SecOps
What is a SIEM and do you need one?
A SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) aggregates logs from across your infrastructure, correlates events, and generates alerts for potential security incidents. You need one once you have enough infrastructure that manually reviewing logs is impractical — typically when you're running 10+ services, handling regulated data, or have compliance requirements (SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI-DSS).
Key Considerations
- Cloud-native options (Datadog Security, Elastic Security, Microsoft Sentinel) are faster to deploy than traditional SIEMs
- Start with high-value log sources: authentication events, firewall logs, cloud audit trails, and endpoint detection
- Alert fatigue is the #1 SIEM failure mode — tune detection rules aggressively and start with fewer, higher-fidelity alerts
- Budget for log volume: SIEM pricing is typically per GB/day ingested, and costs escalate quickly with verbose logging
- Consider a SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation and Response) layer for automated incident response playbooks