Take note of this number: 191. That’s the number of days it takes for a company to fully realize a data breach in its systems. I know what you’re thinking: “That’s a really long time.” Yes, that’s a really long time for anyone to be in the dark concerning an intrusion in their company.
Ignorance is bliss, but more often than not it comes back to bite – really hard. If you ask giants like AOL, Evernote, Experian amongst others, I’m sure they will tell you tales of how data breaches hit them hard.
Data breaches are on the rise and they are threatening both emerging and established enterprises. Being proactive is the best way to buck the trend of data breaches.
Don’t just wait for say, a phishing attack or ransomware to cripple your systems and ultimately your company. Instead, be on the offensive, preempt attacks by ensuring that you monitor the ins and outs of your system. That is what log monitoring is really about. Effective log monitoring is conducted using tools.
Log Monitoring Tools
Log monitoring involves using tools and software that help to keep an eye on the events in your system. Just like your fingers, monitoring tools are not all one and the same. They differ in size, function, strength, and capacity. That’s why when choosing Log Monitoring Tools and services for your company, you should take the following into account.
Is It Fit for Purpose?
As mentioned earlier, log monitoring tools are not all the same. Based on your needs, you should choose the tools that can serve your needs. So for starters, you should have clarity about what exactly your log needs are.
Your company’s IT leaders must assess your IT infrastructure and make a decision regarding the specifics of the kind of log monitoring tool you’ll need.
For instance, if you need to log about 2 million messages per hour, that immediately rules out certain log monitoring tools with low capacity. In such an instance, the Kiwi Syslog Server will be well suited to handle such a barrage of entries.
What Unique Qualities Does the Tool Have?
Many log monitoring tools have their unique perks and you should find out what they are. You should find out the unique selling point of the logging solution you intend to use.
Do not hesitate to ask questions: Does the visualization and analysis ability of the logging solution meet your needs? How about its search engine capacities? Can it identify brute force attacks, account lockouts, data theft, web server attacks?
Be Ready to Invest
While there are a number of log monitoring tools that are free, there are obvious limitations. You’ll have to be ready to pay for the best services.
If you’re within the system administration and monitoring circles, Splunk is a popular piece of software you’d have probably heard about. While it has unique data sorting capabilities, free users are limited to under 500mb daily. Clearly, you won’t be able to achieve so much using this software unless you invest and upgrade to a higher level.
Wrapping Up
Have you ever wondered about the security of your data? Are you on the alert for ransomware, malware, phishing attacks and other forms of intrusions that occur on a company’s IT system? Well, you are not alone. The best way to preempt such intrusions is to use log monitoring tools. In deciding on the tools to use, consider your vision, what makes the logging solution standout and your readiness to invest.