Event logs play a vital role enabling security monitoring, detection, and investigation. The ability to collect and analyze logs efficiently is a cornerstone of the modern Security Operations Center (SOC).

Many SOCs deploy Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions to gather log data and analyze it for security operations. Log management tools also collect log data and enable incident investigations, but there are major differences between the two technologies.

SIEM vs Log management: Similarities and differences 

SIEM and log management solutions have a few things in common:

• Both tools collect log data from IT assets and devices in real-time.
• Both technologies support compliance auditing and allow security teams to generate operational reports.
• IT and security teams can use either tool to access log data, define alert criteria, and investigate incidents.

However, there are also important differences between the two:

• SIEM platforms provide contextual log analysis for investigating security events. They correlate data about users, assets, and vulnerabilities so that security analysts can act quickly when encountering unauthorized activity.
• SIEM technology analyzes log data to prioritize threat activity according to its risk and severity. This helps analysts address the most important issues first, and avoid spending time on low-impact security tasks.
• Log management solutions typically do not normalize logs according to a consistent format. This makes it harder for security teams to automate threat detection and response operations across third-party toolsets.

The main difference between SIEM and log management is that one is designed specifically for security operations, while the other has more general use cases.

Log management use cases explained 

Event logs are an excellent tool for identifying and resolving issues in a complex IT environment. Security incidents are one type of issue that log management solutions help address — but not the only one.

Event log data can help IT teams troubleshoot systems and applications when they stop working correctly. For example, it could reveal why one of your web servers is returning 504 errors and help you monitor the issue after you fix it.

Log management is also useful for optimizing system performance. System logs could help your IT team proactively identify performance bottlenecks, load balancing issues, and other problems before they lead to downtime.

Demonstrating regulatory compliance also often depends on log data. If your organization needs to prove it is following a set of regulatory standards like ISO 27001 or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), it may need to leverage event logs to pass compliance audits.

Log management is vital to SIEM success 

Since SIEM platforms use log data to detect security threats, log management also plays an important role in incident response. Most SIEM platforms include built-in log management features that serve security operations.

This is necessary because a SIEM platform must integrate with every data-generating asset, application, and device on the network. That’s the only way to guarantee the visibility it needs to reliably detect security threats. This leads to a very high volume of logs generated on a daily basis.

Here are six broad categories of logs that SIEM solutions typically monitor:

• Perimeter device logs. These devices regulate traffic into and out of your network. Their logs can show when malicious traffic entered your network and help analysts identify misconfigurations that lead to vulnerabilities.
• Windows event logs. These operating system logs detail every action Windows performs. That includes error messages, failed login attempts, and Active Directory operations that can change user authentication and privilege policies.
• Endpoint logs. Endpoint devices like desktops, smartphones, and servers also generate log data. Security technologies like Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) can send important log data to your SIEM.
• Application logs. Web server applications, databases, and other internal apps generate log important log data as well. Suspicious attempts to connect to applications or exfiltrate data from them are high-impact security events that must be investigated promptly.
• Proxy logs. Many organizations use proxy servers to regulate network access, enhance privacy, and conserve bandwidth. Proxy log data can reveal important facts about endpoint users and their behaviors.
• IoT logs. Physical devices embedded with sensors and processors can contribute to log analysis the same way endpoints do. This is especially important in organizations that rely heavily on operating technology (OT) deployments, like industrial utilities and manufacturers.

All of these logs contribute to the visibility and control security analysts have over your IT environment. The more log data your organization generates, the more important effective management becomes.

Optimize log management to complement SIEM performance 

Most SIEM platforms have features and capabilities for managing log data. However, many SIEM vendors charge licensing fees based on the volume of ingested data. That means that using your SIEM’s built-in log management features may come at a steep cost.

Deploying a third-party log management solution can help reduce the total cost of ownership of your SIEM. Instead of routing all of your log data into high-cost storage inside your SIEM and then deciding what to do with it, you can send only the data your SIEM actually needs.

Optimizing log management outside your SIEM can dramatically impact the cost and scalability of your security operations. Although it can add to the complexity of your implementation, in most cases the cost savings are well worth the effort.

Growing organizations that neglect to optimize log management can quickly reach their SIEM’s maximum data volume capacity. When that happens, analysts will be under pressure to delete old logs to make space for new ones. This can complicate security event investigations because there is no way to know whether you’ll need those logs later on.

Start managing logs effectively with Lumifi 

Lumifi combines industry-leading SIEM expertise with highly optimized log management practices to help security teams reduce costs while improving visibility and control. Have our team of product experts help you reduce unnecessary costs and expand your capabilities with professional security log management as a service. Talk to an expert now to learn more.