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Cyber threats from abroad are on the rise and ransomware attacks are significantly increasing each year. It’s never been more vital to invest in your cybersecurity infrastructure than it is today. Malicious actors are intentionally capitalizing on our fears and insecurities during moments of crisis.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a prime example of this. Unsuspecting consumers were bombarded with fake loan malware links and heavily discounted deals on fake brand websites. The demand was so high that bad actors were taking out ransomware advertisements on the dark web.
More and more companies are recognizing the importance of protecting their organization’s cybersecurity infrastructure right now. Firewall and password protection is no longer enough to keep the bad actors out. These modern methods must capture data essential for strategic decision making, providing real-time threat detection, and streamlining automated processes.
One such system that has been gaining in popularity for both its efficiency and centralized cybersecurity management is System Information and Event Monitoring (SIEM).
What is System Information and Event Monitoring (SIEM)?
Security information and event management (SIEM) combines security information management (SIM) and security event management (SEM) into one comprehensive software solution for your business called SIEM. SIEM helps companies collect, analyze, and manage event data from security devices and applications. It also identifies possible threats through real-time alerts, reporting, and analysis to respond and remediate. In addition, SIEM tracks and logs security data for compliance or auditing purposes.
How does SIEM work for my business?
A SIEM integrates the flow of data from the following sources:
- Users
- Applications
- Assets
- Cloud environments
- Networks
The IT cybersecurity team conducts real-time analysis with the network’s event log and network flow data. In some cases, a SIEM system allows the team to integrate with third-party intelligence feeds to recognize current threat signatures being used. This enhances integration of successful remediation methods to new and existing threats.
Centralize management of security notifications
SIEM monitors both on-premises and cloud-based infrastructure, through centralized management over all security technologies. This ensures that all your organization’s security notifications are collected in one place. In addition, it tracks security threats and abnormal behavior across all users and devices. By centralizing your security data, your cybersecurity team can remediate potential risks with greater efficiency before it materializes into a major liability.
Event correlation and analytics
Event correlation reveals hidden cybersecurity issues that would otherwise go unnoticed by combining data from several fresh sources. Analytics locate and identify data patterns which reveal quick insights into the best ways to remediate potential threats to your business.
IBM describes machine learning as, “a branch of artificial intelligence (AI) and computer science which focuses on the use of data and algorithms to imitate the way that humans learn, gradually improving its accuracy.”
As technology evolves, more and more analytics will shift to machine learning. Even though machine learning has been around for a long time in such examples as search engines and social media sites, it’s continuously trickling down to the IT security market.
In the future, baselines of user and network behavior infused with complex algorithms could automate security analysis, predominantly done by human analysts. It’s not hard to imagine the thriving opportunities within machine learning and SIEM security management.
Compliance management and reporting
SIEM provides a variety of regulatory compliance forms. For instance, every compliance regulation requires real-time compliance reports for: Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1966 (HIPPA), Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), and other compliance standards.
SIEM automatically collects data to analyze and verify regulatory compliance across the entire organization. These generated reports allow an organization to detect potential violations, so they can proactively address these issues and remain in compliance.
Why do you need to know about SIEM?
SIEM is a security system that recognizes potential threats and vulnerabilities before they have a chance to do major damage. It’s important that you take proactive steps in mitigating your cybersecurity risks, regardless of your company’s size.
Here is a few of the reasons why you should consider integrating a SIEM solution into your business:
- Advanced real-time threat recognition
Your organization’s cyber infrastructure is actively monitored, cutting down lead time to identify and remediate potential network risks and exposure.
- AI-driven automation
Your team saves time and vital resources through a next generation SIEM solution blend with robust Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) capabilities.
- Improved organizational efficiency
Your employees can communicate and cooperate efficiently with a single, unified system data and integrated SOAR, when responding to security disruptions.
- Detecting Advanced and Unknown Threats
SIEM mitigates real-time defense breaches using threat intelligence feeds and AI technology solutions. You’ll be able to detect and respond to such known and unknown threats as: phishing attacks, distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, and data exfiltration attacks.
- Regulatory compliance auditing
Your organization’s system logs, and security events are streamlined through collection and analysis. This helps allocate resources efficiently, while meeting compliance reporting requirements.
To learn more about how our SIEM system can help your organization, click here.