Despite significant investments in security tools, IT teams are unable to detect many threats. According to a recent survey by Gigamon, 37 percent of security leaders said their existing security tools failed to detect a breach within the preceding 12 months. Seventy percent said blind spots are their No. 1 challenge.
It’s difficult to achieve complete visibility across today’s complex IT environment. On-premises, cloud, hybrid and mobile platforms are typically protected by separate sets of tools that are seldom fully integrated. Each of these tools generates log data and alerts, but IT teams lack the resources to correlate this information manually.
That’s why security information and event management (SIEM) solutions are invaluable. SIEM systems collect security data from a wide range of systems and analyze it in real time, giving IT teams greater visibility into security threats. Managed SIEM solutions eliminate the complexity of implementing a standalone system and include 24x7 monitoring by security experts.
Overcoming The Problem of Alert Overload
It’s easy to see why many cyberattacks go undetected. There generally is evidence that an attack is taking place, but it’s often buried in log files and alerts that go unnoticed. In fact, so many alerts are generated in the typical environment that IT teams simply can’t keep up.
In a June 2024 study conducted by Sapio Research, 71 percent of security pros said they worry that they’ll miss an attack because of the volume of irrelevant alerts. A whopping 81 percent spend more than two hours a day searching through and prioritizing security events, only 16 percent of which are actual attacks.
SIEM systems apply advanced data analytics to this monumental task, cross-correlating the data to filter out false alarms while ensuring that genuine threats are identified. Best-in-class solutions continuously fine-tune their algorithms to improve accuracy and adapt to evolving threats.
Enabling Faster Detection
If a cyberattack is able to get past security controls, rapid detection and response are critical to minimizing damage. Unfortunately, it takes an average of 194 days to identify a data breach, according to IBM’s 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report. With lengthy “dwell times” in compromised systems and networks, cybercriminals are able to steal more sensitive data and cause greater damage.
SIEM solutions can aid in the rapid detection of security incidents by taking full advantage of all the data generated by various sources. While a single piece of information viewed in isolation has limited value, data collected from multiple systems and viewed holistically can reveal trends and patterns. SIEM systems can identify relationships between the data points, which are then compared to profiles of normal system conditions to spot anomalies.
IT teams can analyze alerts in context through a single management interface. Best-in-class SIEM solutions also provide root-cause analysis of potential threats to enable better, faster response based on the level of risk.
The Value of Managed SIEM
While SIEM provides many benefits, implementing and managing it is costly and resource intensive. Few organizations have the time or expertise to configure a SIEM system to collect security data from across the environment and analyze it in context. Once the system is in place, it requires ongoing monitoring and administration.
A managed SIEM solution can be implemented quickly for faster time-to-value, and scaled as the environment grows and needs change. Typically, managed SIEM is offered as a monthly operational expense, giving organizations enterprise-class features without a large capital outlay. Organizations can access security data, reports and alerts, typically through a web-based portal.
Perhaps the greatest value of managed SIEM is derived from ongoing administration and maintenance. Rather than hiring and training security personnel, organizations rely on the expertise of third-party professionals who have access to up-to-date threat intelligence and experience identifying and responding to security threats.
Verteks offers a managed SIEM service that enables you to take full advantage of SIEM capabilities. We can provide access to the advanced tools and expertise you need to quickly detect and respond to cyberattacks.
