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SaaS SIEM offers enterprise networks refined analytics

This week, bloggers explore SaaS SIEM, applications as drivers of hybrid cloud, and the benefits and drawbacks of integrated systems.

Anton Chuvakin, an analyst with Gartner, once said there is no such thing as SaaS SIEM, or security information and event management. In 2015, when Chuvakin last wrote about SaaS SIEM, this model for network security didn't exist. But two years, later he said he sees SaaS SIEM emerging with a critical strength and a critical weakness. According to Chuvakin, the "huge" benefit for enterprises with SaaS SIEM is the ability by vendors to design and refine new analytics, using all of the data collected by customers.

On the other hand, Chuvakin noted a significant drawback. If a network connection is lost, SIEM capabilities are lost, as well. "If you lose internet, you lose your SaaS SIEM (note that you lose both access to the platform and log flow, which means when the link is restored it will take some time for the log data to flow up and become available for analysis)," Chuvakin wrote.

Explore more of Chuvakin's thoughts on SaaS SIEM.

Applications are the key drivers of hybrid cloud

Edwin Yuen and Terri McClure, analysts with Enterprise Strategy Group Inc. in Milford, Mass., blogged about the firm's recent hybrid cloud research. Two key findings came out of recent research. According to ESG, hybrid cloud is based on applications and an infrastructure to support them.

Hybrid cloud, therefore, is about more than just VMs, servers and infrastructure. Vendors and enterprises may need to adjust their thinking to embrace hybrid cloud workloads from the application level.

The research also indicated that on-premises environments have a significant role in hybrid cloud. According to Yuen, integration and compatibility with pre-existing on-premises systems was one of the most important attributes for hybrid cloud users.

"This point is especially important as the overwhelming majority of respondents in the survey said they expect to have half or more of their workloads on-premises, five years from now. On-premises environments and hybrid cloud will be the long-term future of IT," Yuen added.

Read more of Yuen's thoughts on hybrid cloud.

New Cisco UCS software focuses on optimizing workloads

Drew Conry-Murray, writing in Packet Pushers, is suspicious of Cisco's claims about its new Unified Computing System (UCS) platform. More specifically, he questioned the vendor's marketing tagline: "It's not a server. It's a system." In Conry-Murray's view, these kinds of taglines gloss over what he said are "inevitable complexities, costs and potential flaws or weaknesses."

That said, Conry-Murray cautioned network engineers to weigh Cisco's offering carefully, bearing in mind that UCS -- encompassing compute, fabric and a management app powered by Turbonomic -- has its advantages, as well as drawbacks. "That means customers have to understand the implications of this approach," he said. "Is it going to provide operational or performance benefits over another option? Do you want to live within the parameters this system proscribes? Is it going to fit your budget?"

Dig deeper into Conry-Murray's thoughts on Cisco UCS.

Next Steps

Exploring the SIEM in the cloud model

Creating a cloud development environment for on-premises apps

The unlikely rise of Cisco Unified Computing System servers

Dig Deeper on Network management and monitoring