Blog

Why is Log Management More Important Than Ever?

08.07.2018 Read
Why is Log Management More Important Than Ever

It has now become public knowledge that every business organization is under constant threats in the ever-evolving cyberspace. In order to secure their assets and maintain a strong defence against the actors with malicious intent, an organization takes a number of steps such as installing appropriate software and hardware, implementing security controls, etc. One such step is log management which plays a crucial role during a security incident.

What is Log Management and how does it work?

Log Management is a security control which covers all the systems and devices in the network. When an event occurs in a network, it generates data about that particular event. The data thus generated is collected as logs by the operating system, applications, and other devices. During a security incident, log entries help a forensics team by specifying the changes occurred so that the cause of the incident is known and appropriate steps can be taken to minimize the damages and loss incurred by the victim organization. Without sufficient log entries, one might know that his system is compromised but the actual cause may never be known.

Parameters of a complete Log Management System

  • Collection: Data about every event in the network must be collected and this collection must be carried over an encrypted channel to prevent manipulation and unauthorized access by malicious actors.
  • Storage: Once the log data is collected, it must be preserved, compressed, encrypted, stored, and archived, either locally or over the cloud. Lately, many organizations are opting for cloud-based log management systems to reduce the costs incurred in onsite setup for log management and analysis.
  • Search: The log data stored must be indexed on the basis of predefined parameters so that it can be easily searched. These parameters can be date, time, host, type of data, etc.
  • Correlation: With a plethora of log data being collected, an organization must create correlation rules to detect important events and perform a certain set of actions automatically. A failed attempt to login on a host must be reported to the network administrator for further inspection.
  • Output: The collected data must be shown to different users as per their requirement. For example, the security team shall have full access to the log data.

Why is Log Management Important?

Along with providing relevant information about a security incident and point of compromise, log data also finds its application in –

  • Capacity Management
  • Troubleshooting
  • Documenting compliance requirements
  • Threat Detection support
  • Managing and measuring user interactions with the system
  • Supporting SIEM systems

Further, hiring a third-party service provider for log management support becomes financially feasible for an organization if log data is shared by the security team as well as the operations team.

Conclusion

With log management finding its application in forensics, threat detection, and SIEM systems among the other applications, a centralized, reliable, secure and scalable log management system can go long way for the businesses. For reducing management and personnel costs, it is often recommended to opt for a trusted third-party service provider with a cloud-based log management system. LogSign is one such comprehensive solution which helps businesses by presenting the log data in a smartly visualized dashboard. Click here to request a demo!

A vast library of integrations and free services on demand
See All Integrations
See Logsign Unified SO Platform in action!
Watch Demo