As businesses head toward digitalization, the nature of security risks changes. Digitalization introduces a lot of new avenues, yet comes with certain risks which can be technologically difficult to handle.
Information leaks are highly likely, and when such an event occurs, you need to gather the relevant information as fast as possible. Thus, log management cannot be approached casually. You need to retain as much data as you can with audit logs, from all important systems.
What are audit and log management?
Citing the problem above, audit and log management becomes an important aspect of running a business that has substantial digitalization. An audit log helps understand the core problem by keeping a record of all events and tasks which took place before the problem occurred.
Once you are able to track the movement of the software and entries, you will be able to find anomalies that may have caused the security issue.
It is similar to a black box in an airplane – the recording of the pilots’ conversations and inflight actions can help understand the root cause, in case of a mishap. Therefore, this system of management can be deemed extremely important.
How does it help?
If you’re still wondering why you should keep an accessible and competent audit log management system, read on:
- Detect Security Issues: Audit and log management require that all users and employees are following the given guidelines and protocols correctly. This means that the data is monitored constantly by the companies, and any breach in security can be patched almost instantly through the audit log records.
- Assess Damage: Audit and log management keeps a record of every event that has occurred before a security issue has occurred. This helps the businesses and companies reconstruct all the steps which have led to the damage in question, and understand the extent to which the harm has been done.
- Recovery processes: Once the monitoring of events through audit and log management is done, the company can then understand what changes need to be made so that a similar incident is avoided in the future. Apart from helping the business understand the shortcomings of their digital security protocols, audit and log management helps them rectify and prepare for other such incidents in the future.
How long should audit logs be kept?
Audit logs should be kept for a minimum of one year. Some companies and businesses follow regulations in which the audit logs are to be kept for a specified period of time.
If the regulations are not applicable in a certain business, then the audit logs should be kept for at least one year, in case a mishap occurs and requires a thorough investigation.
How often should audit logs be reviewed?
Even if you have an audit and log management system, simply keeping it will not suffice. You need to have a look at your business’ audit log management system periodically.
Although there is no regulation-based checking of the audit logs, it is recommended to check the audit logs after every three months, to ensure that they are keeping proper tabs of the events in the business.
Top Three Benefits of Audit Log for Businesses
Businesses are heading towards digitalization in 2021, and need to be monitored when it comes to their utilization of technology. Audit logs help in this process in the following ways:
- Legal requirements: In certain situations, the business may need to have audit logs as mandated by law. When there is a question of tampering with a client, person, or entity’s credentials, audit logs can help verify said tampering or prove otherwise.
- Data integrity: Businesses run on data in today’s world. If a security breach occurs, then the audit logs help monitor each and every step taken until the problem took place. They can help the business understand if their data has been breached and no unauthorized access has been given to certain individuals.
- Forensic analysis: This is a highly important reason to keep an audit log for your business. If a problem occurs, then there is no need to go through an analysis that deviates from the problem itself. Event logs need to be accessed without the need to check for individual inquiries. This helps to look at the problem from an unbiased perspective and deal with the issue pragmatically.
scalong, with a whopping 14 years of technical expertise and business experience, offers the Audit & Log management solutions that are cloud based and takes your process to a newer level of security, accessibility and reliability. Connect with us TODAY at info@scalong.com
