Log management is the process of storing and analyzing log files in a computer system to have access to important data. Logs or log files are records that any computer system generates based on processes that have run. An operating system, for example, keeps its own log, and DNS servers keep logs of DNS server activity and requests.
Log management has multiple steps, but a few of the main ones include:
Collecting logs the management process begins with extracting data from logs and filtering the most important information. Alternatively, you could collect all the information from the log, but that would make the process very slow and expensive because that’s so much data.
Storing logs businesses are required to keep logs for varying periods of time, but that can be anywhere from a few months to seven years, depending on the industry’s requirements. Audit records are particularly important for businesses to store. HIPAA, for example, requires healthcare organizations to keep logs for six years.
Analyzing logs measuring and studying trends in different system processes can be very helpful in monitoring traffic and behavior. Studying logs is an important part of data analytics.
Log management solutions
Log management tools analyze traffic in computer systems and detect patterns and trends based on activity. They are especially helpful with security issues and hacks because they spot problems within the code. They can also monitor a website‘s traffic depending on the site’s settings. Some log management tools may allow users to customize alerts so that they’re notified quickly if an inconsistency or issue arises in the file.
A few log management providers include:
- SolarWinds
- Sumo Logic
- Papertrail
- Loggly
- Splunk
- Graylog
