Updated April 6, 2023
Introduction to SIEM VS SOAR
SIEM is defined as a cyber-security tool that converts the security data into some actionable intelligence where this data is obtained from the central point where this security data is stored and collected and after completion of collection of security data it will be analyzed so that it can raise alerts if any fault activity is obtained. Whereas, SOAR is also defined as a cyber-security tool that also gathers huge security data and responds to security management whenever any alarms are occurred to implement complicated defense-in-depth capabilities. Therefore both are almost used for the same agenda as they share many things in common but they act differently so we cannot use these both interchangeably hence let us see some differences.
Head to Head Comparison Between SIEM VS SOAR (Infographics)
Below are the top 8 differences between SIEM VS SOAR:
Key Differences of SIEM VS SOAR
Following are the Key differences between SIEM vs SOAR are given below:
- Definitions and purpose:
SIEM which is used as a security tool stands for Security Information and Event management is a security platform that gathers all the security data in the center point and converts these data into actionable intelligence and also raises alerts whenever an abnormal activity occurs. Whereas SOAR which is also a security tool that stands for Security Orchestration, Automation, and response is also a system that helps the security team to manage and quickly or automatically respond to the alerts that occur, and hence it will manage the security data and workflow to implement defense-in-depth capabilities.
- Human resources requirement:
SIEM apps or this SIEM tool requires more human resource management as the team takes time to decide for investigation of suspicious activities which when occurred generates an alert. Therefore whenever such activities occur the SIEM resolution team requires more team members for deciding as well as resolving these alerts in the security system. Whereas, SOAR doesn’t require many human resources as these SOAR apps or solutions are automotive and orchestrated, and therefore whenever any alerts occur they automatically resolve with fewer team members to resolve and it also takes less time than any team to resolve such alerts in SOAR than SIEM.
- Quick and Efficient
SIEM tool usually requires regular monitoring or tuning to understand and differentiate between normal and abnormal activities that occur and generate alerts and therefore these tools are less efficient and also require more time as analysts waste their time as they make this tool work for them instead of tracking the constant abnormal activities of data. Whereas SOAR tool does not require more time and hence it is a quick and efficient security tool as which automatically respond to the threats that occur as alerts or alarms which will quickly resolve and with proper solutions to such threats. Therefore, SOAR is more quick and efficient than SIEM.
Comparison Table of SIEM VS SOAR
Comparison between SIEM vs SOAR are given below:
| S. NO | SIEM | SOAR |
| 1 | SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) is a security tool that collects and stores security data from various internal and external sources where it detects the faults or unwanted behavior which can lead to cyber-attack using advanced machine learning and pattern recognition techniques. | SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation and Response) is also a security tool for managing and handling threats, vulnerability, security operations automation, and also this tool responds to the security team and also integrates all existing tools and apps to provide an automotive response and also reduce the time from breaching of the data. |
| 2 | SIEM provides security solutions by providing alerts to analysts which will alert them as there is some unwanted event or activity that occurred where the analyst will decide if further investigation is required or not. | SOAR also provides investigation whenever an alert occurs when it detects an auspicious event or activity it automatically invokes investigation path workflows and also reduces the time for resolving such alerts, not like the SIEM team which will first decide for investigation. |
| 3 | SIEM apps require more human resources compared to SOAR to manage rules and use cases to handle the difficulty such as mixing of normal events or activities with any suspicious or unwanted activities which may lead to hiring more staff or team for managing such difficulties. | SOAR apps don’t require much human resource as it focuses more on automation and orchestration which would further reduce the time taken by the human resource to complete the tasks. |
| 4 | SIEM collects and stores all these security data in a central point such as IPSs, firewalls, DLP tools, antimalware, etc. | SOAR collects and stores security data from external apps or a broader range of sources such as SSL certificate chain data. |
| 5 | A SIEM solution produces more alerts than SOAR and takes more time to respond to the alerts. | SOAR also produces alarms or alerts but these alerts are resolved in very little time and therefore it can handle the alerts quickly and efficiently than SIEM solutions. |
| 6 | SIEM aggregates security data from many sources where SIEM system ingests different types of event data and logs from various component sources. | SOAR also aggregates security data from many different sources which take all the data which can ingest data from endpoint security software such as external or third-party sources. |
| 7 | SIEM detects the security incidents and triggers alerts and which provide a wide spectrum of capabilities that cannot create a unified process and technologies. | SOAR takes such alerts from SIEM to the next level and responds to such alerts more efficiently and quickly, and takes remediation steps where necessary. |
| 8 | SIEM is one of the oldest tools in the cyber security sector when compared to SOAR and therefore combines all the security data but the location and quantity of information. | SOAR is the latest security tool than SIEM where also gathers security data on different locations and different security data quantities. |
Conclusion
In this article, we conclude that it is very difficult to say which tool is better, and also it’s quite difficult to understand the key differences between SOAR and SIEM. Although SOAR and SIEM have several components in common it is necessary for the industries of cybersecurity or any security team member to understand the difference between each as there is no possibility of using these two interchangeably as they are different.
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