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Harsh Bhardiya - PeerSpot reviewer
SOC Engineer at Just Dial Limited
Real User
Top 20
Provides complete visibility, analyzes malicious activities, and improves detection times
Pros and Cons
  • "Splunk Enterprise Security offers valuable features like seamless integration and a SQL-standard Structured Query Language for easy searching."
  • "Splunk's implementation process for managing multiple indexes can be complex, especially when dealing with a large number of components."

What is our primary use case?

We use Splunk Enterprise Security to secure our client's network and provide clear visibility.

Our client lacked an SIEM solution to comply with regulations, so we recommended Splunk Enterprise Security, and they agreed to implement it.

How has it helped my organization?

Splunk Enterprise Security provides complete visibility into the environment. We can add any data to the indexer, and it will begin to be displayed. All we need to do is create use cases tailored to the client's needs.

Splunk's threat intelligence management capabilities are strong, thanks to its user-friendly interface and ability to correlate data from various sources. While it competes favorably with other SIEM tools, its effectiveness ultimately depends on how it's configured.

The actionable intelligence from Splunk's threat intelligence management feature helps us understand what's happening in our environment, enabling further investigation.

We updated the IOCs within the MITRE ATT&CK framework indexing for Splunk. This allows us to compare all received alerts against the MITRE ATT&CK categories. By using the MITRE ATT&CK framework, I can identify the potential type of threat, its mitigation strategies, and the overall attack behavior. Furthermore, I can use the framework to investigate the affected hosts, their origin, and the attack vector.

Splunk Enterprise Security does a good job analyzing malicious activities and detecting breaches.

Splunk Enterprise Security has improved our detection time.

Splunk Enterprise Security has improved our clients' security posture by providing them with better visibility into vulnerabilities, along with proper mitigation strategies and clear explanations. The benefits are apparent within the first month.

Splunk Enterprise Security helped us reduce our alert volume. Initially, the high number of alerts was overwhelming because we were in a new environment, but the volume gradually leveled off and decreased by 50 percent.

Splunk Enterprise Security has accelerated our security investigations by 30 percent. It integrates seamlessly with our EDR solution, providing a single pane of glass view for all security logs.

What is most valuable?

Splunk Enterprise Security offers valuable features like seamless integration and a SQL-standard Structured Query Language for easy searching. Additionally, implementing devices is straightforward, similar to a plug-and-play process.

What needs improvement?

Splunk's insider threat detection capabilities have limitations. While it offers customization, pre-configured rules for common threats are scarce. This means we need to create our own rules, which can be effective if we have the expertise and understand our specific needs. However, behavior analytics seem less useful and have room for improvement.

Splunk's implementation process for managing multiple indexes can be complex, especially when dealing with a large number of components.

Splunk could benefit from a feature that allows users to indicate they are working on an alert or incident. This would prevent other users from wasting time investigating the same issue. Ideally, this wouldn't involve a formal assignment, but rather a temporary indication that someone is currently looking into it.

Buyer's Guide
Splunk Enterprise Security
April 2025
Learn what your peers think about Splunk Enterprise Security. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2025.
851,823 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Splunk Enterprise Security for 9 months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Splunk Enterprise Security is reliable and the stability is a ten out of ten.

Splunk Enterprise Security offers good resilience. Even for unsupported tools, simple integrations can be customized. Splunk is constantly improving.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rate the scalability of Splunk Enterprise Security ten out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support team is excellent. They proactively identify and inform clients about any vulnerabilities or security gaps in their environment.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial deployment of Splunk Enterprise Security was fairly straightforward. While the documentation is comprehensive, fully deploying the solution can be time-consuming. The timeframe can vary depending on your environment's complexity. For instance, a company with 1500 to 2000 employees and a large number of systems and servers might require a month for complete deployment.

I collect the client's requirements and then open a support ticket with Splunk. The ticket will address configuration assistance and, if the deployment is in the cloud, will inquire about the client's storage needs. After I submit the ticket, Splunk will communicate directly with the client.

The deployment involves several teams, and I lead the oversight of both the deployment itself and the analytics function, ensuring a seamless process.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

While some clients find the cost of Splunk Enterprise Security to be on the higher end, its pricing is comparable to other SIEM solutions. Ultimately, the value it delivers justifies the investment.

Don't simply choose the cheapest SIEM solution. Consider your organization's specific needs and environment. Even if you prioritize affordability right now, I can offer more powerful tools. However, the best solution isn't just about price. It depends entirely on your environment. Therefore, you need to establish a budget based on your specific requirements. Ultimately, the ideal SIEM solution aligns with your organization's needs.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Splunk Enterprise Security 8 out of 10.

Splunk Enterprise Security requires maintenance for new onboarding, log management, and archiving. A maximum of two people are required for the maintenance.

Splunk Enterprise Security is a robust security solution that's easy to manage after initial configuration.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: integrator
PeerSpot user
Abdur Rashid - PeerSpot reviewer
SOC Analyst at nust
Real User
Top 20
Helps monitor multi-cloud environments, detect threats faster, and reduce alert volume
Pros and Cons
  • "Splunk Enterprise Security's value lies in its ability to collect and analyze security logs, providing insightful dashboards."
  • "Splunk's high cost, despite its recognition in our region, prevents many organizations from adopting Splunk Enterprise Security, suggesting there's room for improvement in their pricing strategy."

What is our primary use case?

We use Splunk Enterprise Security as our SIEM solution.

The log sources are in multiple cloud environments, but the deployment of Splunk is on-premises.

How has it helped my organization?

Monitoring our AWS and Azure cloud environments with Splunk Enterprise Security is easy.

The visibility into multiple cloud environments is good. We have complete visibility because we integrate all our logs and sources into Splunk.

Splunk Enterprise Security's insider threat detection capabilities module runs on the backend and provides complete visibility into anomalous behavior and zero-day attacks.

The threat intelligence management feature is a necessary tool in our environment. The actionable intelligence provided by the threat intelligence management feature is helpful. We can see the IoC to help with our investigation.

Splunk Enterprise Security does a good job analyzing malicious activities and detecting breaches.

Splunk Enterprise Security helps us detect threats faster.

Splunk Enterprise Security helps reduce our alert volume by whitelisting the false positives.

Splunk Enterprise Security has helped speed up our security investigations. Splunk uses user-friendly language and visibility to speed up our investigation times.

Splunk offers significant time savings for analysts compared to tools like Azure Sentinel, with analysts resolving alerts 30-40 percent faster. Additionally, Splunk's user-friendly dashboards simplify administration.  

What is most valuable?

Splunk Enterprise Security's value lies in its ability to collect and analyze security logs, providing insightful dashboards.

What needs improvement?

Splunk's high cost, despite its recognition in our region, prevents many organizations from adopting Splunk Enterprise Security, suggesting there's room for improvement in their pricing strategy. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Splunk Enterprise Security for six months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Splunk Enterprise Security is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Splunk Enterprise Security is designed for easy scaling.

Our organization is expanding our clusters day by day.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is collaborative. We do receive a response within the appropriate time.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

While I have experience with Azure Sentinel and other SIEM tools, Splunk stands out for me. It provides a full SIEM experience with informative dashboards, clear language for easy analysis, comprehensive visibility across my systems, and a robust CIM for data organization.

How was the initial setup?

The initial deployment was technical but not overly complex. We faced difficulties with the log process going down and not getting the results in the client console. The overall deployment took around three hours to complete.

Three people were involved in the deployment. 

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was completed in-house.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Splunk differs from other SIEM solutions by using a gigabyte-based pricing model, rather than the agent-based licenses common with its competitors.

While Splunk Enterprise Security carries a higher cost and requires budgeting, cheaper SIEM, and open-source alternatives often have limitations. This makes the decision a matter of weighing the cost against the features most important to each organization's security needs.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Splunk Enterprise Security nine out of ten.

On paper, Splunk Enterprise Security is the top solution for detecting security threats in any organization, but Splunk Enterprise Security is expensive and most organizations don't have a proper budget to implement a SIEM solution. So they look for a more reasonable cost-effective solution. This is a hurdle for implementing Splunk Enterprise Security. It was originally designed for data science and modified for security. It is a top tool for SIEM and data analytics.

Splunk Enterprise Security stands out for its threat detection capabilities, but its cost can be a barrier for many organizations. Originally designed for data science, it excels in both security and analytics, but its price tag often pushes businesses towards more budget-friendly SIEM solutions.

Splunk Enterprise Security offers good resilience for our customers.

For organizations that don't have the budget for Splunk Enterprise Security, I would recommend Azure Sentinel.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Splunk Enterprise Security
April 2025
Learn what your peers think about Splunk Enterprise Security. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2025.
851,823 professionals have used our research since 2012.
CSO at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 5
Has enhanced our organization by offering increased visibility and provides quick search results
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features include agility and Splunk Enterprise Security's ability to quickly search for alerted items, as well as the capacity to create custom alerts using the SQL language employed by Splunk."
  • "Splunk could enhance its services by providing more comprehensive professional assistance aimed at optimizing our investment."

What is our primary use case?

We use Splunk Enterprise Security as the main SIEM system for our operation center. We use it for monitoring detection, and alert management.

We implemented Splunk Enterprise Security to help detect attacks on our network.

How has it helped my organization?

Splunk Enterprise Security is highly flexible, allowing us to create whatever we desire. This exemplifies its inherent power. The visibility it offers is notably robust. We can craft it to our needs and even utilize various frameworks within Splunk, prepackaged for security purposes. We possess distinct applications hosting diverse dashboards, catering to numerous security products, including those from different vendors.

The effectiveness of Splunk Enterprise Security insider threat detection capabilities, aimed at identifying unfamiliar threats, relies on whether we establish alerts based on the rules we formulate. If we construct rules incorporating user behavior criteria, the system functions optimally. It appears that there is an Extended User and Entity Behavior Analytics add-on available, which requires a separate license in addition to the enterprise security license. This add-on utilizes machine learning and encompasses multiple developed use cases. While it has limitations, it effectively serves the specific use cases it is designed for.

The threat intelligence framework within Splunk is also highly potent. We can ingest, link, and integrate external data feeds. Concerning IOCs, there are numerous pre-configured alerts within the system that rely on a feed of undesirable IPs. If one of these IPs triggers any of the alerts, such as those generated by our firewall's traffic logs, and the IP matches the bad IPs in the threat intelligence feed, the system correlates this information. If the flagged IP is detected within our network or appears in our firewall logs, an automatic alert is generated. We simply need to ingest the external feed. Subsequently, if the system identifies the IP anywhere, we will receive corresponding alerts.

I appreciate the new MITRE ATT&CK feature. I believe it's a valuable addition and reasonably priced. It seems the feature has been largely developed through marketing efforts, utilizing the capabilities of Splunk to display the MITRE ATT&CK map and the associated rules. This is important since MITRE ATT&CK encompasses over a hundred techniques. It presents the information to us based on the MITRE ATT&CK framework to illustrate ongoing activities. However, achieving a comprehensive understanding of each technique within the MITRE ATT&CK framework requires significant effort and adjustments.

Splunk Enterprise Security has enhanced our organization by offering increased visibility. If any adverse incidents occur, we are promptly informed. Even without configuring the custom rules, Splunk provides effective out-of-the-box rules that help prevent attacks. Consequently, it effectively halts these attacks. In fact, we have been able to detect and thwart potential attacks in their initial stages. This exemplifies the benefits it provides us.

Splunk Enterprise Security has helped to speed up our security investigations. We are now able to complete our investigations within three or four days. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features include agility and Splunk Enterprise Security's ability to quickly search for alerted items, as well as the capacity to create custom alerts using the SQL language employed by Splunk. This makes it a highly potent and versatile solution tailored to both user and company needs.

What needs improvement?

Splunk could enhance its services by providing more comprehensive professional assistance aimed at optimizing our investment. This aspect seems lacking as our expenses increase with higher data connectivity, seemingly without much consideration, as this translates to increased revenue for them. The challenge lies in the fact that we don't always require all the amassed data. Oftentimes, clients are uncertain about their actual data needs. Therefore, if Splunk integrated a service dedicated to system optimization and pricing, focusing on essential monitoring data while eliminating less crucial elements, it could potentially lead to cost savings for the customers. This strategic move would demonstrate their commitment to customers beyond just financial gain. It would highlight their genuine intention to provide support, streamline operations, and maximize the potential of this technology for individuals and their respective companies.

Splunk provides automation for large-scale environments where numerous servers are present. Consequently, efficient management of these servers becomes imperative. Currently, our management server operates using a top-down approach. This involves establishing connections from the main management server to every individual leaf and subsequently, to each lower-level server.

However, this architecture lacks inherent security measures. In the current setup, Splunk employs multiple collectors to gather data. Subsequently, this data is relayed upward, filtered, and then once again transmitted to the main management server. Notably, data traffic consistently flows from external sources toward the central management hub. This design enhances security, as even if a hacker were to compromise or gain control of the management server, their influence would be limited. The data originates externally and travels inwards, preventing unauthorized access to the entire system. 

In contrast, the proposed approach for managing extensive infrastructures situates the management hub at the core. This central position allows us to establish connections from the hub to the various peripheral components, even if they are located on a secure network. However, this configuration carries significant risks. A security breach at the central hub could potentially grant an attacker elevated permissions. This would enable them to compromise the entire network by gaining access to all Splunk nodes within the company. This architecture is vulnerable and has room for improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Splunk Enterprise Security for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate Splunk Enterprise Security's stability a seven out of ten. This is because the system lacks built-in protection against certain issues. It alerts us when there are problems in the system, which we then need to address. However, these issues are not always easily fixable, setting it apart from other systems. For instance, sometimes the system slows down while we're working. This can occur when a new alert is implemented, leading to high resource usage and system instability. We are then required to identify and rectify the specific cause of this problem. This might involve disabling or adjusting the alert to ensure it doesn't negatively impact the system's performance.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Splunk Enterprise Security's ability to scale is good. I rate the scalability an eight out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously, I used QRadar, McAfee, and ArcSight. However, Splunk Enterprise Security is a more modern solution. While ArcSight from HP is powerful, it is an older system with limited flexibility and complex architecture. Many companies implemented SIEM systems before Splunk became available. It seems that most large companies might still be using ArcSight, but other competitors have entered the market since then.

McAfee attempted to develop a similar system, but it lacked scalability and was better suited for small businesses rather than larger enterprises. QRadar, on the other hand, remains robust, but it lacks Splunk's flexibility. One of Splunk's notable advantages is its ability to generate alerts and then allow users to enter searches and queries to investigate network activities and log data. This process, known as threat hunting, enables users to conduct specific searches, such as identifying individuals who accessed a particular system and the internet between four and five o'clock on a Friday. Splunk promptly provides the desired results, typically within a few minutes, making it a strong choice for this purpose. Additionally, Splunk Enterprise Security features a highly effective filtering mechanism.

How was the initial setup?

I participated in the planning and implementation of Splunk Enterprise Security, as well as the creation of all rulesets and alerts. I am also configuring it to align with our technical framework.

Individuals who market Splunk Enterprise Security often claim that it can be deployed within half a day, which is quite amusing. While it is conceivable to perform the installation in that timeframe, the real complexity arises when we must establish connections with numerous systems. This involves accessing each system external to our main setup, configuring it, and directing the system to send its logs to Splunk. On the Splunk side, we encounter the need to create parsing mechanisms that allow proper data reading. This entails installing applications capable of correctly parsing the data, and addressing issues where parsing is inadequate. We then proceed to work with the data. Although Splunk provides some pre-configured rules, we also need to develop our own rules to identify specific events and potential attacks. The process of rule creation demands a substantial investment in writing rule sets. Additionally, integrating a threat intelligence framework becomes essential. We aspire to leverage the micro-framework we have established. Splunk Enterprise Security undeniably possesses considerable capabilities. Nevertheless, it necessitates continuous effort to unlock its full potential and achieve ongoing enhancements.

The solution's complete implementation may require up to one year. Throughout most of the deployment, we had a team of two members, occasionally expanding to three.

What about the implementation team?

For the implementation, we used two integrators and Splunk Professional Services.

What was our ROI?

Considering the fact that Splunk Enterprise Security aids in thwarting attackers from gaining access to our environment, I would correlate this with a return on investment.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Splunk Enterprise Security's pricing is high. Larger companies may afford it, but I believe that in the current market situation, where everyone is facing challenges, financial resources are tight. Even stock market tech companies are embracing cost-saving measures. Expenses are now more constrained compared to a few years ago when companies had greater spending capacity. Companies are reluctant to make hefty payments. While Splunk is cheaper than Microsoft Sentinel, QRadar is priced at half the cost of Splunk.

Splunk Enterprise Security's licensing is typically determined by the data throughput we handle. Additionally, they offer an alternative pricing model which involves payment based on CPU usage. This newer model was introduced as a response to Elastic Security. However, Splunk enforces licensing in either scenario. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Splunk Enterprise Security a nine out of ten.

We do not monitor the cloud environments with Splunk. While we have several cloud environments, we avoid using Splunk for this purpose due to its high cost. To utilize Splunk, it would be necessary to place the Splunk engine in the cloud and gather all the logs from various cloud sources, resulting in substantial expenses due to the large volume of logs. As a result, our primary usage of Splunk is on-premise. Instead, we employ different systems to monitor the cloud, generating alerts through various security mechanisms. These alerts are then processed in Splunk, reducing both data traffic and costs.

Splunk Enterprise Security's capabilities to analyze malicious activities and detect breaches are similar to those of other systems. Its effectiveness depends on the rules we develop within it. To truly maximize its value and tailor it to the organization's needs, a significant amount of additional work and utilization of professional services are required.

The reduction of the alert volume presents a challenge due to the X number of personnel in the security alert center. They can effectively handle only Y alerts per day without experiencing fatigue. When the volume surpasses this limit, they tend to merely open and close alerts without thorough investigation. It's as if they've become weary of the process. Therefore, we must determine the optimal number of alerts per day and adjust the rules accordingly. The primary objective is to achieve a statistically reasonable number of alerts per day. This number should be somewhat higher than the current rate, but not three times greater, as exceeding this threshold would render their efforts ineffective. Conversely, if the number of alerts is too high, the personnel's capacity to take action is undermined, resulting in a lack of meaningful outcomes. Striking a balanced middle ground is imperative. This approach enables us to effectively identify and address crucial matters while ensuring our personnel can thoroughly investigate each alert.

Depending on the goals an organization aims to achieve, if their sole focus is on finding the most economical solution and they do not prioritize comprehensiveness, then QRadar would suffice. However, if they seek instant access to answers, I would recommend Splunk Enterprise Security.

Splunk Enterprise Security is deployed across our entire network.

Maintenance is necessary for the system, and updates are needed periodically. Whenever we acquire a new system, we must connect it to Splunk.

Resilience constitutes a crucial component of Splunk Enterprise Security, contributing significantly to the safeguarding of our system.

I recommend Splunk Enterprise Security for organizations that have the budget, time, and skill to properly utilize the solution. I do recommend paying for Splunk Professional Services.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
JOEL MUNDOH - PeerSpot reviewer
Splunk Administrator / Architect at MetLife
Real User
Top 5
Good visibility, helpful integrations, and very good documentation
Pros and Cons
  • "The security part is useful as it helps secure the entire environment."
  • "The user experience could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

My role is to design and implement and manage a strong environment. I need to ensure the available insights can be extracted efficiently and I use the solution for that. I also configure the Splunk custom dashboard and optimize searches to meet specific business needs. We also do a lot of troubleshooting and upgrading.

What is most valuable?

The security part is useful as it helps secure the entire environment. I designed the security aspect of it for a lot of applications in my company. It's the security thread within the application that we build. I'm able to use Splunk to secure the applications. 

We use the solution to monitor multiple cloud environments. We can monitor even on Amazon products. It's a good source for monitoring all types of applications. 

I can manage and correlate different kinds of searches within my environment. It's good for performance monitoring as well. I can do auditing and reporting through Enterprise Security.

The solution gives us visibility into multiple types of environments. There's a good level of cost optimization as well. It's good for end detection and prevention. I can identify anomalies and get a data view of fraudulent activities. You can uncover the source type and the IP address from where things originate.

Splunk gives us the capability to handle insider threat detection. I'm able to create my own dashboard that will visualize the information. It does depend on how you handle the configuration and permissions. 

We do use the MITRE ATT&CK framework. It helps us discover the scope of the incidents. It helps us to target incidents immediately. We're able to quickly resolve it and stop it. We get data visibility to see what's coming in, which helps us act fast. 

We can work with data from any source as long as you configure it correctly.

The solution has helped us to reduce our alert volume. You can tune your alert thresholds. You can also create rules to define your alerts. It gives you the capacity to optimize queries as well. 

What needs improvement?

They didn't use to be able to integrate with Cisco. However, this has changed now. 

Some minor features could be added. However, I need to do more research. 

The user experience could be improved. It could be more intuitive.

There should be a way to do bulk visualization reporting. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Splunk for 7 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We haven't had any downtime. The only issues come up is if there is an extension of limits. If you extend beyond your license, you may get downtime. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. It's easy to manage. 

How are customer service and support?

We have contacted technical support for troubleshooting. No solution or machine is perfect. We had an issue where a new hire misconfigured some servers and they were able to offer us support. They are helpful, however, they do need to be faster in response. They do provide a to of documentation that can be helpful. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I'm also familiar with CloudWorks. However, Enterprise Security has more features and can provide more insights. 

I'm familiar with Dynatrace.

How was the initial setup?

Splunk was already in place when I arrived. I simply tried to implement different strategies in multiple environments. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Splunk is pay-as-you-go. The pricing depends on your use case. You only really pay for the amount of data you are dealing with. 

What other advice do I have?

I'm a Splunk customer. 

People shouldn't necessarily look for the cheapest pricing. You need to look at what will optimize costs and the time it takes to secure the data. The most important thing, before cost, is being able to successfully secure your data. You should choose your solution based on your use case as well. 

I'd rate the solution 8 out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Principal Cyber Security Engineer at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Provides users with insights and the ability to send alerts to analysts
Pros and Cons
  • "The benefits my company has seen from the use of Splunk Enterprise Security revolve around the speed of detection it offers."
  • "I think the only thing lacking is that there are some answers that I couldn't find about the tool without reaching out to support, and it had to be escalated to the engineering team."

What is our primary use case?

I mostly use the solution in my company for incident response, ticket management, and integration with other endpoint products.

How has it helped my organization?

The benefits my company has seen from the use of Splunk Enterprise Security revolve around the speed of detection it offers.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of the solution is the correlation searches. The one-stop shop shows me all my insights, and alerts, and can send alerts to my analysts.

I would say it is fairly important for my organization that Splunk Enterprise Security provides end-to-end visibility in our environment. At the same time, my company has other products that cover the observability piece. From a security perspective, we use data outside of our security data to piece together the whole picture. I think our company's perspective is that no matter how we get the whole picture, we will do it, even if it is from outside Splunk Enterprise Security. I think Splunk Enterprise Security plays a major role in this.

In terms of Splunk Enterprise Security for helping our company find any security event across multi-cloud, on-premises, or hybrid environments, I would say that it is great once you get past the learning curve. The learning curve is higher than normal.

I think Splunk Enterprise Security has helped improve our organization's ability to ingest and normalize data in a great manner. Splunk is a great product and provides these features, but not so much when it comes to identifying and solving problems in real-time because there are always data delays. There is always onboarding, mapping, creation of correlation search, and then enabling Splunk ESCU part. It works in a general sense and not on a real-time basis.

In terms of whether Splunk Enterprise Security has helped reduce alert volume, I would say that it is the only active SIEM tool my company is currently utilizing. Reducing alert volumes involves tuning up certain areas of the engineering team. If I look at the product alone, I would say it can help reduce alert volume. If I consider the learning curve, I would say that you have to learn how to tune it the right way with the help of professional services or experts. You need to utilize your resources, which I think is the best way to do it.

Splunk Enterprise Security provides our company with relevant context to help guide our investigations since the correlation searches with the enriched data do help gain insights on all of our investigations. At the current point, we are still trying to get past the tool's learning curve so that all of our analysts and everyone on the security team can utilize the tool the best way they can. The more they learn, the better it gets, so currently, we are doing our best.

Splunk Enterprise Security helped reduce the meantime needed to resolve our issues because we have all our data in a centralized location and mapped to a data model. As long as we know what detection and data we are looking at, we can go to our data model and figure out where the issue lies.

Splunk Enterprise Security's ability to help improve our organization's business resilience revolves more around observability. Our company recently migrated to Splunk Cloud, and I think we have more hands-on experience with the ingestion side than ever before. I think it is a lot easier for us since we moved to Splunk Cloud as we don't have to focus on maintaining the infrastructure so much, and we can focus more on the data. I think this is outside of Splunk Enterprise Security's scope and falls under Splunk Cloud's capacity.

Speaking about Splunk's unified platform helping consolidate networking, security, and IT observability tools, I would say that my company is not there yet.

What needs improvement?

In the next release, I want Splunk to offer more openness to integrations with other products that may be more of a preference for my incident response teams.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Splunk Enterprise Security for five years. I am an end-user.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

In terms of stability, if configured correctly, it works great.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

With Splunk Cloud, I think using the tool's scalability feature is easy since one can just call the product's support team.

How are customer service and support?

The solution's technical support is great since they have been very responsive and very attentive while answering all my questions. If the support team can't answer my questions, they escalate it to their engineering team. 

I have had nothing but good things to say about Splunk's technical team. There have been times when I had to rephrase my questions or when there were communication issues, but the time to respond, escalation, and the attempts in trying to find help and answers from the support team's end have always been great. 

I think the only thing lacking is that there are some answers that I couldn't find about the tool without reaching out to support, and it had to be escalated to the engineering team. If this process is the only way I can find answers, I think it is a little bit limiting for an engineer who supports a real-time incident response team. I rate the technical support a nine and a half out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have personally not used any other product before Splunk Enterprise Security.

How was the initial setup?

The product's deployment phase was pretty easy to manage since our company has a migration team and support staff. We also had a really good project manager from Splunk to help us, who walked us through every step, and it was a great experience.

The solution is deployed on Splunk Cloud, which runs on AWS.

What about the implementation team?

My company works with Splunk directly to help us with the implementation, and our experience with the product has been great.

What was our ROI?

I have not seen an ROI.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing model is great. You can choose between workloads or volume. I am not part of the conversation about pricing in my organization. I just know what I know about the tool from learning about Splunk.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the tool a ten out of ten.

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: End user
PeerSpot user
Girish R B - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Engineer at Softtek
Real User
Top 20
Has been instrumental in improving our incident response time, especially for user authentication issues
Pros and Cons
  • "Splunk stands out for its extensive application integrations."
  • "The user interface is not user-friendly for non-technical users."

What is our primary use case?

Splunk Enterprise Security offers a wide range of capabilities that benefit our organization. This includes user behavior analytics, which helps us identify suspicious activity. Additionally, Splunk Enterprise Security allows us to create custom alerts for various internal security needs.

How has it helped my organization?

Splunk has been instrumental in improving our incident response time, especially for user authentication issues. It excels at detecting anomalous behavior, such as brute force attacks or multiple login attempts from a single source. This allows us to quickly identify and address potential security threats, making Splunk a vital tool for our cybersecurity incident response efforts.

The asset and identity management feature strengthens our overall security posture. This system relies on the creation of security roles by administrators. These roles then determine access permissions based on the principle of Role-Based Access Control. In this way, access is carefully controlled and assigned based on specific job duties. It's important to note that administrators retain a high level of access and make final decisions regarding access permissions.

Splunk offers a variety of dashboards, including real-time dashboards that update continuously. These dashboards complement Splunk's real-time alerts by providing a visual overview of our system's health. They can be built to leverage different Splunk resources, like indexes, search clusters, and host clusters. This allows us to monitor key metrics and identify potential issues in real-time, helping us maintain a healthy and efficient system.

Our SoC and Analytics teams use Splunk to monitor multiple cloud environments.

The visibility into multiple environments is good.

The insider threat detection is valuable for our organization because it helps us identify unknown threats. While we leverage existing threat intelligence for known threats through signatures and endpoint protection tools, these methods have limitations. Since they rely on predefined information, they can't be readily integrated with Splunk to monitor for and generate alerts based on these known threats. Splunk's strength lies in its ability to detect anomalies and suspicious user behavior, which can be crucial for uncovering insider threats that might bypass traditional signature-based defenses.

Splunk Enterprise Security excels at analyzing malicious activity. Our team has created several use cases to identify such activity. These use cases focus on data patterns that might indicate malicious intent, such as a sudden increase in login attempts or logins occurring outside of regular business hours. Additionally, we can identify brute force attacks attempting to crack passwords through repeated login attempts. This allows us to effectively monitor for and respond to potential security threats.

It has improved our detection ability and has helped reduce our alert volume to a manageable level.

Splunk has helped speed up our security investigation.

What is most valuable?

Splunk stands out for its extensive application integrations. It boasts a user-friendly interface with intuitive features that are easy to understand and navigate for technical users. This accessibility is a major reason why I find Splunk so appealing.

What needs improvement?

The user interface is not user-friendly for non-technical users. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Splunk Enterprise Security for three and a half years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Splunk Enterprise Security is extremely stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Splunk Enterprise Security is easily scalable.

How are customer service and support?

We have only had minimal contact with Splunk technical support.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial deployment is straightforward.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Splunk Enterprise Security is affordable.

While affordability is important, I recommend Splunk Enterprise Security over the cheapest option on the market. This is because Splunk offers a robust feature set that justifies its cost.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Splunk Enterprise Security nine out of ten.

We have Splunk Enterprise Security deployed across multiple locations.

Splunk Enterprise Security requires minimal maintenance.

I recommend Splunk Enterprise Security as a scalable and reliable solution for both on-premises and cloud environments. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Nagendra Nekkala. - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Manager ICT & at Bangalore International Airport Limited
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Helps increase our security posture, saves time, and improves visibility
Pros and Cons
  • "The ability to manage large amounts of generated data and to protect all devices from unauthorized use are the most valuable features."
  • "The threat detection library needs to increase the frequency at which the playbooks are updated."

What is our primary use case?

We use Splunk Enterprise Security to enhance our overall security posture by proactively managing our threat profile across the enterprise. This enables us to see valuable insights and effectively monitor all OEM devices.

How has it helped my organization?

It is easy to monitor multiple cloud environments using Splunk Enterprise Security. This helps with DLP and security across our SAM solutions.

Although I favor the cloud's convenience for credential management, Splunk Enterprise Security's visibility remains consistent across multiple environments.

Splunk's insider threat detection reveals daily threat events and highlights anomalous behavior on the dashboard.

The threat intelligence management feature continuously monitors activities across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments, and informs stakeholders of any suspicious activity.

Splunk Enterprise Security has endpoint security protection to analyze malicious activities and detect breaches through the analysis of new log content.

Splunk Enterprise Security helps us detect threats two to three hours faster.

Splunk Enterprise Security has helped improve our incident review times, security posture, network protection, and endpoint protection. We saw the benefits within the first month of use.

A decrease in false positives has enhanced our risk analysis, security posture, and the speed of our alert investigations, resulting in daily time savings of four hours. 

Splunk Enterprise Security has saved us two hours per day of investigation time.

What is most valuable?

The ability to manage large amounts of generated data and to protect all devices from unauthorized use are the most valuable features.

What needs improvement?

The threat detection library needs to increase the frequency at which the playbooks are updated. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Splunk Enterprise Security for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Splunk Enterprise Security is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Splunk Enterprise Security is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial deployment was straightforward. We wanted to cover all of our endpoints. Two people were required for the deployment.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was completed in-house.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Splunk Enterprise Security an eight out of ten.

Splunk Enterprise Security is a leader in the market and provides great visibility into an organization's security posture.

We have 100 people that are using Splunk Enterprise Security.

The continuous visibility and SOC requirements of the resilience Splunk offers are a benefit to any SIEM. Resilience is important for organizations that run a hybrid environment.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2309169 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Security Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Customizable, enables us to easily analyze logs, and provides real-time visibility
Pros and Cons
  • "The best part of Splunk Enterprise Security is its customizable settings."
  • "Splunk Enterprise Security has not helped reduce our alert volume."

What is our primary use case?

I utilize Splunk Enterprise Security to create alerts within various use cases, including data onboarding, gap analysis, and business testing. I ensure that the use cases adhere to the defined criteria and address any changes or requirements raised by the client. Additionally, I handle any necessary backend modifications in Splunk by deploying code to appropriate environments, including the production environment.

We implemented Splunk Enterprise Security to capture more effective alerts. We create alerts to utilize advanced filtering capabilities. Additionally, we employ Sentinel as our endpoint security application. I have created all instances of the query as intended and have mapped them to Splunk. However, the corresponding alert is not being generated. These are the areas that require attention.

My expertise lies in Splunk Cloud and Azure. While I have worked with AWS in the past for a short period, my current focus is on GCP and Splunk Cloud. My responsibilities involve troubleshooting, alert verification, and key generation. Based on specific requirements, I employ my self-generated queries to identify the relevant fields, such as email or location. Next, I implement lookup conditions and pinpoint the table containing the desired field type. This process allows me to determine the specific requirement of the use case and define the search parameters accordingly. Finally, I conduct a time-bound search to identify any defects.

I deploy to Splunk Cloud, GCP, and on-premises environments. I have experience working with both platforms. When working on the cloud, we don't have the same level of visibility as we do on-premises. For example, we cannot directly access the fraud department systems. In the cloud, we must make all changes and deployments through the Splunk UI. This is relatively straightforward, as there is no backend to manage. However, it requires a thorough understanding of the configuration files and the data fields we need to modify.

How has it helped my organization?

We manage multiple cloud environments, including Splunk Cloud and GCP. Splunk Enterprise Security dashboards make it easy to monitor these environments seamlessly. We have a single user interface that allows us to log in to our account instantly and check for any issues, such as Data Collection Processor errors. This unified UI also provides access to the back end of both Splunk Cloud and GCP instances, eliminating the need to switch between different platforms. Whether we need to manage Splunk Cloud or GCP settings, we can do so directly from the UI, which is easy.

Splunk offers comprehensive visibility into our IT infrastructure. The only challenge lies in managing multiple user accounts. We need to create separate accounts for the UI, production environment, and staging environment. Additionally, if we have a DCP or a system cloud, we need to create corresponding accounts. Once that is done we can log in and use it.

Regarding Splunk Enterprise Security's insider threat detection capabilities, we receive an alert for every new case creation. If there is a high likelihood of a specific alert occurring, we have a corresponding use case in place to address it. We also receive soft tickets, which are potential alerts that may materialize in the future. These soft tickets are documented in Jira, and we continuously monitor them. By analyzing these alerts, we can identify potential issues. For instance, this morning, we received an alert for a new case with a missing application name. The interaction table contains the destination user account, process ID, process name, OS, and other relevant information, but the application name field is blank. We investigate this particular use case to determine the cause and timing of the alert. Since we are receiving the alert slightly earlier than expected, we consult the ticket for further details and substitute any missing information.

I have utilized the MITRE ATT&CK framework when the use case pertains to a specific data model. To comprehend the data model, we examine the processes involved or the fields that a particular tool utilizes. To achieve this understanding, we align the MITRE ATT&CK framework with the data modules. Subsequently, we extract the field name and field value. When dealing with ranges and incident changes, we must input the corresponding MITRE ATT&CK ID. This involves determining the tech ID and identifying the ID values associated with it.

Using Splunk Enterprise Security to analyze malicious activities and detect breaches is an efficient approach. When testing a use case, it's not necessary to manually enter the application name as it's provided automatically. Since the requirement is for SSO, we need to verify whether it's LDAP, Splunk Cloud, or AWS. Occasionally, irrelevant results may appear during data ingestion. We test for subscription-related issues and analyze the results. This testing process provides insights into the circumstances that trigger specific alerts. Malicious activities will undoubtedly be detected, and all our requirements will be met. Alerts are generated whenever unusual timeframes or activities occur. Various filtering criteria allow us to identify and capture specific user IDs or patterns within events. This capability proves to be highly beneficial.

The speed at which Splunk Enterprise Security detects threats could always be faster but it is designed to detect threats quickly. It uses various techniques, including queries, to identify and analyze potential threats. This allows it to produce faster search results than traditional methods, enabling us to locate the information we need more efficiently. While I cannot provide an exact percentage of how much faster it is, it is undoubtedly significantly faster. It can process thousands of events, ranging from twenty thousand to thirty thousand, in a very short period.

I've gained valuable knowledge from having to troubleshoot various situations. For instance, I've learned that the SIM needs to be flipped to use the new applications. Additionally, I've discovered that the error limit for event results should be increased beyond 10,000 because the source type values have increased significantly. This ensures that alerts are received even when there are large volumes of data. Furthermore, I've learned that some clients have different index limit requirements. Some clients require a seven-day index limit due to licensing restrictions or data ingestion considerations. Those who have the larger license opt for a 15 or 30-day index limit. In these cases, the large amount of data generated can necessitate a 1TB or higher index size limit. These learning experiences have been invaluable in my work, and I'm constantly encountering new scenarios that expand my knowledge base.

Splunk Enterprise Security has helped speed up our security investigations. 

What is most valuable?

The best part of Splunk Enterprise Security is its customizable settings. We can modify the front-end interface, data sources, and various other aspects to suit our specific needs. This flexibility makes it extremely user-friendly and convenient.

Apart from its customizable settings, Splunk Enterprise Security also offers a range of other advantages. It enables us to easily analyze logs, use field queries, and perform other tasks without requiring any extensive training. The search function is intuitive and straightforward, making it accessible to anyone.

The UI-based reporting dashboard is another highlight of Splunk Enterprise Security. It provides real-time visibility into important metrics and allows us to drill down into specific events for in-depth analysis.

What needs improvement?

Splunk Enterprise Security has not helped reduce our alert volume. We need to separate a few of the alerts, and if there is a time based on the priority, we put the time at what time it needs to appear every day or for seven days or more days. If an alert is present or if something is triggering, then it will be detected. However, the number of alerts that can be handled effectively depends on the specific use case. For each result that is affecting the system or for any specific issue, only those particular alerts should be generated. We can define a timer and determine how often checks should be performed. For example, weekly checks may be sufficient in some cases. However, if there are hundreds of alerts generated in a week, it may not be possible to handle them all effectively. Testing must be conducted to filter out unnecessary alerts. Therefore, clear boundaries must be defined in the use case when creating alerts.

The price for Splunk Enterprise Security is high and has room for improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Splunk Enterprise Security for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Splunk Enterprise Security is an extremely stable product.

Splunk is compatible with a wide range of other products and is not constrained by specific configurations. Whether it's a single-sided or multi-sided cluster, whether it's used by a single team or multiple teams across different program locations, Splunk is flexible and adaptable. Data recovery is also a key feature, ensuring that data is never lost. This is one of Splunk's most significant advantages. Multiple indexes are maintained to safeguard data integrity, so even if one index fails, the data remains accessible to all users at all times.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Splunk Enterprise Security is scalable.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Comparing SentinelOne and Splunk, we've found that SentinelOne requires a thorough understanding of our processes, including their business context, process names, and all relevant conditions. In contrast, Splunk is more forgiving, allowing us time to learn and adapt. Additionally, SentinelOne's pricing structure can be more complex compared to Splunk's straightforward approach.

While Splunk offers ease of use, better visibility, and intuitive management, SentinelOne demands more technical expertise to implement and maintain. Splunk, on the other hand, provides granular control over event filtering, enabling us to retrieve detailed information based on specific criteria, such as Linux or Windows events. SentinelOne, however, may not provide the same level of precision, requiring more precise query formulation.

How was the initial setup?

The initial deployment is straightforward. We only require the name and the value, and the process is very quick. We were already using GitHub, GitLab, and GitPass, so integration with Splunk was seamless. Splunk is compatible with all of these applications, which makes it a good fit for our needs. We are also using ServiceNow, and Splunk communicates seamlessly with it to raise tickets. The overall deployment time is minimal. One person can manage the deployment process, and I have completed 18 deployments myself. Each deployment takes one day to finish.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The cost is on the high end, which makes it difficult for some organizations to use. However, the benefits outweigh the cost.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Splunk Enterprise Security eight out of ten. While I have not explored all aspects of Splunk, I have found Splunk Enterprise Security to be a useful and reliable tool in the areas I have used. 

Splunk is deployed in one location. On our team that works on the SIM development team, we have 28 people who use Splunk Enterprise Security.

Splunk Enterprise Security necessitates ongoing maintenance. Tuning tickets are available, so we perform the necessary tuning, and if there is an outdated ticket, we make the required changes. I addressed a ticket from 2018 that required tuning. They requested certain additions, such as authentication or a new index, and maintenance is performed to incorporate these new features.

In multi-cluster environments, maintenance can be performed from different locations simultaneously. This feature is very convenient and allows for flexible maintenance scheduling.

I recommend Splunk Enterprise Security because it is a comprehensive solution for enterprise security. I'm currently working on the SIEM component, but the SIM is also available. Splunk offers various ways to search and configure, making it very easy to use, even without prior knowledge. We can seamlessly integrate Splunk into our existing workflows.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Google
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Splunk Enterprise Security Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Splunk Enterprise Security Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.