Cybersecurity should be an important concern for any organization, but it’s of particular importance for many businesses in New Jersey. Three of the top industries in New Jersey are biopharmaceuticals, health care, and technology—all sectors that are highly dependent on preserving the security of their enterprise data.
Two of the most common approaches to managing and monitoring network events are software for SIEM (security information and event management) and log management. These applications log, process and analyze data in order to give you better insights into what’s going on within your company’s network and IT infrastructure.
While SIEMs and log management software can be a valuable tool in any company’s security toolbox, they can also be a challenge to use effectively. According to a study by the Ponemon Institute, 76 percent of organizations say that their SIEM is a “strategically important” asset. However, the results are a mixed bag: only 48 percent of organizations report feeling satisfied with the actionable intelligence from their SIEMs.
Unless you have a large, dedicated in-house staff who knows how to work with and interpret results from SIEM and log management software, you’re likely feeling a little unsatisfied as well. To compensate for their IT shortcomings, more and more businesses are choosing to work with a knowledgeable, experienced partner who can provide SIEM and log management services in New Jersey.
What are SIEM and Log Management?
SIEM and log management are terms for two different, yet interrelated, services. While SIEM vendors typically incorporate log management into their software, they also usually add features for alerts and real-time analysis.
Logs are computer-generated records that contain messages about the status of a given piece of hardware or software. These logs can be used for everything from finding security issues to proving compliance with industry laws and regulations. Log management software, therefore, involves storing, processing, and analyzing these logs in order to get a better picture of what’s going on within your IT environment.
While it often includes log management as part of its capabilities, SIEM (security information and event management) software makes use of more advanced features as well. SIEM software works by aggregating massive quantities of data generated by your company’s IT infrastructure. At regular intervals, a network of distributed sensors and agents send this information to a centralized management console.
From this console, you can process and analyze the data to identify anomalous events in your IT environment or other issues that need your attention. These concerns might involve everything from performance issues with a particular application to the detection of vulnerabilities and security flaws.
Due to their ability to discover attacks and plug undetected holes in your network, SIEM software is growing in popularity among businesses of all sizes and industries. According to IT research and analysis firm Gartner, global spending on SIEM products reached $2.4 billion in 2017 and is projected to rise to $3.4 billion by 2021.
Why SIEM and Log Management Services are Necessary for Businesses in NJ
From Thomas Edison to Bell Labs, New Jersey has a long history of high-tech innovation. Despite all the buzz about Silicon Valley these days, New Jersey is home to more than 360,000 tech jobs, which is roughly 10 percent of the state’s private sector.
Even those enterprises that aren’t explicitly tech companies, such as energy and manufacturing businesses, generate large volumes of data that need to be efficiently processed and protected. For this reason, many companies have chosen to go with a dedicated SIEM and log management solution to help deal with the complexity of their IT environments.
The benefits of SIEM and log management services include:
- Preventing security breaches: By detecting potential issues before they become real problems, SIEM software can dramatically lower your company’s risk of a data breach. You’ll receive real-time alerts about security events within your network, letting you respond quickly to anomalous behaviors.
- Improving efficiency: SIEM and log management software can process millions and billions of events at a rate impossible for any human being. What’s more, advanced SIEM solutions can leverage machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies to improve their anomaly detection over time, refining their understanding of what events in the environment are normal or abnormal.
- Better integration: SIEM systems automatically unify logs and data from across your entire enterprise. Your IT analysts don’t have to spend their valuable time hunting down information from different departments. By integrating data from these different locations, you can find hidden insights that would have remained otherwise undiscovered.
SIEM & Log Management for NJ Businesses
SIEM and log management solutions can deliver a great deal of benefits and advantages to your business. Unfortunately, 44 percent of organizations report that they’re struggling with their SIEM due to lack of staff expertise. If this describes you, consider reaching out to a managed services provider who can help take this and other IT problems off your hands.
Are you looking for a knowledgeable, experienced technology managed IT company that can provide SIEM and log management services in New Jersey? Contact Techwerxe today for a free consultation.
