SIEM (Security Information and Event Management)
SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) is a technology platform that collects, aggregates, and analyzes log data and security events from across an organization's IT environment to detect threats and support compliance.
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platforms are a cornerstone of modern cybersecurity operations. A SIEM system aggregates log data and security events from a wide variety of sources, including firewalls, intrusion detection systems, endpoints, servers, applications, and cloud services. By centralizing this data, SIEM enables security teams to gain comprehensive visibility into their environment and detect threats that might be invisible when looking at individual data sources in isolation.
The core capabilities of a SIEM include log collection, normalization, correlation, alerting, and reporting. Correlation rules and analytics engines analyze incoming events in real time, looking for patterns that indicate malicious activity. For example, a SIEM might correlate a failed login attempt from an unusual location with a subsequent successful login and data exfiltration, flagging this sequence as a potential account compromise.
Modern SIEM platforms increasingly incorporate user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA), machine learning, and threat intelligence integration to improve detection accuracy and reduce false positives. Cloud-native SIEM solutions have also emerged, offering scalability and reduced operational overhead compared to traditional on-premises deployments.
Beyond threat detection, SIEM platforms play a critical role in compliance. Regulations such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX, and GDPR require organizations to maintain audit logs and demonstrate monitoring capabilities. SIEM platforms provide the log retention, reporting, and alerting capabilities necessary to meet these requirements and provide evidence during audits.