You're looking for a SIEM service. How do you find the best value for your money?

Concentrate on your core goals and use cases while ensuring your investment is sustainable and operatable. Avoid getting carried away by buzzwords and an excess of desirable features. Instead, prioritize your fundamental objectives, consider scalability, and look for a pricing model that aligns with your requirements. Seek a flexible model where you pay only for what you use, with the option to add capabilities as needed. While some SIEM solutions may appear cost-effective or free, be mindful of potential investments required for necessary capabilities in building and operation. Factor this into your evaluation, and resist the temptation to choose the most budget-friendly solution if it compromises your ability to operate it effectively

It is important to ensure SIEM technology adoption is aligned with your organisational goals and strategy. Defining why, when, how and what is critical part of process. Understanding your data retention strategy, regulatory liabilities and existing enterprise landscape for consolidation opportunity is key. Re-looking entire strategy from people and process aspects and how new technology adoption going to augment existing ecosystem is key.

When selecting a SIEM service as a CISO, start by defining your organization's specific security needs and compliance requirements. Research reputable SIEM providers and evaluate their features, scalability, integration capabilities, and pricing models. Request demos and trial periods to test the platform's functionality and user-friendliness. Prioritize solutions with robust threat detection and response capabilities, customizable dashboards, and compliance reporting features. Additionally, consider factors like vendor reputation, customer support quality, and data privacy compliance. Making an informed decision tailored to your organization's needs is crucial for implementing an effective SIEM solution.

The focus firstly will be from the integration aspect and also a tool that will be easier to monitor and administer. The importance of having a user friendly solution will save time for the analysts to operate and tackle threats without having to waste time trying to learn functionality that Is complex. And always keeping the most important rule in cyber security which is to always keep it simple.

Be really clear about what you are seeking to deploy. Don't rush at it and ensure that you do your research, taking soundings from those who have successfully deployed already. Conduct a pilot deployment and be ready to pivot.

Depending on the SIEM solution you choose, a vast majority will require you to understand two things. 1. Your events per second (EPS) 2. Your log retention and storage requirements. In many cases these two components will define the overall cost of your system. Not having a good grasp on the total log sources you will capture, including what components of those logs you will ingest and store, could have significant financial consequences.

Na hora de comparar os custos de um servi?o de SIEM, é importante pensar nos custos envolvidos além da ferramenta. Para operar uma ferramenta de SIEM é necessária uma equipe capacitada e composta de diversos tipos de profissionais. Em muitos casos é mais vantajoso contratar uma empresa que forne?a toda a estrutura de um SOC como servi?o. Em alguns casos que participei, dependendo o tamanho do SIEM, o servi?o de SOC com pessoas, processos e ferramentas, ficou o valor de contratar e manter um profissional pleno.

We need to know more about the total cost of ownership (TCO) and return on investment (ROI) to fully grasp the long-term financial effects of setting up and running a SIEM service. When figuring out TCO, you should think about how long the SIEM system will last and how well it will work in the future. A lower price up front might not always save you money in the long run if the solution requires frequent upgrades or becomes obsolete quickly. A more expensive option, on the other hand, might be better able to adapt to new threats and technologies, making it a better value over time. You should also think about how much it will cost to set up the SIEM service. Indirect costs may be higher for a system that is hard to configure.

You need to understand that behind every SIEM there are 2 simple questions: How many people it takes to maintain this thing running effectively? Do you have budget both on the solution and people to run it? Because you can try the open-source solutions, but then you get that hosting and maintaining it is burning your team budget, and after the one person who knows that SIEM and its architecture leaves - you get the brick that nobody knows how to run.

There are belowmajor things you need to consider to determine cost effective SIEM - Daily data ingestion - Archival and retention of data requirement - Compatibility with different data source technologies as some time if it’s not compatible many then we may end up creating lots of scripts and code with help developer. so resource cost might increase - Skilled administrator or consultant will save your cost of vendor support cost which is most of the time relatively high

One of the best ways to identify a new vendor is to conduct an internal gap analysis on your current service. While interviewing the vendors, fill in the gaps and compare cost over the security gap coverage.

An important factor is the SIEM's scalability and performance. The amount of data and the complexity of your security needs are likely to get bigger as your business grows. The SIEM service should be able to adapt to the new needs without slowing down too much. This includes dealing with bigger amounts of data and keeping data for longer periods of time, as needed for legal reasons or analysis.

When assessing SIEM capabilities, ensure that SOAR is an integral part of the solution. Evaluate how well the SIEM can collect, normalize, enrich, correlate, and analyze diverse data sources. Consider also its alerting capabilities, data retention mechanisms, and storage scalability.

Dans les capacités des SIEM d'aujourd'hui, nous retrouvons de plus en plus des fonctionnalités de SOAR ou d'automatisation. Ces fonctionnalités sont bien utiles pour accélérer le travail des équipes de SOC chargés de traiter les incidents. Par ailleurs, les capacités de Behavior Detection sont bienvenues dans un contexte de Cloud ou il est difficile d'adresser tous les cas d'usage tant les environnements évoluent rapidement

When evaluating a SIEM, the capabilities should play an important role, since integration is something we can develop easily, but actually understanding the information we will get from correlating all of the logs and data we are sending, is what really matters. Will we get alerts? Does it have automated playbooks? Can it handle scalability during an attack and increased logs?

Any SIEM service we use fits seamlessly into our existing infrastructure to be truly effective. This means the SIEM service should integrate smoothly with our networks, devices, and applications, and support our security policies. We also need to make sure the service protects our privacy and complies with all relevant standards. Finding a SIEM service that not only integrates well but also enhances our security is essential.

choosing a unified event correlation and risk management "SIEM" with minimal customization and more into out of the box integration with the current environment, is the most factor you have to consider when you select a SIEM solution, it saves ( Cost of custom integrations, investigating time as out of box integration come with preloaded dashboard and use cases)

Verificar a compatibilidade do SIEM com a infraestrutura é crucial para assegurar uma implementa??o eficiente. Isso envolve garantir que o sistema possa integrar-se harmoniosamente com os diversos componentes da infraestrutura existente, como sistemas, dispositivos de rede e aplicativos. A compatibilidade adequada garante que o SIEM possa coletar, processar e analisar dados de maneira eficaz, proporcionando uma vis?o abrangente da postura de seguran?a da organiza??o. Ao considerar a implementa??o do SIEM, a verifica??o de compatibilidade contribui para a preven??o de conflitos, facilita a integra??o suave e maximiza a utilidade da solu??o de seguran?a na prote??o contra amea?as cibernéticas.

When forced to deal with an on-premises system, using Linux kernels on the security machines makes things simpler, and it's possible to work with open-source software. However, on Windows machines, even open-source agents are basically a no go. If you have to monitor Windows machines just consider COTS software, a hardware solution, or find the right cloud.

Choose a SIEM also requires one to choose the format that facilitate threat visibility, alert detection, threat response, and proactive hunting. Microsoft supports CEF and Syslog formats but not support the Open Cybersecurity Schema Framework (OCSF) by AWS and leading cybersecurity vendors. Now, the OCSF shares similar taxonomy with the widely used MITRE ATT&CK Framework, but also differences. The most notable is that OCSF is extensible by vendors and customers, while MITRE releases all content for ATT&CK. One need to consider the log format that is most versatile and offers the best Observability, which more critical than ever at a time when cybercriminals are embracing the use of AI.

As a SOC team, we prioritised efficient data ingestion and indexing times alongside an intuitive interface and seamless automation. Our ideal dashboard should present a comprehensive narrative with minimal false positives, not isolated dots of suspicious events, for a more effective incident response.

First of all you need to think if you really need a SIEM (compliance requirements?) Ask yourself this question: wouldn’t I be able to have best detection and response features with an xdr? Regardless the SIEM vendor you will struggle with the same issues: having to ingest and parse a huge amount of logs while trying to have the best use cases, with lower percentage of false positives.. Invest on a motivated and skilled team (preferably with coding knowledge) to help you on this challenging path!

Para testar o desempenho de um SIEM, é crucial realizar simula??es de eventos, testar com volumes significativos de dados e avaliar a capacidade de resposta em tempo real. A integra??o eficiente com diversas fontes de dados e a habilidade de correlacionar eventos para detec??o proativa de amea?as s?o essenciais. Testes de escalabilidade, simula??o de falhas e recupera??o, além de exercícios de treinamento para a equipe, contribuem para uma avalia??o abrangente. Monitorar continuamente o desempenho, identificar gargalos e ajustar o sistema s?o práticas fundamentais para assegurar uma opera??o eficaz ao longo do tempo.

Nothing like testing the solutions to have a look and feeling, try it for 30 to 60 days, your ideas will be clear and the results the same. If you are serious to invest, buy some good services to costumize the solution, even in demo, you will be gratefull later and for the cycle of the project.

To test a SIEM: Simulate events, assess scalability, evaluate data ingestion speed, test detection rules, measure query efficiency, verify correlation capabilities, check storage capacity, test integrations, simulate incident response, assess load balancing, evaluate threshold setting, test reporting, implement continuous monitoring, and benchmark against industry standards. Regular testing ensures optimal performance and effective support for security objectives.

Understanding the market reputation and receiving input from current users can provide invaluable insights into the SIEM service’s practicality and effectiveness. Feedback from a diverse user base offers a well-rounded view of the service’s strengths and areas for improvement. Equally important is the quality of support provided by the service provider – a responsive and knowledgeable support team is indispensable for navigating complex security challenges.

When considering a SIEM service, such as IBM QRadar SIEM, it's crucial to emphasize not only the tool itself but also the expertise behind its implementation. The right SIEM service goes beyond the tool, offering strong support and guidance. Evaluating the responsiveness, helpfulness, and knowledge of the service provider is key to ensuring a trusted and supported solution that aligns with your security goals.

When choosing a (SIEM) service, it is essential to find a balance between cost, capabilities, and the needs of your org. Key considerations should include assessing unique security requirements, ensuring scalability and flexibility, evaluating analytics and AI capabilities, and the ease of integration. Conducting a cost-benefit analysis and considering the total cost of ownership are crucial steps, as well as researching vendor reputation and support. A user-friendly interface and compliance reporting features are also important, especially for organizations with regulatory compliance needs. Before finalizing your choice, a pilot test can provide practical insights into how the SIEM will perform in your specific environment.

The best buy would be the product which has been customised and configured based on historic and current date vulnerabilities and attacks. The application must be flexible enough to incorporate new threats, new and recent configurations. The SIEM features shall provide various dashboards for quick decision making and response.

Value of a SIEM can be derived based on the threat detection coverage a SIEM can provide. A SIEM should be nimble, scalable and provide content that has the latest threat detection scenarios. CISO’s should also look at what is their key drivers for a SIEM and base their evaluation on the drivers. One of the things that is often desired but mostly overlooked is that a SIEM should reduce and not add complexity to a SOC. The more integrated a SIEM the better it is to manage and this allows building seamless workflows for incident detection & response. Ultimately CISO’s should choose a SIEM that reduces overhead, costs and MTTD & MTTR to incidents.

SIEM for the last decade or so has been one of the core technologies to manage security operations. As risks and risk mitigation methodologies are evolving, the role that technologies play in security operations too changes. Log correlation, alert management, dashboarding and providing risk visibility through integration and use cases becomes the key role of the SIEM solution. However, with the advent of analytics and AI/ML capabilities a lot of additional deliverables can be provided by multiple technologies. The analytics and automation capabilities of solutions such as EDR/XDR, SOAR, UEBA, etc provide a lot more perspective and flavour to the security operations with the traditional SIEM providing the base layer for log correlation.

Finding the best value SIEM isn't just about price. Clearly define your security goals and budget, then research providers that meet your needs. Request demos and compare features, pricing, and service agreements. Negotiate, prioritize functionality over pure cost, and choose the SIEM that delivers essential security at a sustainable price. Remember, value comes from achieving your goals, not just saving money.

An effective SIEM is as good as it is configured. Whether you take up an Open source SIEM or an enterprise edition well equipped with all the factors that you want . The key difference remains - how well you configure it. Is it fetching data from all end points ? Are the SIEM logs co related properly ? Are you getting to know which endpoint doesn't have SIEM properly configured.? It all boils down to this !!