Infrastructures are becoming more complex by the minute. You’ve likely seen it within your organization. Within the last decade, we went from some businesses having a single cloud to most businesses having hundreds. Cloud applications, services, integrations, microservices — we must maintain them all within a single infrastructure.
Microsoft Azure Sentinel – formerly called Azure Sentinel, now rebranded Microsoft Sentinel – is a complete cloud-native SIEM solution that provides complete visibility within an organization’s infrastructure. Microsoft Sentinel is the ideal SIEM solution for organizations with a Microsoft ecosystem.
What is an SIEM?
An SIEM solution is a security information and event management system that gives organizations visibility into their entire IT environment. SIEM solutions help organizations to detect, investigate and respond to security incidents.
SIEMs used to be pretty niche; they weren’t necessary for many organizations. As network infrastructures have become radically more distributed and complex, SIEM solutions have become a virtual necessity.
The Importance of a SIEM Solution
In the past, most businesses used on-premises solutions for everything. It wasn’t easy to secure, but it was easier. Now, there is a growing trend of organizations using cloud-based solutions. The reason behind this shift is simple: it’s more cost-effective and efficient to use cloud-based solutions.
There are many benefits of using a cloud-based SIEM solution, including:
- Increased visibility. A cloud-based SIEM solution gives you increased visibility into your entire IT environment. This is because a cloud-based SIEM solution can monitor your organization’s devices and applications, no matter where they are located.
- Reduced complexity. A cloud-based SIEM solution can help to reduce the complexity of your IT environment. This is because you can use a single SIEM solution to monitor all of your organization’s devices and applications.
- Improved security. A cloud-based SIEM solution can help to improve the security of your IT environment. This is because a cloud-based SIEM solution can provide you with real-time data regarding potential security threats. If your system does go down, you’ll know almost immediately. The cost of a threat is very frequently related to the duration of the breach.
Cloud-based solutions are reliable and scalable. They won’t go down because they exist on a multitude of servers. They can deploy advanced technologies that would otherwise be prohibitively resource intensive. And they are cost-effective because you can take advantage of the cloud’s resources, services and economies of scale.
But out of all the cloud-based SIEM solutions, what makes Microsoft’s solution the best?
What is Microsoft Sentinel?
Microsoft Sentinel, previously Azure Sentinel – with names often used interchangeably – is a cloud-native SIEM solution that uses the power of the cloud to provide organizations with near real-time visibility into their entire IT environment. Azure Sentinel is the ideal SIEM solution for organizations with a Microsoft ecosystem.
Azure Sentinel has many features that make it the best cloud-based SIEM solution, including:
- Complete visibility. Azure Sentinel provides organizations with complete visibility into their entire IT environment. This is because Azure Sentinel can monitor your organization’s devices and applications, not just those that are located in the Azure cloud.
- Near real-time data. Azure Sentinel provides organizations with near real-time data. This is because Azure Sentinel ingests data in real time and stores it in a centralized location, rather than having to juggle multiple dashboards or getting interval reports. Some event management solutions don’t use real-time data but instead condense logs over time.
- Advanced analytics. Azure Sentinel uses the power of the cloud to provide organizations with advanced analytics. This is because Azure Sentinel SEIM can run complex queries on large data sets in near real-time.
- Affordable pricing. Azure Sentinel is an affordable SIEM solution. This is because Azure Sentinel is priced on a per-node basis, not a per-GB basis.
When we say that Azure Sentinel is the ideal SIEM solution for organizations with a Microsoft ecosystem, it’s because there’s built-in integration for Microsoft applications. But that doesn’t mean the road to deployment is a simple one.
How to Deploy Microsoft Azure Sentinel
If you’re interested in deploying Azure Sentinel, there are a few things you need to do. First, you need to be an Azure customer–not only is Sentinel linked to the Microsoft Azure service, but you get the most value by purchasing Microsoft Azure.
Once you have an Azure subscription, create a Log Analytics workspace. A Log Analytics workspace is used to collect and analyze data. You can create a Log Analytics workspace in the Azure portal.
Once you have a Log Analytics workspace, you need to install the Azure Sentinel Agent on each device that you want to collect data from. The Azure Sentinel Agent is used to send data to your Log Analytics workspace. But, of course, that’s not everything; you need to configure the system and read the logs. That requires expertise.
How an MSP Can Help
If you’re interested in deploying Azure Sentinel but don’t have the time or resources to do it yourself, you can work with an MSP. MSPs are IT service providers that specialize in managing and securing Microsoft environments.
An MSP can help you deploy Azure Sentinel and get the most out of its features. An MSP can also help you secure your environment and respond to security incidents–everything you need to keep your infrastructure under control.
If you’re interested in working with an MSP, contact Red River for a completely no-obligation consultation. We’re a leading MSP that specializes in Azure Sentinel and other Microsoft Azure solutions, such as Office 365.
What’s Next?
Now that you know what Microsoft Azure Sentinel is, its advantages and how to deploy it, you need to assess whether it’s ideal for your own organization’s security posture.
If you’re interested in learning more about Azure Sentinel and other Microsoft Azure solutions, we can help. We will conduct a full audit of your organization’s infrastructure to identify potential improvements and cost-savings.
Microsoft’s Sentinel solution is one of the best cloud-based SIEM solutions for several reasons. It provides complete visibility into an organization’s IT environment. It uses near real-time data to help improve security posture. And, of course, it’s affordably priced integrated with Microsoft’s solutions.
