There is no dearth of software to accomplish a particular task in the network, whether it be log management, network monitoring, application tracking, data collection or any other metrics to enable real time interactive dashboards with intelligent information. These solutions work because there are a lot of logs which are collected, managed, analysed and correlated to each other in order to intelligently solve issues and track the root causes of them so that they do not happen in the future.
Now the question is how do logs help in an IT environment or why should a company invest in a log management solution? Well there are various reasons, ranging from compliance, security to even keeping a tab on the things that should work as intended by the CTO of an organization. Every machine connected to each other or to the internet and in a network, security appliance, business-critical system, even endpoint in your organization generates event logs daily. These logs need to be managed to provide an early warning system for fast response to security events and even to make sure everything is functioning normally. The following can be regarded as the immediate advantages of log management.
1. Universal Dashboard
A log management software provides logs from all the sources and collects them at a single location providing a universal dashboard for the collection, management, and processing of all such logs. In the absence of a log management software, the logs would run into thousands and will be scattered at a lot of different locations making it difficult and time-consuming to make any sense of them.
2. Perform Security Checks in Real-time
Most companies carry on regular audits and investigate with the help of the logs but it’s a post-mortem activity which does not help much in avoiding security risks. With a real-time log management tool these risks can be identified much earlier and the damage control can be done resulting in huge savings. Log management solutions use SIEM (Security Information and Event Monitoring) which help in detecting issues in real time.
3. Forget worries about different formats
When there is an event causing an issue that needs to be resolved, the last thing the concerned person wants to do is to worry about the different formats in which the logs are collected and waste even more time in making them readable and understandable. A log management software can take care of the different formats like Syslog, SNMP traps, IISC W3C logs, Windows events or more and can present the logs in an easier, readable format which saves time and provides actionable insights to the person working on them focusing on the resolutions rather than being worried about the format of the logs.
4. Universal Search across logs
To make sense of the innumerable data that is collected as logs, it’s really important to arrive at the relevant information and separate the useful information from the useless one. In order to correlate and integrate the logs, it’s vital that the log management software allows them to be searched across the different systems from which the logs are collected at a central location.
5. Correlate Events
When all the logs are collected and presented at a single dashboard, it becomes easier to correlate and get sense of the events as they happened. It helps in resolving the issues faster and increases productivity. The correlation of events is not possible unless the logs are all collected at a single place and can be seen together. For example, in order to know the impact of the damage caused by a security breach, it is easier to look at the access breaches, security logs and other events connecting all the dots together.
6. Adhere to Compliance Requirements
With the globalization and rapid expansion of companies’ operations in several countries these days, the regulatory requirements of log management have also been in force for most of the companies. These regulatory requirements just don’t require to maintain a log, but take action on them and even keep a record for a certain duration of time. All of these can be accumulated through a log management software and even the tasks can be automated saving company costs, helping them fulfill all regulatory requirements and saving them from any litigation expenses later on.
There are many other benefits of having a log management software but the ones listed above can be very easily visible once the log management software is installed and the logs are collected and stored in a centralized dashboard. Log management software is no longer an option but becoming a necessity for most companies with an IT infrastructure.
With functions like security, meeting compliance and regulatory requirements, helping save time and costs and even more, log management solutions are proving indispensable utilities. Do you use any log management solutions for your company? What other features are your favorites? Share with us in the comments below.
