Describe SIEM
The importance of SIEM for small organizations is rising. Thanks to SIEM, or Security Information and Event Management, you may view your network as a whole rather than just the sum of its parts. How does it provide you with that bigger picture, then? SIEMs gather logs from virtually every asset in your network and correlate them to look for events that might point to a security problem or anomaly. The SIEM will function more effectively the more asset logs it has.
You’re probably thinking, “Great, another security measure to add to the ones I’ve already put in place.” at this point. In your defense, you have a variety of security solutions that all operate admirably but only keep an eye on particular areas of your network. Endpoint Security examines the endpoint’s files and running processes. Network intrusion detection systems (IDS) track network flow, packets, protocols, and IP addresses. While each of these systems individually contributes to your company’s security, you need help to provide a complete picture of your network and all business activities. Since they cannot communicate with one another and ask, “Hey, this doesn’t look good; what about for you guys?” SIEM steps in.
SIEM implementation
After trying out a few various names over the years, SIEM has come to stand in for all security infrastructure and control management systems. SIEMs can combine information from many security systems, including the ones just described. This unification allows you to compare and analyze the data gathered from a single interface. By compiling all the relevant data in one place, SIEM for small enterprises lets your IT team or IT analyst work less.
You must be prepared to go once you’ve bought a SIEM, right? Unfortunately incorrect. A good SIEM cannot simply be deployed and left to its own devices, unlike other security measures like antivirus software. The setup, upkeep, and ongoing monitoring of your SIEM will determine its effectiveness. It is only valid to monitor all network activity by knowing what it is, where it is coming from, or how it should behave. Yes, you want to provide as much data as possible into the SIEM, but you also need to understand what that data is and how it links to the rest of your network. Due to the complexity of implementing, monitoring, and maintaining these systems, most small businesses use a managed security services provider.
Acquisition of Asset Logs
Every single day, your network generates vast amounts of data. Your SIEM grows more accurate the more data it processes and comprehends. siem for small businesses can provide context by comparing logs across various assets and periods. Instead of only focusing on the event, it shows you what happened before and after. You can distinguish between genuine attacks and false positives by understanding the context. It is simpler to identify minute deviations in an otherwise consistent stream of data alerting you to potential threats if you have a system of log data that you are confident is accurate. Knowing this makes it clear why log gathering is a SIEM’s lifeblood.
Now that you know what SIEM is and that logs are essential to its operation, ask yourself if you need to gather every record from every asset across your network. It would help if you looked within yourself to find the answer. What constitutes the core of your company? Essential programs and procedures? It would help if you gathered logs from your firewall, servers, Active Directory servers, antivirus software, and web servers, among other assets. SIEM for small businesses can be set up in this area to utilize their available resources best. Prioritizing your security monitoring efforts is critical if your resources are limited. Although it’s a good idea to provide as much information as you can to your SIEM, you should be free of extra logs to sort through.
Creating uniform asset logs
What do you do now that you have a SIEM and are gathering logs from your essential assets? We previously stated that the records must be understood and compared to one another for SIEM to be successful. However, are the logs the same if they are collected from various assets? No, and yes. In the sense that a human might compare two different records from two other programs and recognize the same information, the answer is that they are the same. A machine cannot distinguish between “Bob has the green car” and “The green car is Bob’s” using context cues, but a human can. To ensure that the SIEM can comprehend every log from every individual asset, regardless of format, all log messages must be broken down and standardized.
Naturally, your best Siem software won’t be keeping track of Bob’s automobile’s logs or having a place in the log file where it is noted that the car is green. However, it will need to understand that the same thing is being discussed when src from one log and src IP from another. The data can be entered into a database table after all the log files speak the same language. What can you do with a table of data you’ve collected now? Search! You may track and keep an eye on particular events across all assets by searching through this recently generated log database. Using this database table, you can report and establish the automated correlation of possibilities by matching fields from log events from various periods and devices.
Is SIEM able to assist with statutory compliance?
In addition to defending you from potential attacks, SIEM keeps you compliant by monitoring and reporting on your whole network. You’ll be especially appreciative of your SIEM if your company must adhere to regulatory or corporate governance obligations. You can get the information you need to satisfy regulators auditing your environment using continuous, real-time logging. Although audits are unavoidable, SIEM will ensure that you are always ready to provide honest and correct information.
The payoff is worth the time and constant adjusting required to implement a SIEM, especially if you have a dedicated MSP to handle all the grunt work. A practical, well-designed SIEM improves your company’s security posture, aids in the early detection of assaults, gathers and reports on all significant network assets, and maintains compliance and regulator satisfaction with real-time, reliable data.
