Although it could imply it’s a physical server, the term syslog server is widely used for a software that is able to receive syslog messages. The ability to collect logs from network devices is especially important in networks with more than just a few routers, switches or servers, as these devices can produce million messages per hour. It would be almost impossible to make sense of all these messages if they are not stored and organized in one place – a syslog server. Apart from syslog messages, a good syslog server can usually listen to SNMP traps as well. In this way, all important events can be accessed through GUI of a syslog server not only for viewing, but for further actions as well. Although syslog messages are sometimes overlooked, syslog server can be extremely helpful for identifying the root cause of network issues, as well as for demonstrating compliance with various regulatory frameworks requiring log retention. There are many vendors offering syslog servers, from simple open-source solutions for Linux to cloud-based services.

SIEM stands for Security and Information Event Management and consists of two practices:

Security Information Management (SIM) involves collecting, correlating, and analyzing log data from various sources (network devices, firewalls, servers, anti-virus software and other applications or databases) in the network.

Security Event Management (SEM) involves analyzing collected event data for threat detection to improve security of the IT environment.

Software solutions combining both SIM and SEM are called SIEM tools. The main purpose of these tools is to improve security of an organization and, at the same time, demonstrate compliance with regulatory frameworks, as missing the mark on their requirements could negatively impact overall business of an organization.

Although there are some common similarities between syslog and SIEM, such as collection of logs from network devices or regulatory compliance, there are several key differences due to a different purpose each of these solutions is built for. Syslog server is designed to centralize all syslog messages from network devices, while SIEM solution is primarily focused on increasing security of your IT environment, by not only keeping track of incidents and events but by being able to respond to them by blocking or allowing actions as appropriate, as well as perform troubleshooting and remediation tactics.

Log management – Syslog server typically collects and centralizes syslog messages and SNMP traps from network devices, such as routers, switches, firewalls, and servers. SIEM solution collects data from network devices, but also from various other resources such as applications, antivirus software, intrusion detection systems or databases. It can connect data from all these sources and detect suspicious activity posing possible threats to security of the environment.

Threat detection – Syslog server functions as a central place for all syslog messages from your network devices and their ability to improve security usually ends with an email notification about several failed attempts to log in to your server. SIEM solutions are mainly focused on improving network security and include threat detection features, such as:

• Event correlation – SIEM software aggregates and normalizes data from various sources and, using statistical analysis, it identifies patterns of malicious activity that would be impossible to detect by looking at logs from these sources separately. It can also leverage historical data to identify suspicious activity and detect possible threats in real time.
• Threats database – SIEM solutions can categorize collected logs and compare this data against databases of known threats to quickly identify attempts of cyberattackers.

Alerting and automatic response – A good syslog server allows users to create rules and set up email alerts based on incoming logs to notify administrators about important events in the network. Some syslog servers, such as Kiwi Syslog^® Server, even offer extended functionality to automatically react to the log messages with running a specific script. For SIEM solution, however, alerting and automatic response to specific events are core functionalities. SIEM solutions typically offer rich alerting options and automatically react—stopping a process, detaching a USB device from a workstation, blocking user access—to stop detected threats.

Reporting capabilities – Log collection and retention are crucial parts of many compliance frameworks. Syslog server can be useful for reporting for regulatory purposes and audits through providing simple reports about syslog statistics over specific time periods. But similar to other areas, if you need extended reporting functionality such as pre-built templates to generate industry standard reports to easily demonstrate compliance with regulations such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, SOX, FISMA, NERC CIP, FERPA, GLBA, GPG13, DISA STIG and others, SIEM solution is more suitable for that.

When it comes to a decision whether to choose a syslog server or SIEM solution, it all depends on what you need. If you are looking for a solution that will help you centralize syslog and SNMP traps from your network devices, or you’re looking for a solution to help you troubleshoot network issues faster, a good syslog server is the right choice. If you are looking for a security product to help you increase security of your IT environment, quickly detect both external and internal threats and you need to easily demonstrate compliance with various industry-standard regulations, SIEM is what you should look for.

Whether you need a syslog server or SIEM, SolarWinds^® portfolio offers both:

Affordable standalone Kiwi Syslog^® Server centralizes and simplifies log message management (including syslog messages, SNMP traps, and Windows event logs) across network devices and servers with powerful a rules engine allowing real-time alerts and response to specific messages with various actions.

SolarWinds Security Event Manager (SEM), is an intuitive, ready-to-use, and affordable security information and event management solution without the complexity, designed to improve your security posture and quickly demonstrate compliance.