Before knowing the best SIEM tools for 2021 is necessary to define some basic concepts that clarify the election.
What is SIEM?
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) is a cybersecurity software that combines Security Information Management (SIM) and Security Event Management (SEM) methods. Generally, a SIM analyses log and event data in real-time. In turn, it provides threat monitoring, event correlation, and incident response by Threat Modelling. However, SEM collects, analyses, and reports on log data from various sources across the network to improve log management.
What are the advantages of using the best SIEM tools?
- Updates and centralizes the organizations’ cybersecurity scenery in an only platform.
- Discovers irregular users behavior that could indicate threats from hackers or internal security risks.
- Launches a quick incident response.
- Uses IDS to monitor the network 24/7 and identifies any suspicious activities through network traffic analysis.
- Prevents security breaches and possible cyber threats.
- Reports to cybersecurity experts any incident by sending alerts in real-time.
- Helps organizations with standards regulations compliance.
- Allows forensic analysis and speeds up post-incident recovery.
Standard features between the best SIEM tools
Each SIEM tool prioritizes certain features and functionalities. That’s why you must understand SIEM basics to choose the tool that meets your needs. Whether you decide to go for a free, paid, or open-source SIEM program, you should always lookout for the following features.
Unlimited log collection
As we well know, modern SIEM solutions collect data from every available source and process it for correlation and analysis. Generally, the most common data sources are the cloud, networks, logs, and more. However, your SIEM must hold up data management from a single point of control.
Visualization
Visualization is a crucial feature to consider when organizations are looking for a SIEM. The advanced SIEMs deliver extensive dashboard management that allows visualizing the data through charts such as line, bar, region map, table, pie, gauge, heat map, and others. Ensure to acquire a SIEM that helps you customize the data visualization easily for better data analysis and reporting.
Threat intelligence
When a SIEM includes threat intelligence, the product is more competent. The threat intelligence allows providing more information about IP addresses, domains, websites, or logical entities currently associated with malicious behavior. Also, it would be better if the SIEM supports using any threat intelligence feeds instead of a particular feed.
Compliance reporting
The compliance reports help identify and report system configuration deviations or unauthorized access to data. They also allow assessment of the risk and impact of potential violations. Therefore, your SIEM must include built-in reports depending on your compliance needs and ability. In addition, it must authorize you to create new tailor reports according to your organization’s requirements and characteristics.
Forensics capabilities
An advanced SIEM can capture additional information about security events to identify attacks, gather evidence, and investigate incidents. The cyber forensic investigation allows discovering who infringed security protocols and policies to take disciplinary or prosecution measures.
Compatibility
The SIEM should have compatibility with different types of devices to monitor all the data in an organization. They also need to be compatible with other security products such as endpoint protection to avoid a vulnerability from any direction.
Disadvantages of best SIEM tools
- Usually, some best SIEM tools are costly to implement and maintain.
- Difficult to install and manage, but with the proper support become easy.
- Collects too much data, and they could be challenging to process for any IT department.
- Needs constant updating.
- The SIEM tool requires attentive staff to operations with continuous tuning.
Best SIEM tools for 2021
The current section lists the best SIEM tools for 2021 that meet all essential features before mentioned and others.
- UTMStack
- Splunk
- McAfee
- LogRhythm
- Securonix
Please keep reading to compare the best SIEM tools according to the types of enterprises that can hire them, OS, deployments, free trials, and prices.
UTMStack
UTMStack is a free Next-Gen SIEM and compliance platform that delivers all essential cyber-security services to small and medium-sized businesses. With UTMStcak, you can hire SOC as a service, dark web monitoring, vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, and others services. Also, it’s an excellent solution for all companies that try to reduce cybersecurity costs, simplify their management and compliance.
Particular features of UTMStack:
- Flattens the learning curve.
- Assists companies in compliance with HIPAA, GDPR, ISO, SOC, and GLBA regulations.
- Offers tools like UTM, vulnerability management, asset management, dark web monitor, identity management, incident response, and more.
- Centralizes and combines all cybersecurity tools into a correlation and classification engine backed by AI technology.
Splunk SIEM
Splunk is a popular SIEM for small, medium, and large organizations alike. The solution analyzes and manages data from the internet, sensors, application logs, and IT infrastructure. Also, it’s capable of indexing large quantities of information from IT infrastructures.
Particular features of Splunk:
- Splunk can work with any machine data, even from the cloud or on-premises.
- Real-time monitoring.
- Automated actions and workflows for quick and accurate responses.
- The SIEM uses an event sequence.
- Delivers complete reports on performance KP.
McAfee
McAfee is a platform that offers threats information and responds to incidents in real-time. In turn, it integrates with a variety of third-party products to provide deeper threat intelligence in organizations.
Particular features of McAfee:
- Advanced analytics and rich context to detect and prioritize threats.
- Dynamic presentation of data.
- Monitors and analyzes data from a broad heterogeneous security infrastructure.
- Has open interfaces for two-way integration.
LogRhythm
LogRhythm is cybersecurity management and compliance platform that protects companies from cyber-attacks. Also, it integrates solutions for endpoint monitoring, vulnerability assessment, forensics analysis, incident response, encryption key management, and more.
Particular features of LogRhythm:
- LogRhythm is a free Next-Gen SIEM for all types of organizations.
- Processes unstructured data and provides a consistent, normalized view.
- Supports a wide range of devices and log types.
Securonix
Enterprises use Securonix to monitor their IT infrastructure for security and operational risks. Generally, its data is encrypted, so it is not vulnerable to external hacking. Also, the solution can identify threats and their severity on the companies networks.
Particular features of Securonix:
- Hight behavioral, user, and data monitoring.
- Cloud services.
- Advanced analytics capabilities with machine learning algorithms to monitor traffic at scale.
Conclusion
SIEM is a complete software to protect organizations against attacks because it includes multiple tools in only one platform. Besides, the software makes the difference respecting other antivirus software because it works in real-time. Also, using it, organizations can comply with cybersecurity requirements and create any compliance reports. Therefore, when it comes to incidents response, vulnerabilities management, network monitoring, asset management, identity management, and more, SIEMs are the solution. However, depending on organizations’ needs, you can choose tools more expensive or not. Usually, they are expensive with a free trial, but UTMStack proves to be an excellent rentable SIEM for SMBs. In turn, Securonix is not free and can apply additional taxes or fees. In addition, all solutions compared here have a deployment on-premise, except Securonix that has it only in the cloud.
