Cybersecurity involves three different components. Prevention, detection, and response processes each have a role to play keeping sensitive assets safe from threat actors. Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) is a detection technology that also informs prevention and response workflows.

SIEM (often pronounced “sim”) platforms collect logs and network data from across your IT environment. They correlate data from users, applications, devices, and more to identify unauthorized activity early on and enable comprehensive incident response.

Organizations that implement SIEM technology can rapidly detect and investigate threat activity anywhere on the network. Modern, full-featured SIEM platforms also help security teams improve security policies, manage compliance, and automate incident response actions.

Important SIEM terms and concepts 

Before you can identify SIEM use cases and compare different SIEM platforms, you must gain familiarity with the technology’s unique terms and concepts. Here are some of the most important ones:

• Security events: Any activity or occurrence that the SIEM monitors and analyzes. For example, a failed login or a connection to an external server.
• Security incidents: Activities or occurrences that appear to have security implications. For example, a suspicious series of failed logins that triggers a detection rule to generate an alert.
• Correlation rules: Pre-configured logic that identifies patterns in multiple events. Correlation rules trigger alerts in response to policy violations and potential threats.
• Custom rules: Correlation rules designed to meet organization-specific security needs. These rules leverage context to deliver results SIEM platforms cannot achieve in their default configuration.
• Log management: The process of collecting, storing, and analyzing log data from different sources across the tech stack. Log management is an important part of SIEM functionality.
• Security Operations Center (SOC): The central location where security operations are planned and executed. This can be a purpose-built in-house facility or service provided by a third-party security partner.
• SOC Analyst: A security practitioner working in the SOC. Analysts monitor SIEM alerts, investigate events, and initiate incident response actions.
• User Entity and Behavioral Analytics (UEBA): An advanced security technology that uses machine learning to identify suspicious behaviors on authenticated users, assets, and applications. Vital for detecting insider threats.
• Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR): A solution for enabling cross-platform automation between security tools provided by different vendors, including SIEM platforms.

SIEM uses cases and core functionalities 

SIEM platforms provide visibility and control to security teams, enabling them to prepare for unauthorized activity and detect cyberattacks early on. SIEM platforms do this using a variety of methods, from strict rules-based detection workflows to advanced behavioral analytics.

Other security tools do not collect or analyze the full volume of log data that SIEM does. Certain tools may integrate with one another and use logs for specific purposes, but only SIEM platforms integrate with every data-generating tool and device in your IT environment and analyze that data for signs of a security breach.

This gives the security team a central point of reference for assessing threats in your environment. It also provides context for historical analysis, allowing you to review how your security posture has changed over time.

However, there are considerable differences between legacy SIEM solutions and newer generations of cloud-based SIEM platforms. These two types of SIEM appear to be similar on the surface, but achieve very different results in practice.

What makes a modern cloud-based SIEM platform different? 

The first SIEM platforms arrived in the mid-2000s, when cybersecurity researchers consolidated two separate technologies: Security Information Management (SIM) and Security Event Management (SEM). This was a revolutionary step forward for cybersecurity at the time, but the industry has changed dramatically since then.

The development of cloud computing enabled SIEM platforms to take on a much bigger role. Instead of requiring extensive on-premises infrastructure and in-house talent, modern SIEM platforms operate under a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) license. This enables scalability and continuous updating while opening up new options for SIEM implementation and management.

• Scalability. Cloud-based SIEM platforms are better equipped to secure organizations designed to scale using cloud infrastructure. Virtualization allows organizations to provision new environments on the fly, and securing those environments demands cloud-native security tools that can scale to meet the organization’s needs.
• Efficiency. In-house IT teams rarely have enough staff onboard to meet all their needs. Cloud-based SIEM platforms help organizations outsource hard-to-find specialist expertise and gain the technology’s advantages without compromising on other critical security operations.
• Support for modern features. Since cloud-based SIEM solutions are hosted on third-party infrastructure, updating them to utilize the latest technologies is much easier. Modern capabilities like UEBA or SOAR can be rolled out directly.
• Cost. SIEM implementation costs vary widely, but on-premises SIEM deployments often have higher upfront costs. Some organizations can pay their technical debt over time by managing SIEM in-house, but may end up overpaying for additional features and capabilities when they become necessary.

The SIEM plays a central role in cybersecurity risk management 

Implementing a SIEM is one of the most important steps an organization can take towards achieving operational security excellence. It can be the backbone of your security tech stack, informing risk management operations across your entire organization.

Your SOC relies on a robust SIEM platform to detect and investigate threats in your IT environment. Without this capability, proactive threat detection and response is not possible — you would only be able to react to cybersecurity incidents after they take place.

By enabling complete visibility into network activities in real-time, SIEM technology enhances your ability to plan and execute security operations. This makes your SIEM an important piece of the compliance puzzle, providing the in-depth reporting you need to pass audits and gain important certifications.

Turn to Lumifi for expert SIEM implementation 

Lumifi leverages years of SIEM expertise to help organizations optimize cybersecurity expenditure and mitigate risk effectively. Find out how we can help you implement the latest SIEM technology without compromising on visibility or control over your data.