How to Choose the Best Managed SIEM Services

Security information and event management (SIEM) software has become a lynchpin for many companies’ cybersecurity strategies in recent years. From providing alerts for suspicious network activity that may indicate an attack-in-progress, to archiving forensic data to investigate the methodology behind cyberattacks, SIEM tools can be indispensable to modern network security.

However, one issue that many organizations have come across in using cloud SIEM solutions is that they can generate an overwhelming amount of data. This data bloat can, in turn, make managing SIEM solutions difficult and time-consuming without the support of an expert. Managed SIEM services can help to alleviate the burden of using these security solutions while maximizing their benefits.

One question that a lot of business owners and IT department leads have is: “How can I find the right SIEM managed service provider to help me?” After all, having the right cybersecurity partner to provide SIEM services can have a big impact on your return on investment for the security solution.

Here are a few tips to help you find the right managed services partner for your organization:

1) Ask if the SIEM Managed Service Provider has a Co-Managed Option

SIEM co-management has a few critical advantages for your business:

1. It Reduces Your Team’s Workload. Using a co-managed SIEM service reduces the workload for your own IT team so they can focus on tasks that create value for your business.
   
   
2. It Provides Access to SIEM Experts. Using a managed SIEM service means getting instant access to experts who can teach your own IT team the intricacies of cloud SIEM solutions and how to best leverage them.
   
   
3. It Keeps You in the Loop. With a co-managed SIEM service, your team is a part of process for managing the solution—ensuring that they’re aware of important developments so you aren’t caught by surprise when something happens.

Co-managed SIEM services are a great option for companies that want to eventually take their SIEM management in-house, but lack the resources to do so right now. By leveraging the time the SIEM managed service provider spends coordinating with your team to help them learn how to better handle the solution, you can acclimate your team to managing it in-house bit by bit until they’re comfortable doing so.

2) Check if the SIEM Services Provider Has Experience with Your SIEM Tool

There are many different SIEM solutions on the market. Many of these solutions have unique features, ways of presenting information, or interfaces that may or may not work well with specific third party tools.

It takes a fair amount of experience and expertise with a specific SIEM solution to understand how to best work with its idiosyncrasies. So, one thing to check when choosing a managed SIEM service provider is whether they have experience in working with your preferred SIEM tool.

If you don’t currently have an SIEM tool for your business, it can help to ask if the managed service provider offers SIEM as a service or if they can recommend a tool that best fits your needs.

3) Contact the Managed SIEM Service Provider’s Other Customers

When you’re seriously considering a managed SIEM service, it can pay to get in touch with the service provider’s other customers (both past and present), and ask them some questions. For example, two questions you could ask would be:

1. How Happy Are You with the Managed SIEM Service? Customer satisfaction is a strong indicator of how well the service provider can meet their customers’ expectations. If a lot of their current and past clients are happy with the service, odds are that it’s because they do a good job.
   
   
2. Why Did You Stop Using Their SIEM Services? When it comes to past customers, on what terms did the two companies end the service agreement? Sometimes, a customer can outgrow the need for the managed services they were using—such as when their team finally grows large enough or has enough experts trained by their SIEM service provider to take their solution in-house. Other times, the customer might find that the SIEM managed services they received just weren’t good enough—which can be a sign to avoid the service provider.

Getting in touch with an SIEM managed service provider’s customers can tell you a lot about what to expect from them in terms of service quality.

Do you need an expert team to help you manage your SIEM solution and maximize your cybersecurity? Reach out to the team here at Compuquip today!