Exabeam SIEM: Bridging the Gaps for Advanced SOC Functionality

In 2023, adversaries breach systems within just 84 minutes, down from 98 minutes in 2022. In this dynamic, fast-paced world of emerging and evolving cyberthreats, security information and event management (SIEM) tools are indispensable for protecting organizations’ valuable data. However, escalating log volumes, complex multi-vendor security operations center (SOC) infrastructure, and the perpetual challenge of alert fatigue create an uphill battle for security operations teams responsible for maintaining effective cyberdefense. This blog post explores common SIEM challenges within the SOC environment, highlighting how the artificial intelligence (AI)-driven Exabeam Security Operations Platform bridges the gap between basic SIEM and advanced SOC functionality.

We continue to add significant innovation to Exabeam SIEM, including the recently introduced Threat Timelines, risk scoring for correlation rules, AI-assisted alert and case groupings, advanced wildcard search capabilities, and consistent dashboards and reporting across active data and long-term search data sources. Dive into each of these features below, and discover how they can take your SOC analytics to the next level.

In this article:

• Common SIEM challenges in the SOC
• Bridging the gap with the Exabeam Security Operations Platform
• Additional benefits of a platform approach
• Conclusion

Common SIEM challenges in the SOC

Managing the exponential increase in log volumes

The surge in log ingestion volumes demands a cloud-scale infrastructure for effective processing and analysis. Traditional SIEM solutions, particularly on-premises offerings, struggle to keep pace, burdening security operations teams with managing complex infrastructure and integrations, rather than focusing on security threats and initiatives.

Unraveling the complex multi-vendor SOC infrastructure

Assembling a full stack of security services involves engaging multiple vendors, implementing various reporting tools, and using disparate management systems. This complexity demands substantial financial investments and a significant allocation of human resources to support day-to-day operations. Furthermore, standalone SIEM solutions often lack meaningful integration with the upper layers of the security operations stack, such as security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) and user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA), making SOC automation frustrating and time consuming.

Combating alert fatigue

Rising log data contributes to alert fatigue among SOC analysts. As the volume increases, so do false alarms. An IDC white paper shows that security staff spend an average of 30 minutes on each actionable alert, while 32 minutes are lost chasing each false alarm. Additionally, companies with 500-1,500 employees ignore or don’t investigate at least 27% of all alerts.

In response to these challenges, organizations are increasingly adopting a platform approach, such as Exabeam, which offers multiple advantages for evolving security operations.

Bridging the gap with the Exabeam Security Operations Platform

The Exabeam Security Operations Platform simplifies the integration of SIEM with advanced functionalities like SOAR and UEBA. This platform facilitates seamless incorporation of new services as security needs change, eliminating complex integrations and simplifying the evolution of SOC capabilities.

The Exabeam Security Operations Platform bridges the gap between basic SIEM and advanced SOC functionality, offering several differentiating features, including:

Streamlined threat hunting with Threat Timelines

Exabeam SIEM introduces Threat Timelines, an advanced capability included in Alert and Case Management. This feature provides a visual representation of the historical context of alerts and cases. It chronologically organizes related detections and key response moments, enabling analysts to quickly understand an investigation’s scope and pinpoint detections and events that require further inspection.

Risk scoring for enhanced detection

Exabeam is a pioneer in using machine learning (ML) for UEBA to facilitate user-based risk scoring. This capability has now been extended to Correlation Rules, enriching them with associated risk scores aligned with detection logic. Recognizing that not all correlation rules represent the same level of risk when triggered, our risk scoring system escalates the highest-risk alerts and cases for analyst review, indicating the likelihood of business impact. 

This approach contributes to a more informed decision-making process by generating system-assigned priority levels. Analysts have the flexibility to manually adjust these levels, offering clear direction on where to concentrate efforts for faster detection and assessment of potential incidents.

Accelerate investigations with AI

The Exabeam Security Operations Platform allows analysts to view detections related to a threat as part of a single alert or case, facilitating rapid triage and investigation. This capability reduces alert fatigue and minimizes case noise, ultimately lowering the mean time to respond (MTTR) to threats.

Integrated reporting and dashboarding capabilities for archived log data

Long-term Search now includes integrated reporting and dashboarding functionality, offering analysts a comprehensive suite of SIEM capabilities for log data. This enhancement improves visibility, reporting, and use cases within the SOC, empowering analyst to make more informed, data-driven decisions.

Advanced SIEM search capabilities

Exabeam introduces RGX and WLD functions to improve SIEM search capabilities. These features roll out four new operators for RegEx and wildcard queries, offering more granular control over searches. Wildcard operators can also be used with query-by-field searches, accelerating the search process and helping analysts effectively narrow down search results.

Additional benefits of a platform approach

Unified management and support

The Exabeam Security Operations Platform offers a single console equipped with granular access control, enabling organizations to standardize their systems. This unified management approach not only diminishes the learning curve but also facilitates knowledge transfer, notably in comparison to the complexities associated with supporting multiple security management systems.

For organizations outsourcing their SOC to a managed security services provider (MSSP), Exabeam unified support services offer significant advantages. Additionally, when using a comprehensive stack of services from a single vendor, incident remediation becomes more straightforward, particularly when the entire infrastructure is centralized in one place.

Unified storage and retention services

Exabeam SIEM offers unified storage and retention services, streamlining data management within the SOC. This approach simplifies data storage, ensuring that critical security information is easily accessible and centrally located when needed. Exabeam storage offerings and infrastructure are included in the Long-term Search and Long-term Storage add-on capabilities.

Cost savings with service bundling

A single-vendor solution such as Exabeam Fusion has the potential to streamline costs for organizations. By eliminating the need to manage multiple vendors and complex integrations, organizations stand to achieve significant cost savings in both the short and long term. Exabeam Fusion is a full stack of SOC services, delivering substantial cost savings when used cohesively as a unified solution.

Conclusion

Exabeam bridges the gap between traditional SIEM and advanced SOC functionality, streamlining operations and enhancing SOC capabilities. With innovations like Threat Timelines, risk scoring, and AI-driven investigations, Exabeam empowers SOC teams to stay ahead of threats while simplifying operations and reducing complexities. It’s a transformative step toward a more secure and efficient security operations center.

Elevate your SOC defense with Exabeam SIEM. To see it in action, request a demo.

Want to learn how to simplify security investigations?

Watch our on-demand webinar, Not All SIEMs Are Created Equal.

Are you struggling to find a reliable SIEM solution? Exabeam offers a purpose-built solution that simplifies security investigations and helps teams detect intrusions and malicious activity. With simple search interfaces, context-enhanced parsing, and data visualization, Exabeam can cut security task time by 51%.

Exabeam offers UEBA and SIEM capabilities in the same interface with cloud-native innovation, advanced analytics capabilities, and improved threat detection and response. Watch our webinar to learn how Exabeam provides better security outcomes than traditional SIEM solutions like Splunk.

You will learn how Exabeam:

• Helps organizations combat evolving cyberthreats with Smart Timelines^TM and security tactics
• Delivers better security outcomes with automation
• Can help organizations improve their security posture and see a faster return on investment

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