Cloud technology adoption continues to grow at a robust pace, which means the cloud security market is also set for more growth. One study forecasts a 24.4 percent CAGR for cloud security for the period 2022-2032. Interestingly, the optimistic predictions for cloud security are fueled by the emergence of more advanced, more sophisticated, and more aggressive threats. There is growing demand for security solutions because the threats are unrelenting.
One of the highlight technologies in cloud security is next generation security information and event management (NG SIEM). It is one of the buzzwords in cybersecurity, and it continues to score hype points because of its relevance in securing the cloud computing ecosystem.
What makes NG SIEM different?
Next gen SIEM presents a significant upgrade to conventional SIEM, which has been in existence for nearly two decades. It updates the ways security information and events are handled in response to the changing threat landscape. Conventional SIEM struggles with the variety and volume of security information it encounters in different scenarios and ceaselessly growing IT ecosystems. NG SIEM addresses its predecessors’ weaknesses while introducing new features that make it more suitable for modern security posture management.
Traditional SIEM solutions have gone through incremental changes or upgrades over the years, as they dealt with changing security needs. However, they have largely remained the same, especially in the way they enable security visibility. They have not fully taken into account the changes the cloud-based infrastructure has brought with it. They have not been optimized to deal with cloud-based data.
NG SIEM is not just a minor upgrade but a significant leap to match the major changes in the cybersecurity space. Much has changed since data storage and processing moved to the cloud and on-premise data handling became the minority. Next generation SIEM is different because it presents concrete and appropriate solutions to achieve reliable cloud security.
The need for cloud-suited security
Widespread cloud computing use creates crucial security challenges, including broader attack surfaces, security visibility issues, the possible lack of control over data and other IT assets, and the inevitability of misconfigurations and human errors. For a long time, organizations have been accustomed to securing their IT assets with perimeter defenses, which were not as expansive and complex as the security needed for cloud resources. With these changes and new challenges, switching to next gen SIEM is a no-brainer.
NG SIEM provides a host of new functions and features that make it more suitable for cloud security.
Better visibility – NG SIEM is designed to collect and analyze data from more sources, including cloud applications, endpoints, servers, and network devices. This ensures improved security visibility and a better view of an organization’s IT environment.
Cloud-native architecture – Next generation SIEM is not only compatible with cloud assets; it is built with a cloud-native architecture. This allows it to agilely navigate the complexity of cloud-based data sources and scale up and down in accordance with changing needs. This cloud-native architecture makes it more flexible and versatile so that it can be deployed across different scenarios and setups with relative ease.
Real-time monitoring – Cloud technology provides the advantage of real-time data access and processing, but this can also create opportunities for threat actors. For security information and event management to be effective, it has to be undertaken in real-time.
Better threat information – Next gen SIEM leverages external sources of threat intelligence. It takes advantage of various sources of threat data to facilitate better detection and remediation. It can collect the most recent cyber threat information, including indicators of compromise (IOC) and the comprehensive profiling of known and emerging threat actors.
Advanced analytics – Going over exponentially increasing volumes of data is beyond human capability. There is a need to harness new and sophisticated technologies, particularly machine learning and advanced analytics, to thoroughly examine, analyze, and correlate data. This is crucial to set incidence response priorities and make sure that the most urgent threats or concerns are addressed promptly, not buried under false positives and benign security alerts.
Consolidated tools – The best NG SIEM solutions on the market bring together different security solutions to bolster security information and event management. These solutions include user entity behavior analytics (UEBA), threat intelligence platforms (TIP), network detection and response (NDR), and sandboxing. Cloud assets are inherently more exposed to various kinds of attacks, so it greatly helps to have access to multiple security tools within a single, unified platform.
Working with different cloud providers – Legacy SIEM struggles with cloud and hybrid setups. Imagine how increasingly ineffective it becomes when faced with multiple cloud providers. Next generation SIEM plays an important role in cloud security, as it adapts to the complex arrangements of cloud infrastructure and multiple cloud services.
Automated response – Conventional SIEM also supports automation, but next generation SIEM ups the with better automation driven by more advanced artificial intelligence, comprehensive cybersecurity frameworks, up-to-date cyber threat intelligence, and real-time data processing.
Aligning with new regulations
Another benefit of NG SIEM is compliance with newer cybersecurity rules and regulations. Next gen SIEM solutions are designed to make it easier to comply with industry standards and regulations like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS). Legacy SIEM can also do this, but not as seamlessly as its successor.
Regulations play an important role in the future of cloud security. Complying with them may not guarantee complete protection from threats, but they serve as an excellent first or second line of defense. Also, compliance is not just about becoming secure but also a matter of avoiding hefty penalty payments over violations. Several companies were forced to shell out hundreds of thousands or millions to pay for data breach fines, penalties, and settlements. Next gen SIEM helps companies comply to be secure and avoid the threats of legal impositions.
Elevating security information management
Switching to next generation security information and event management from legacy SIEM is a must. It is necessary because of the changing nature and volume of threats. It is essential, as organizations grow and establish more complex IT infrastructure, which results in security visibility challenges. Moreover, it is important because of the existence of various rules and regulations that impose heavy penalties for noncompliance. NG SIEM elevates cybersecurity to match the benefits of cloud technology while addressing the associated risks and threats.
