10 facts about SIEM – The centrepiece of modern cyber security

Why should you use a SIEM system?

Cyberattacks are ubiquitous and becoming increasingly sophisticated. Organisations need to protect themselves from attacks that come from both external threat actors and internal vulnerabilities. A SIEM system helps to identify these threats at an early stage and respond appropriately.

Important reasons for using a SIEM system:

• Early detection of security incidents: Real-time monitoring and detection of anomalies.

• Faster response times: Automated incident response prevents major damage.

• Better adherence to compliance requirements: Fulfilment of regulatory requirements such as GDPR, ISO 27001 and PCI-DSS.

• Centralised security monitoring: Collect and analyse security-relevant data from various systems.

2. SIEM needs a strong team – hackers don’t go on holiday

3. managed SIEM vs. SOC – What’s the difference?

While a Managed SIEM mainly takes over the administration and analysis of security logs, a Security Operations Centre (SOC) goes further. A SOC not only includes the administration of a SIEM system, but also a team of analysts and security experts who actively investigate threats, initiate countermeasures and implement incident response strategies.

• Managed SIEM: External management of SIEM processes focussing on log management and event analysis. Many SOCs also offer managed SIEM services, blurring the boundaries between the two concepts.

• SOC: Holistic security monitoring with active threat management and incident response.

An organisation can either operate its own SOC, use a managed SIEM or combine the two for a more comprehensive security strategy.

4 Important criteria when purchasing a SIEM system

The selection of a SIEM system should be based on several factors in order to ensure a sensible long-term investment. Here are the most important points:

• Data sources: A powerful SIEM must be able to import data from a wide variety of sources – including firewalls, end devices, servers, cloud services, applications and network infrastructures.

• Licensing: Billing according to events per second (EPS), number of data sources or users? These factors have a significant impact on costs.

• Data storage: How long do logs need to be stored? Successful attacks often go unnoticed for months, so a long storage period is crucial. The legal requirements for storage vary depending on the industry and region (e.g. GDPR in the EU, HIPAA in the USA).

• Scalability: Can the system keep pace with growing requirements and increasing data volumes?

• Analysis capability: Modern SIEM solutions should offer advanced analysis options to efficiently identify patterns and anomalies. In addition to AI-supported detection, the correlation of events over long periods of time is also essential.

• Data protection: Data processing must comply with the applicable data protection regulations. Strict compliance requirements apply, especially in sensitive sectors such as finance or healthcare.

• Integration: A good SIEM should be able to integrate seamlessly with other security solutions such as SOAR, XDR and threat intelligence feeds.

5 Central functions of a SIEM system

A SIEM system records security-related events from various IT systems, analyses them in real time and helps companies to manage security incidents quickly and efficiently. It aggregates log data from various sources – including firewalls, endpoint security solutions, intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS), cloud environments and network infrastructures – and correlates this information in order to recognise suspicious activities.

Important core functions of a SIEM system include

• Log management: recording, storing and analysing large volumes of security-relevant data from various IT systems. This enables long-term investigation of security events and supports compliance with legal requirements.

• Real-time monitoring: Continuous analysis and evaluation of security-relevant events for early detection of threats and anomalies.

• Event correlation: Identification of patterns and deviations by linking different data sources in order to recognise complex threats, such as targeted attacks or insider threats, more quickly.

• Incident response & alerting: Automatic detection and prioritisation of security incidents with immediate notification to security teams so that targeted countermeasures can be initiated.

• Forensic analysis: Detailed tracking and investigation of incidents to determine the cause and optimise security measures.

• Compliance reporting: Creation of reports for legal and regulatory requirements, such as GDPR, ISO 27001, HIPAA or PCI-DSS, to facilitate audits and ensure compliance.

6. threat detection with AI and machine learning

The threat landscape is constantly evolving, which is why modern SIEM solutions increasingly rely on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. These technologies enable security events to be analysed more precisely and significantly reduce false alarms. While conventional SIEM systems are based on static rules and manual interventions, the use of AI enables an adaptive and self-learning security strategy.

Using machine learning models, SIEM systems can learn typical behaviour patterns of users, devices and applications and detect deviations in real time. This means that not only known threats can be identified, but also new types of attacks that cannot be detected by traditional signatures.

A particular advantage of AI-supported SIEM solutions is the reduction in false alarms. Traditional SIEM systems often generate a flood of alerts, many of which are not relevant to security. Machine learning enables a prioritised assessment of incidents by sorting out irrelevant or seemingly harmless messages and automatically focusing on security-critical anomalies.

In addition, AI algorithms can automatically classify threats and generate recommendations for action for analysts in real time. This allows attack patterns to be recognised more quickly and countermeasures to be initiated efficiently. In combination with SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation and Response), many responses to threats can be automated so that attacks can be contained in the shortest possible time.

The integration of AI and machine learning into SIEM systems is therefore not just a technological advancement, but a necessity for companies that want to take their IT security strategy to a new level. Especially in times of increasing cyber threats and growing IT complexity, this intelligent threat detection ensures a more proactive and efficient defence against attacks.

7 Compliance and regulation

A SIEM makes it easier for companies to comply with legal regulations by storing security-relevant data centrally, making it auditable and enabling a rapid response in the event of incidents. The most important regulations include

• GDPR (EU): The General Data Protection Regulation requires secure processing of personal data. A SIEM supports compliance by seamlessly logging access and security-relevant events.
• HIPAA (USA): In the USA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulates the protection of health data. SIEM helps to detect unauthorised access or breaches at an early stage.
• ISO 27001: This international standard for information security management systems (ISMS) focuses on systematic monitoring and response to security incidents – a core function of a SIEM.
• TISAX (automotive industry, EU): The “Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange” (TISAX) is a standard for information security in the automotive industry. A SIEM is essential here, as it enables security events to be monitored, manipulation to be recognised and verifiable security controls to be established. This is particularly important for suppliers who need to protect sensitive development and production data.

By centrally recording and analysing security-relevant events, a SIEM ensures that companies meet regulatory requirements and remain auditable at all times.

8. scalability and flexibility – why a SIEM must grow with you

Companies’ IT infrastructures are constantly evolving – be it through expansion, technological innovations or the increasing use of cloud services. A SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) system must therefore be flexible and scalable in order to keep pace with growing requirements. The ability to integrate seamlessly into different IT environments is crucial for long-term security and efficiency.

Why is scalability important in a SIEM?

Organisations generate an enormous amount of security-relevant data every day from a variety of sources, including

• Firewalls and intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS)
• End devices and servers
• Cloud services (e.g. Microsoft Azure, AWS, Google Cloud)
• Network infrastructures
• Databases and business-critical applications

As companies grow in size or compliance requirements increase, the number of security events to be analysed also grows. A scalable SIEM system adapts to this increasing load without compromising performance or reaction speed.

Cloud-native SIEMs – the future of security monitoring

Traditional on-premises SIEM solutions often reach their limits when it comes to scalability. Hardware resources have to be expanded, resulting in high costs. Cloud-native SIEM solutions, on the other hand, offer several decisive advantages:

• Dynamic scaling: automatic adaptation to increasing data volumes without having to invest in additional hardware.
• Cost efficiency: Pay-as-you-go models enable on-demand use so that you only pay for data that is actually processed.
• Flexibility & location independence: Security analysis takes place in the cloud – ideal for globally distributed environments.
• Faster implementation: No lengthy hardware and software installations required.
• Better integration with modern IT environments: Especially with hybrid architectures (on-premises + cloud), a cloud SIEM enables a centralised view of all security-related events.

A SIEM must be future-proof

The requirements for a SIEM system change as the IT infrastructure evolves and cyber threats grow. High scalability and flexibility are essential to ensure effective security monitoring in the long term. Cloud-native and hybrid SIEM models offer companies the opportunity to adapt dynamically to new challenges and optimise costs in the process.
When selecting a SIEM, companies should therefore carefully consider which scaling options are offered and how well the system can be integrated into existing and future IT structures.

9th challenge: False alarms and noise – why false positives are a problem

A powerful SIEM system collects and analyses security-relevant events from various IT sources in order to detect potential threats at an early stage. However, a key problem with many SIEM solutions is the high number of false positives, i.e. alerts that do not represent a real threat.
These misdiagnoses can have a massive impact on the effectiveness of a security operations centre (SOC) or IT security team because they can lead to alarm fatigue.

What are false positives and why are they problematic?

False positives occur when a SIEM system erroneously categorises a harmless event as a security incident. This can be caused by

• Insufficiently defined rules: Systems that are configured too strictly categorise harmless activities as a potential threat.
• Lack of context analysis: If there is no intelligent analysis, regular processes such as admin access can be wrongly categorised as attacks.
• Dynamic IT environments: Changes in networks or applications create new patterns that the SIEM categorises as suspicious without closer examination.
• Lack of threat classification: Unimportant events receive the same attention as genuine attacks.

Consequences of false positives – alarm fatigue as a serious danger

• Alert fatigue: With hundreds or thousands of alerts per day, attention levels drop and real threats can be overlooked.
• High operational burden: Analysts have to manually check every SIEM alert, taking valuable time away from real threats.
• Increased response times: More false positives mean longer detection and response times for actual attacks.
• High costs and inefficient use of resources: Security staff are tied up dealing with false positives, which can result in additional staff costs or external services.

How can false positives be minimised?

Modern security solutions utilise several approaches to reduce false positives:

1. AI-supported threat detection: Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) detect deviant behaviour and thus reduce false positives.
2. User and Entity Behaviour Analytics (UEBA): UEBA technologies define typical behaviour patterns for users/systems and only trigger alarms in the event of genuine deviations.
3. Correlation of events: View individual events in context – several failed logins from different countries in quick succession are suspicious, a single failed attempt is not.
4. Optimised rule definition and tuning: Regularly adjust threshold values for alarms so that normal processes are not inadvertently flagged.
5. Automated response (SOAR): The system can, for example, automatically check whether an IP is actually known to be malicious before an alarm is triggered.

Reduce false alarms to recognise real threats

A high level of false alarms leads to inefficient security processes and jeopardises actual threat detection through alarm fatigue. Companies must therefore ensure that their SIEM system is intelligently optimised to differentiate between genuine security incidents and harmless events.
The use of AI, machine learning, UEBA and automated responses drastically reduces the number of false alarms. Regular fine-tuning of SIEM rules is essential to ensure that real attacks are not drowned in a sea of unnecessary alerts.

10. future prospects: AI, automation and cloud-native SIEM

The future of IT security monitoring lies in automation, AI and cloud technologies. While traditional SIEM systems rely on rule-based detection, modern solutions are increasingly developing into intelligent, self-learning systems that analyse threats in real time and respond to them automatically.
Companies are facing increasingly complex threats. Cyber attacks are becoming more sophisticated, IT infrastructures more hybrid and data volumes are increasing exponentially. Forward-looking cloud-native SIEMs, AI-supported threat detection and automated response mechanisms are indispensable for taking IT security strategies to the next level.

AI-supported threat detection – next-generation SIEM

AI technologies are changing the way SIEM systems detect and analyse security threats. Traditional, purely rule-based SIEMs reach their limits when it comes to zero-day attacks, polymorphic malware and insider threats.
With AI, ML and UEBA, modern SIEM systems can:

• Analyse normal behaviour and automatically identify deviations
• Detect threats, even without known signatures
• Reduce false positives by adapting to new attack patterns
• Recognise suspicious patterns in large amounts of data that traditional methods miss

Security automation – react in milliseconds instead of hours

The automation of security processes is a central component of modern SIEM architectures. In combination with SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation and Response), current SIEM solutions react automatically to incidents:

• Reduced response time: the SIEM system can block suspicious IPs or isolate infected endpoints without manual intervention.
• Relief for security teams: Routine tasks such as sorting false alarms or creating compliance reports are automated.
• Minimise human error: security measures are implemented consistently and immediately.

This turns the SIEM into a proactive security tool that fends off attacks at an early stage.

Cloud-native SIEMs – security in hybrid IT environments

More and more companies are relying on cloud services such as Microsoft Azure, AWS or Google Cloud. Traditional on-premises SIEMs are often not flexible or performant enough for huge amounts of data in real time.
Advantages of cloud-native SIEM systems:

• Dynamic scalability: no expensive hardware upgrades, automatic adaptation to data volumes and event load.
• Centralised security monitoring: Uniform view of all relevant events in on-premises, cloud and multi-cloud environments.
• Lower infrastructure costs: Instead of own data centres, only costs for actually processed data.
• Real-time analysis of large volumes of data: Essential for detecting sophisticated attacks (APTs).

The evolution of SIEM is in full swing

The future of SIEM technologies lies in the combination of AI, automation and the cloud. Companies that want to strengthen their cyber security in the long term should invest in AI-supported and cloud-enabled SIEM solutions now.
The most important advantages:
✅ Better threat detection through continuous behavioural analysis
✅ Greater automation and relief for security teams
✅ Scalable solutions that grow with dynamic IT landscapes
✅ Real-time analysis of security events – regardless of location and environment

With a well thought-out SIEM strategy, companies are not only better equipped against current threats, but also against future threats. AI and automation ensure that attacks are detected more quickly and suitable defence measures are initiated more efficiently – the basis for modern cyber security.

ProSmartec GmbH – your specialist for SIEM solutions

A powerful SIEM system is essential for detecting cyber threats at an early stage, fulfilling compliance requirements and effectively protecting IT infrastructures. As an experienced partner, ProSmartec GmbH supports companies in implementing customised SIEM strategies that are optimally tailored to their individual security requirements.

On-premises, cloud or managed SIEM – we offer flexible solutions that integrate seamlessly into existing IT environments.
🔹 Maximum threat detection – Our experts optimise SIEM systems with AI-supported analysis and automation to reduce false positives and efficiently identify real threats.
🔹 Cross-industry expertise – Whether financial sector, healthcare, industry or SMEs – we adapt SIEM solutions to specific compliance and IT security requirements.

📢 Take advantage of our free initial consultation – Let’s find out together how we can optimise your IT security strategy.

➡ Contact us now and get professional advice on selecting and implementing your SIEM system.