Find protection through system integration
The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) and remote work has created new vulnerability points for hackers to exploit. Cybercriminals are using more sophisticated methods, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), to bypass traditional security measures and launch attacks. Not so long ago, most companies felt confident they knew where the threats were and how to safeguard their assets, which were largely internal. Now supply chains and digital assets are regularly being targeted, forcing CISOs to protect a wider perimeter of targets.
Businesses are responding to these new threats by making deeper investments into SIEM technology and by strengthening their endpoint detection and response (EDR) strategy. But these responses are not enough, CISOs say, given the size and scale of datasets in today’s world. The 2022 EY Tech Horizon Survey found that 71% of enterprises report unstructured data growing faster than structured data, and that 90% of all data in existence today was created in the past two years.
The cybersecurity industry recognizes more must be done to help companies build comprehensive security measures for their expanding IT environments. New tools are being developed that leverage cutting-edge technologies to provide another line of defense against a potential attack. For example, a centralized log management platform that can log everything at real-time speed and scale. This enables organizations to make data-driven decisions about the performance, security and resiliency of their IT environment.
There has been a movement away from the idea that one tool on its own can be the sole solution to every problem. Companies are working to integrate cybersecurity operations and risk management, and to combine technologies to build more robust defense mechanisms against cyber threats.
Technology is emerging that can collect, distill and monitor threat data, telemetry and insights from events in real time. Log management systems are becoming applications within a consolidated data platform. These are powerful tools with capabilities that become even greater when leveraged as part of a broader strategy to mitigate the security risks companies face in today’s world.
Here are some ways in which a thoughtful log management strategy solution can help companies strengthen their defenses against cyber threats faster and more efficiently:
Leverage technology to gain scalability
Every enterprise, be it a global financial firm, a manufacturing entity or even a small business, often grapples with decisions regarding data storage due to cost constraints. While effectively securing a network within budget constraints can be a balancing act, the value derived from effective threat prevention and risk mitigation is noteworthy.
Analyzing historical data, beyond just what it can tell us about past infiltrations, can be a powerful tool in preempting and deflecting future cyber threats.
It's crucial to understand how threats infiltrate and maneuver within the network. This retrospective analysis is critical for risk mitigation. Scalability allows companies to handle vast amounts of data and perform real-time interactions and analysis. This capability not only provides an immediate and precise security response, but it also transforms data into deep insights—bolstering security and adding intrinsic value to the organization.
In today’s world, the cost of recovering from a cyber attack often exceeds that of prevention. Thus, it's worth questioning the traditional cost-value dynamics. In terms of cybersecurity, a stronger, proactive security stance may be less an optional expense and more a business necessity.
In the long run, investing in a SIEM has the potential to provide security, scalability and insights in a way that outweighs the initial costs.
Enhance data management capabilities
EDR telemetry data can amass significantly, especially for organizations with extensive server and workstation environments, often reaching hundreds of thousands of endpoints. The ability to effectively manage this sizeable amount of data and convert it to a scalable log management platform can be a differentiator for a company’s cybersecurity strategy.
Log analysis tools are being developed that can interact with this structured data, carrying out detailed searches, hunting potential threats and forwarding any crucial alerts directly into their existing SIEM environment for correlation with other datasets.
As the market evolves, the reporting dashboards and log monitoring capabilities will be enhanced, especially as other substantial data sources such as firewall data, Managed Detection and Response (MDR) data and Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) data are added to the mix. Consequently, data sources that usually pose a challenge for a SIEM at scale will be able to be productively managed.
