Digital transformation efforts have exploded – especially in light of the global pandemic. As enterprises move their apps and data to the cloud, their security operations teams are tracking how the threat landscape has evolved along with new attack surfaces. As a result, many security teams are upgrading their legacy SIEMs to modern SaaS architectures to take advantage of the latest threat detection and investigation technologies, keep up with their org’s ever-expanding data requirements, and reduce overall TCO.
For MSSP’s that support tens or even hundreds of customers, the advantages of SaaS architectures are self-evident, but unfortunately “cloud-based” or “cloud-hosted” only provides a fraction of the scalability and performance of a truly cloud-native platform. Following are three questions to ask to determine if a SIEM platform is actually designed for, and built in the cloud.
But first, let’s look at why cloud-native is so essential. As vendors sprinted to bring cloud offerings to market, many “SaaS-ified” their solution by porting the software codebase to
a single tenant, cloud-hosted environment. This approach gave vendors a way to support the cloud and join the “cloud revolution” with the ability to talk about their forward-thinking technology. However, cloud solutions that are not built for the cloud from the start are simply migrations of the on-premises application with a few modifications. The resulting product doesn’t support the full capabilities of a true cloud-native architecture. Instead, these are considered cloud-based solutions and are often referred to as having been “cloud washed”.
The distinction between a cloud-native and cloud-based solution is especially important for SIEM platforms. Only cloud-native technology can provide the performance and simplicity security operations center (SOC) teams require to scale for big data analytics. Cloud-native architecture also provides an API-driven approach, which makes cloud provider and network integrations easy. This is especially important because third-party integrations are a key factor of success for SIEM platforms.
30% of IT and security professionals report they use between 26 to 50 cybersecurity tools. Most of these tools will need to integrate with their SIEM platform. Ultimately, the performance of SIEM platforms delivered from the cloud depends on a strategy that is built in the cloud and for the cloud.
The images below show how cloud-based and cloud-native solutions differ in their ability to handle periods of idle- and burst-level volumes.
Now, here are three questions you can ask to determine if a SIEM platform is truly cloud-native.
1. Is your SIEM platform based on microservices architecture?
SIEM platforms that take advantage of a microservices architecture are, by design, cloud-native solutions. Microservices provide your SIEM platform more resiliency and flexibility; for example, they enable SIEM platforms to provide high flexibility to scale up and down as demand varies. A microservices architecture is essential for the big data storage and processing required in security event monitoring and analytics.
2. Is your platform hosted purely in the cloud, or does it rely on an on-premises server?
If the SIEM platform requires an onsite server or is marketed as a “hybrid solution”—it’s not a cloud-native platform. This also means that anytime the onsite server goes down, you’ll experience an interruption of services.
3. Does the solution support continuous software delivery?
A vendor’s process for release updates is a telltale sign of the platform’s cloud architecture. If updates are released in longer time intervals, such as quarterly or annually, the solution isn’t
cloud-native. With a cloud-native SIEM platform, enhancements and bug fixes are rolled out as soon as they pass quality control and are available immediately.
Sumo Logic’s modern SaaS SIEM is cloud-native, all-day, every day. Our Cloud SIEM solution was built for the cloud from the ground up, providing MSPs and MSSPs with a true cloud-native solution. As the platform for today’s modern SOC, Sumo Logic removes the technology limitations that burden SIEM efficiency and the ability to mitigate risk.
Are you ready to upgrade your security strategy to deliver more value and an improved customer experience in a format that is both cost-effective and enterprise-ready?
Learn more about Sumo Logic’s modern SaaS SIEM and our Managed Service Provider Program.
Author Dana Torgersen is director of product marketing for the Security Business Unit at Sumo Logic. Read more Sumo Logic guest blogs here.
