Security Information and Event Management technologies integrate with a wide range of event log and threat intelligence sources to help organisations identify and respond to security incidents.

SIEM combines the event monitoring, correlation and notification capabilities of security event management (SEM) with the analysis, retention and reporting functions of security information management (SIM).

SIEM solutions work by aggregating and analysing log data from devices, infrastructure, systems and applications and generating alerts for security teams to review and respond to.

SIEM is used by organisations to improve visibility of cyber security threats inside a network. SIEM solutions can help to achieve the cyber security monitoring capabilities needed to support compliance with the GDPR, NIS Directive, PCI DSS, as well as other data regulations and standards.

With so many SIEM solutions available, it can be difficult to know which one to choose. Some technology vendors incorporate SIEM as part of broader threat management platforms.

Rather than focusing purely on price or reputation, buyers should consider how well a SIEM solution will integrate with existing data sources to provide the threat coverage and visibility needed to address SIEM use cases. Deployment options, support for threat intelligence sources and incident response capabilities are also important considerations.

To facilitate event correlation and alerting, SIEM tools collect logs from a wide range of data sources. Sources typically include network devices, infrastructure, systems, applications and security technologies such as firewalls, endpoint protection platforms and intrusion detection and prevention systems. To enhance threat visibility and coverage, some SIEM tools can also be integrated with Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tools.

A shift in the SIEM market, largely driven by cloud, has seen vendors’ delivery models change from perpetual to fixed term licencing. The price of a SIEM tool can be dependent on factors such as volume of log events, number of employees, and storage requirements.

A managed SIEM service helps organisations to bridge the resource gap by providing the latest SIEM technology as well as the security professionals needed to manage and monitor it, 24/7.