Next-gen SIEM tools are deployed to future-proof cybersecurity operations. Here’s what you need to know.
Times change quickly in the ever-evolving cybersecurity space, with threat actors moving fast and organizations working to keep pace. Adversaries are infiltrating organizations quicker than ever before: The average eCrime breakout time — the time it takes adversaries to move laterally after compromising an initial host — dropped to just 62 minutes with the fastest observed breakout time just over two minutes.
This acceleration highlights the critical need for organizations to increase efficiency in their security operations. Many now wonder: Are legacy SIEM tools equipped to handle the change in pace?
As businesses transition to cloud-based systems and adopt new technologies, traditional security information and event management (SIEM) tools often struggle to keep up with the growing volume of data and alerts that accompany a larger, more complex attack surface. This creates inefficiencies that leave organizations vulnerable to breaches. We are seeing businesses turn to next-gen SIEM solutions in an attempt to future-proof against cyber threats and keep critical information secure.
CTO for EMEA at CrowdStrike.
The need for speed and operational efficiency
Every second counts in cybersecurity. With the emergence of generative AI, attacks have become more sophisticated, widespread and easier to conduct. Adversaries are now able to create more convincing social engineering campaigns at greater scale, in addition to malicious software, tools, and resources to conduct larger and more effective attacks. This newly gained edge — in both speed and execution — is a stark reminder for security leaders that their security operations center (SOC) must continue evolving to identify and remediate potential threats.
Legacy SIEM tools were designed during a time when adversaries moved more slowly and conducted simpler attacks. Now technology is advancing, but these older systems lack the pace and processing power required to operate in data-heavy environments. Today’s SOC teams often manage a patchwork of outdated SIEMs, sprawling data lakes and disjointed analytics tools, hindering the swift investigation of attacks. This adds new layers of complexity when managing and operating a legacy SIEM system — which, in turn, inflates the cost associated with maintaining a system, renders slower response times and decreases overall operational efficiency, draining resources and further contributing to delays. When a breach occurs, rapid escalation and resolution are essential to meet the perpetrator head-on and stop the breach.
Planning for a secure future with next-gen SIEM
Over the last decade, many organizations have embraced digital transformation and migrated to cloud-based environments. SIEM has now evolved to extend visibility beyond traditional perimeters and introduce a host of advanced new features such as comprehensive visibility, proactive threat detection, continuous compliance and automatic threat containment and elimination.
By combining IT and security data with AI and workflow automation, the next generation of SIEM tools will power a unified AI-native SOC platform that enables security operations to act faster and more efficiently to achieve the ultimate goal: stopping breaches. Many early adopting organizations are turning to next-gen SIEMs with an aim to improve efficiency and cut response time from hours to seconds. Here are four critical capabilities offered by next-gen SIEM to elevate security operations:
- Comprehensive data collection and management: These capabilities enable SOC teams to seamlessly review data sources and integrate with cloud platforms like AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud
- Big data architecture: SIEM solutions are scalable for supporting big data analytics, enabling real-time monitoring, investigation and search across multiple datasets to enhance efficiency and agility
- Deployment and architecture: Built-in connectors and cloud-based architecture simplify deployment, reduce management complexities and deliver rapid time-to-value and cost savings
- Modern analyst experience: Streamlined attack analysis automatically generates visual timelines and provides intuitive query languages, allowing analysts to triage incidents with minimal manual effort
Selecting the right next-gen SIEM for your SOC
When evaluating a next-generation SIEM, security leaders should ask key questions to ensure it meets the demands of their SOC. First, can the SIEM handle the growing data volumes generated by hybrid cloud environments and modern IT infrastructures while scaling cost-effectively? This is crucial as adversaries and data volumes grow at unprecedented speeds. Second, is the SIEM easy to deploy and maintain? SOC teams often spend significant time and resources setting up and managing SIEMs, time that could be better spent on mission-critical tasks. Finally, does it break down silos by consolidating tools and reducing complexities and costs? An effective SIEM should integrate seamlessly with existing tools, collecting, normalizing, and correlating data across diverse sources.
The SIEM category is gaining renewed attention as organizations grapple with complex security challenges that legacy SIEMs can no longer address. With attackers becoming faster and more sophisticated, next-gen SIEMs empower SOC teams to keep pace by breaking down silos, automating workflows, and reducing operational complexity and costs. Without these advancements, organizations risk falling behind and becoming prime targets for modern threats.
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