Where Most SIEM Deployments Go Wrong

Off-the-shelf SIEM deployments can cause serious trouble for small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) who aren’t prepared for the time, infrastructure, personnel, and financial investment necessary to make them successful.

 For SMBs, SIEM deployments require the right solution—one that factors-in how the organization will be using it as well as the unique needs of the company. Solutions designed for large enterprises aren’t usually right for smaller organizations, as these challenges indicate. Which often leaves SMB’s with an expensive shelfware and a negative connotation of the security solution.

In this article, we’ll share some of the biggest SIEM mistakes we see and explain why it’s so essential for organizations to know what it takes to have a successful SIEM deployment.

Why SIEM Deployments Fail

Many SIEM deployments at small-to-midsize organizations don’t succeed with legitimate reasons. Put simply, SIEM is very difficult to pull off the right way, especially with issues such as:

1. High Costs for Equipment, Software, and Operations

There are several reasons why SIEM deployment is expensive for SMBs.

•    Team training: Your entire team will need SIEM training if they use it.

•    Licensing: Initial licensing to start using SIEM can be costly.

•    Implementation: From the start to the end of execution, you’ll need to have the available resources to connect everything.

•    Management: Ongoing management costs associated with your system.

•    Other technology: Costs from other technology you’re using with SIEM such as Firewalls and other protective pieces of hardware.

With all the costs you’ll be responsible for, getting your system started and keeping it going can get expensive.

2. Not Enough Planning

Jumping into a SIEM deployment without the planning or resources to make it work is a recipe for failure. Unfortunately, a lot of companies make this leap and end up regretting it later discovering what many others have, that do-it-yourself SIEM implementation simply doesn’t work. To correct this common mistake, as soon as your business deploys the new solution your organization has to be ready to respond to an influx of security events, thousands to start.

3. No Dedicated Team

Many businesses have just one person focused on managed SIEM which many experienced cybersecurity professionals know is not enough. Larger organizations initially used these systems with entire teams. If your company can’t dedicate enough employees to implement SIEM, there’s little point in trying to integrate a full system.

The staff you’ll need requires high salaries, and the hiring process is not cheap as well.  These expensive professionals are necessary to get SIEM solutions off the ground, which often catches many companies by surprise.

4. Wrong Features

Often, SIEM solutions have the wrong reporting features for your specific organization and security needs. This can lead to extra time and funds wasted by your IT staff on features which your team will never need to use but must understand for the software.

5. False Positives

If you’ve incorrectly set up rules in your SIEM, the result can be a ton of false positives and busy-work burdening your IT team. Since every alert looks just like a cyber attack, your team may feel like it needs to respond to every single alert, which can get very time consuming and expensive for your entire organization.

Benefits of MSSPs

With Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs), you can leave SIEM operations and monitoring to your MSSP. You don’t need an in-house team, and your vendor can help with implementation and keeping everything running afterward.

MSSP benefits:

•    24/7 security and technical support

•    Experts managing your system security

•    Enable your IT team to focus on other things and have less to maintain

•    Cut your costs for operating and managing your security

Thanks to consistent prices you can rely on, an MSSPs allows your company to access the security features you need without overburdening your IT staff or spending too much.

To get started with managed security, you’ll need to find the right provider.

If you’re not sure where to start, keep reading for tips on finding a vendor.

Finding the Right MSSP for Your Organization

As you begin shopping for an MSSP, create a list of questions and must-have features for your service plan.

Here are some questions to ask before making the deal:

•    What partners do you work with?

•    What software and hardware do you use?

•    What steps do you take to protect our data?

•    Do you have references to share? Have you worked with companies in my industry before?

•    Why should I choose your organization?

•    Can you customize the security solution to our company?

•    How often do you pay attention to new cybersecurity threats?

•    What kind of training do your team members have?

Once you’ve identified a few vendors, who could meet your needs, start comparing them and asking your questions. Try and determine what it would take for them to customize their security solution to your needs. Find out if they are a company you’d trust with your security.

About ArmorPoint

ArmorPoint is a security information and event management solution that provides a cost-effective and reliable way to continually protect your business from emerging threats. Through its customizable service pricing model, ArmorPoint’s cost-effective packages and dynamic levels of expert management support the security strategies of all companies, regardless of available budget, talent, or time. And since ArmorPoint offers 24/7 security support with a team of dedicated specialists, they can provide you with the manpower you need to expertly manage all of your cybersecurity initiatives. See how ArmorPoint can make a difference in your security posture with a risk-free 30 day free trial.