brings a combination of SIM (Security Information Management) and SEM (Security Event Management) to function extensively.
There are many benefits your organization will get when it invests its resources in getting a SIEM solution. Some of them are that it streamlines the monitoring and detection of threats, protects against advanced persistent threats, and is vital in compliance.
