One of the biggest risks for a business is losing control of its cybersecurity surface. It is easy to set up a few computers, servers, and a network, and just let it run. However, a quality cybersecurity program requires constant monitoring and adaptation to stay ahead of new threats. Without a dedicated IT department in your organization, it can be difficult to keep up with these requirements.
A Security Information & Event Management (SIEM) system is a platform used to collect logs from your network assets and study them for any security information and events of interest. The insights the SIEM gathers from the network data are presented to the administrator in an organized dashboard containing visuals and statistics to help emphasize key findings. For example, a SIEM may provide a list of vulnerabilities discovered on systems ranked by severity. It may provide an analysis of your organization’s adherence to industry standards such as ISO 27001 or CIS Benchmarks. Many SIEMs provide advanced features to aid with threat hunting and incident response activities.
The goal of a SIEM is to make key cybersecurity findings about your organization’s network easy to access and understand. This way, less time is spent poring through complex log files, and more time is spent preparing mitigation and incident response measures. The act of quickly assessing and prioritizing alerts for response is known as triage. In a standard cybersecurity department, there are several levels of triage, with each level handled by a different employee, typically in some sort of hierarchy. Triage allows multiple levels of the organization to assess the alert information and apply the best response measures.
Enterprise-grade SIEMs come with a price. Splunk is probably the most well-known enterprise-grade SIEM. For cloud-based organizations, Microsoft Sentinel has risen as a solid choice. Sentinel also provides Security Orchestration and Response (SOAR) capabilities. SOAR provides automated triage and incident response capabilities to help address serious alerts as soon as they are detected.
The price tag on most SIEMs rules them out for many small businesses. Wazuh is a great open-source SIEM that is accessible and easy to install on most small business networks. It can be installed as a Docker container, a virtual machine, or an extra machine with decent specs. Wazuh’s interface is also straightforward to understand. If your business comprises more than three workstations, I highly recommend configuring Wazuh to make your cybersecurity surface more straightforward.
