As IT infrastructures become larger and more complex, it’s important to make sure they’re properly monitored. Log analysis tools can help to do this, providing insights into the health and security of your system.
These operating systems can generate messages based on the activity of your applications and devices, which can provide a useful snapshot of how they’re being used and their wider performance. This is handy because it allows you to stay one step ahead of potential issues, with these log messages automatically flagging up anomalies, errors, and any activity that deviates from the norm or might signal vulnerabilities.
However, log messages are of little use unless they’re collected and analyzed. This process is known as log analysis, and some tools can perform this automatically. Below, we take a look at how they work and why your business should invest in one.
What is a log analysis tool?
If you’re looking for a top-tier log analysis tool, there are plenty of options on the market, and these can perform a wide range of functions. Taking the log data from your applications, host machines, operating systems, and more, they use this to evaluate overall system health and troubleshoot problems. There are lots of different tools for efficiently collecting, storing, and analyzing this data, but the overarching aim underpinning each of them is to enhance performance and system safety. This is primarily achieved by mapping patterns and trends and flagging anomalies.
While this makes log analyzers very useful, they’re not just a helpful bit of software: they can also be intrinsic in demonstrating compliance and making sure you’re adhering to various industry security standards and legal regulations.
If you’re on the fence about investing in one, here are a few key benefits that might sway your decision.
Increased efficiency
One of the primary benefits of investing in a log analysis tool is that it can pinpoint critical system errors and concerning trends quickly and efficiently. This is vital considering how many of your departments will be reliant on the IT resources being analyzed, from your finance and accounting teams to HR.
Also, these tools can often identify issues before they even begin to cause a problem, meaning you’re not losing valuable and expensive business hours to disruption and downtime nor having to deal with the fallout from this.
Improved security
One of the most pertinent and prevalent threats to companies in 2021 is cybersecurity breaches. These exposed 4.1 billion records in the first half of 2019 alone, with 68 percent of businesses believing their cybersecurity risks are increasing.
One of the easiest and most efficient ways to counteract this trend is by investing in a top-tier log analysis tool, which can help to avoid the financial and reputational damage caused by cyberattacks.
So how does this software help? Not only can it be useful after the event, providing a forensic log to help businesses understand what’s happened, but it plays a more proactive role too, frequently flagging potential breaches before they can take place. This early warning system means IT admins can immediately leap into action to counteract any attempts by hackers to infiltrate their defenses.
Compliance
Of course, it’s not enough to try and prevent cyberattacks when they’re already imminent; companies also have to show that they’re taking care of their clients. This extends beyond mere security, with many laws and regulations to govern how businesses must behave online.
Security standards range from GDPR to HIPAA, but irrespective of the exact rules you’re governed by, event log analysis can be a great way to demonstrate compliance and make sure you’re meeting the regulatory benchmarks existing in your industry.
Not only do these show you’re taking your responsibilities seriously, but event logs can be used as evidence for auditors. This allows you to demonstrate that you’re paying more than mere lip service and protects both your company and clients from making mistakes and having to deal with their consequences.
The takeaway
When it comes to evaluating the various log analysis tools on the market, there are lots of options out there, so it’s important to do your homework. Whichever one you choose to use, however, you can guarantee that your company will be a lot more protected with this software in place than it would be without it.
