Log Management & SIEM for Security, Compliance, Operations | the dialog

I have spent the last couple of weeks reviewing some of the RFPs that LogRhythm has answered to get a better idea of how we can streamline the response process.  One of the things that jumped out is the complete lack of consistency from one RFP format to the next.  It seems like each company is reinventing the wheel in every shape but round, even though they are all trying to end up in the same place – with a Log Management/SIEM solution that meets their company objectives without destroying their budget.

I realize that it must be difficult putting an RFP together. What do you ask and why?  A clear answer is hard to find without asking the question correctly, and after asking how do you score the results of what will most likely be at least a partially subjective response?  Each respondent is trying to win your business, which will almost certainly be reflected in their responses.  Just as important as asking the question is finding a way to filter out the chaff in the response.  This means that you not only have to ask the right question, you also have to have a pretty good understanding of the answer that you expect up front.

This is the same problem that administrators face after the RFP process plays out and a product is selected and implemented.  Once the Log Management/SIEM solution is in place, how do you use it to get the information that you need?  Or more importantly, how do you take what you know and put it in a format that even your boss can understand?  How a question is asked – or how a query is defined – determines what data is returned. If the question isn’t clear then the results won’t be either.  Having a solution that helps you clearly ask the question makes getting the right response easier.

Delivering tools that facilitate the query process is one of the things that LogRhythm does exceptionally well.  By providing a wizard-based process to run reports and investigations, LogRhythm both speeds  up and simplifies the process of extracting relevant information.  We also automate the data enrichment process so that the information returned is clearly defined, properly categorized and easy to understand.

As far as streamlining the RFP process for you?  Well, we can’t tell you exactly what you need, but we do have a pretty good idea of the questions you want to ask when evaluating Log Management/SIEM solutions.  Feel free to ask for a copy of our template.