What is SIEM?
SIEM – Security Information and Event Management tools provide real-time visibility and analysis of security alerts generated by network hardware and applications. SIEM identifies potential security threats, monitors compliance, and provides a centralised view of security events. SIEM works by collecting log data from various sources – Firewalls, servers, and applications which is then analysed using predefined rules and algorithms to identify potential security incidents. Once an incident is detected, the SIEM system generates an alert which is sent to security personnel for further investigation.
Is a SIEM tool necessary?
SIEMS are complex, pricey and can’t be bought off-the-shelf without organisation-specific configurations, however they are a necessary requirement for many companies. The cost of not having one can far outweigh the cost of implementing a SIEM. In the current world of constant data breaches and security threats which are continually getting more sophisticated, a SIEM tool is invaluable for protecting your organisation.
One key point to note is that it’s important you have the right team in place to configure and monitor your SIEM. While a SIEM will have built-in configurations, it will be necessary to provide a bespoke solution for your organisation. Without complex fine tuning there is a risk of false alerts which will impact on efficiently detecting threats and responding to them.
For this reason, many companies choose an outside consultant to assist with configuring their SIEM. Many organisations lack the required skills to configure rules, alert levels and analyse reports in an efficient manner.
What is SOAR?
While SIEM has been around for many years SOAR – Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response is relatively new. SOAR uses AI to provide a centralized platform for managing and responding to security incidents. SOAR automates security processes, improves incident response times, and reduces the workload on security teams. SOAR works by integrating with various security technologies such as SIEM, firewalls, and antivirus software. It uses predefined workflows and playbooks to automate security processes and respond to security incidents. When a security incident is detected the SOAR system can automatically initiate a response, such as isolating an infected system or blocking malicious traffic.
Security Automation and orchestration
Let’s take a closer look at the two key components of SOAR.
Security automation enables you to define a course of action automatically. This automation can be used to programs alerts, tasks, and responses to attacks. These automated processes speed up threat hunting and remediation so that incident resolution is completed faster and with fewer steps. This allows security personnel to reduce the time needed to analyse never ending alerts and concentrate only on those that are most serious.
Security orchestration gives the ability to integrate a variety of tools that can be centralised and shared. Orchestration also gives you the ability to respond to incidents as a group, even when spread across your environment. Orchestration is critical for coordinating system-wide automation. Tasks can be simplified to run smoother, and tools connected to run together. Automation and orchestration work in tandem to provide an efficient integrated system.
SIEM and SOAR Integration
SIEM and SOAR can be integrated to provide a comprehensive security solution. The SIEM system can detect potential security incidents, while the SOAR system can automate the response to those incidents. This integration greatly improves incident response times and reduces the workload on security teams.
Planning is important
Deploying an integrated SIEM and SOAR system is a long-term commitment. It is essential to plan your implementation carefully before you commence deployment and take in to account the following:
- Define Requirements – Firstly, identify the requirements for the SIEM and SOAR solutions. This involves understanding the needs of the organization, the types of data sources to be integrated with the solutions.
- Required hardware – Will your existing infrastructure have the capacity and processing power to deal with the expected number of alerts.
- Storage requirements – Make sure you choose a storage network with sufficient capacity.
- System architecture. Reporting systems need to integrate with dashboard and log collection systems.
Once you have settled on a plan you can then commence with server, software, and other hardware installation.
Contact us for a consultation on how we can provide a customised SIEM and SOAR solution with a centralised system to deal with cyber-attacks. This will provide peace of mind without the need of hiring extra staff with specialized skills.