In an era of rapidly growing cyber threats, organisations must see and understand everything happening in their networks in real time.
This is where SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) becomes indispensable — the backbone of every modern Security Operations Centre (SOC).
What Is SIEM?
SIEM systems collect, normalise, analyse, and correlate logs and events from across the entire infrastructure: servers, network devices, operating systems, applications, cloud services, and more.
Their primary mission is threat detection, incident response, and organisation-wide security visibility.
With SIEM you gain:
- full visibility of the IT/OT environment,
- cross-system event correlation,
- rapid detection and response to attacks and anomalies.
How SIEM Works – Core Process
- Data Collection
Ingest logs from firewalls, IDS/IPS, Windows/Linux, databases, cloud platforms, etc. - Analysis & Correlation
The correlation engine looks for patterns that indicate security incidents. - Alert Generation
When an anomaly or rule matches, an alert is created and routed to the SOC team. - Response & Reporting
Automated playbooks (via SOAR) or manual analyst actions are triggered, followed by reporting.
Key Benefits of SIEM
| Area | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Centralised log management | All logs in one place, searchable and retained |
| Real-time anomaly detection | Immediate identification of suspicious behaviour |
| Automated response | Faster containment through SOAR integration |
| Regulatory compliance | Simplified reporting for ISO 27001, NIS2, GDPR, etc. |
| Operational efficiency | Reduced Mean Time To Detect (MTTD) and Mean Time To Respond (MTTR) |
How to Implement and Manage SIEM Successfully
Choose the Right Solution
Match the tool to your environment (on-prem, cloud, hybrid).
Popular platforms: Microsoft Sentinel, IBM QRadar, Splunk Enterprise Security, Elastic SIEM, Wazuh (open-source).Tailor Rules & Use Cases
Build correlation rules specific to your risk profile — focus on privileged accounts, domain controllers, critical servers, and business applications.Continuously Tune & Optimise
Regularly review alerts, eliminate false positives, and update rules based on new threats and intelligence.
SIEM Integration Ecosystem
SIEM is most powerful when connected to the broader security stack:
| Tool | Value to SIEM |
|---|---|
| SOAR | Automates repetitive response actions |
| EDR/XDR | Provides rich endpoint and cross-layer telemetry |
| Threat Intelligence Feeds | Enriches alerts with IOCs and TTPs |
| NDR | Detects lateral movement and network anomalies |
Practical Tips for Success
- Create SOC runbooks and playbooks for the most common scenarios
- Put Active Directory under heavy monitoring — 80 % of attacks involve privilege abuse
- Regularly test correlation rules and Threat Intelligence integration
- Build executive dashboards showing MTTD, MTTR, critical alerts volume, etc.
SIEM – The Step Toward Proactive Defence
A well-implemented SIEM doesn’t just help you react — it lets you anticipate and prevent attacks by identifying trends and weak signals early.
It is the central nervous system of any serious security operations programme.
Get in Touch
I help organisations design, deploy, and optimise SIEM, SOC, and SOAR solutions, fully integrating them with existing IT/OT infrastructure and security processes.
Email: biuro@wichran.pl
Phone: +48 515 601 621
Author: Piotr Wichrań – Court-appointed IT forensic expert, IT/OT cybersecurity specialist, licensed private investigator
@Informatyka.Sledcza