# How Next-gen SIEM Takes the Complexity Out of SIEM

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems have transformed from what they looked like in their early days. Originally designed to provide network visibility and identify malicious activity, SIEM has advanced in response to digital innovations such as cloud computing, big data, and remote work. This evolution has extended SIEM's visibility beyond traditional perimeters, enabling it to address modern security challenges.

This article will look into the current offerings of next-generation SIEM, its advanced capabilities, and the benefits it brings to security teams.
# The Evolution of Traditional SIEM
In the past companies and organizations utilized legacy SIEM solutions before the rise of [next-gen SIEM features](https://stellarcyber.ai/platform/capabilities-ng-siem/). Traditional SIEM solutions primarily focus on collecting and indexing log outputs from various applications and systems within an organization’s network. They enable security analysts to search and retrieve specific log details, facilitating tasks such as auditing compliance event reporting or conducting forensic research. Traditional SIEM solutions also excel at correlating logs from diverse sources, providing valuable insights during investigations based on unique identifiers like IP addresses.

However, legacy SIEM solutions often generate high volumes of alerts that can be challenging to manage, requiring a deep level of expertise to apply accurate filters and refine searches. Due to the expert skills required and labor-intensive processes of combing through alerts to identify real threats, meaningful events can easily be overlooked. This often results in prolonged investigations that can span weeks, leaving the company susceptible to successful data breaches.

As organizations embrace digital transformation and migrate to cloud environments, the limitations of traditional SIEM solutions have become more apparent. The demand for advanced capabilities has fueled the innovation of next-gen SIEM solutions, which are designed to overcome the shortcomings of their predecessors by introducing a host of advanced features, such as;
## Next-Gen SIEM Features
Next-gen SIEM solutions come with different types of advanced features that have changed how organizations approach security. These Next-Gen SIEM Features include cloud delivery, comprehensive data collection, user and entity behavior analytics, automated attack timelines, and [security orchestration and automation response (SOAR)](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/03/01/how-to-contain-threats-fast-using-soar-and-an-authorization-framework/).
# Cloud Delivery
SIEM platforms are based in the cloud and delivered as a service, rather than being deployed on-premises. Cloud-based SIEMs can save operational costs and reduce deployment complexity. They are better suited to a distributed IT environment, monitoring physical and virtual resources which is often beyond the traditional network perimeter.

With cloud-based data lakes, SIEM solutions have become more scalable, handling massive volumes of log data generated by modern enterprises. This elastic storage capability allows organizations to store any data volume for extended retention periods, ensuring comprehensive data coverage.
## Data Collection and Management
Next-gen SIEMs like Stellar Cyber can handle a wide variety of data sources, with built-in connectors that make integration easy. These data sources include data from cloud services, external devices such as mobile devices, traditional on-premises log data, and network data. This extensive data collection capability ensures that security teams have a solid view of their environment, which will enable more accurate threat detection and response.
# User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA2)
Next-gen SIEM establishes a baseline of normal activity for users and entities on the network. It uses behavioral analytics and machine learning algorithms to detect anomalies. This practice, which is also known as UEBA, is highly effective at detecting malicious insiders, compromised credentials, and zero-day threats that do not match known attack signatures.

For example, if an employee's account suddenly starts accessing sensitive data at odd hours or from unusual locations, the system can flag this as suspicious activity, prompting further investigation.
# Automated Attack Timelines
In legacy SIEMs, analysts had to piece together data from multiple sources to understand an attack timeline. This was time-consuming and often required specialized expertise. However, Next-gen SIEM can do this automatically, piecing together all elements of an attack and presenting it on a visual timeline.

This speeds up incident triage and investigation, enabling tier 1 analysts to handle more complex investigations.
# Security Orchestration and Automation Response (SOAR)
Next-gen SIEMs like Stellar Cyber not only monitor IT systems and generate alerts but also help respond to incidents as they happen. SOAR technology allows an SIEM to connect to IT and security infrastructure in a bi-directional manner, directly control security systems like identity access management, email servers, and firewalls, and use incident response playbooks to automate responses to threats.

This enables the orchestration of multiple tools for threats that require coordination between multiple systems, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the security operations center (SOC).
## Critical Next-Gen SIEM Capabilities
Modern SIEM solutions include different critical capabilities that help elevate its security operations:
# Comprehensive Data Collection and Management
Next-gen SIEM solutions ensure access to every data source, providing a basis for in-depth analysis and correlation across borderless infrastructure. They can easily ingest data from different sources, such as security solutions, applications, endpoints, and network packet information. This holistic data collection enables identifying threats across an organization's extended environment.
## Big Data Architecture
Scalability is essential for next-gen SIEM solutions. They must handle plenty of data sources and support big data analytics without strain. This capability is known as federated search because it empowers real-time retrieval of information from various siloed data sources through a single search.

It also increases the efficiency and agility of cybersecurity operations.
# Deployment and Architecture
Legacy SIEM solutions often face complexities in setup and ongoing management. Next-gen SIEM solutions, equipped with extensive built-in connectors, simplify data ingestion from existing products. This ensures a swift time-to-value, delivering immediate security enhancements.

The shift to cloud-based architecture reduces deployment complexities and operational costs.
# Enrichment of User and Asset Context
Data enrichment transforms raw data into meaningful details by adding contextual information to security event data. It enriches security events with details from user directories, asset inventory tools, geolocation tools, and third-party [threat intelligence databases](https://github.com/hslatman/awesome-threat-intelligence), SIEM solutions enhance their ability to decipher and respond to security risks.
# Identity Threat Protection
Next-gen SIEM solutions provide visibility into identity-based attacks and anomalies. They automatically classify identities into human, service, and privileged accounts across hybrid identity stores.

It compares live traffic against behavior baselines and rules which they use to detect lateral movement and anomalous traffic in real time.
## Conclusion
Next-gen SIEM solutions, use its advanced features and capabilities, to address the limitations of legacy systems by offering more comprehensive, efficient, and scalable security management.

So, an organization that builds its security posture in cloud delivery, extensive data collection, user and entity behavior analytics, automated attack timelines, and SOAR, can enhance its security, reduce complexity, and improve response times.