A SIEM tool is an application that collects and analyzes log data to monitor critical activities in an organization.
A log is a record of events that occur within an organization’s systems. Depending on the amount of data you’re working with, it could take hours or days to filter through log data on your own.
SIEM tools reduce the amount of data an analyst must review by providing alerts for specific types of threats, risks, and vulnerabilities.
SIEM tools provide a series of dashboards that visually organize data into categories, allowing users to select the data they wish to analyze.
Different SIEM tools have different dashboard types that display the information you have access to.
SIEM tools also come with different hosting options, including on-premise and cloud. Organizations may choose one hosting option over another based on a security team member’s expertise.
For example, because a cloud-hosted version tends to be easier to set up, use, and maintain than an on-premise version, a less experienced security team may choose this option for their organization.