Blumira this week announced the availability of a free cloud-based SIEM for Microsoft 365. The company also released three new paid versions: Microsoft 365, Cloud, and Advanced.
Matthew Warner, co-founder and CTO at Blumira, said the company decided to offer a free SIEM tool for Microsoft 365 because some 85% of companies that use Microsoft 365 are small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Warner added that in the last few years, SMBs have moved away from on-premises Exchange and toward cloud environments such as Microsoft 365.
The cybersecurity industry tends to ignore SMBs, said Warner, and instead focuses on enterprises in the hopes that larger companies will offer more profitability.
“But we also know that organizations of any size can be a target for attacks like ransomware,” Warner said. “This leaves SMBs in a tough spot: vulnerable to cyberattacks, but without the resources to protect themselves. To get started, the free edition helps SMBs detect and respond to Microsoft 365 threats. They can upgrade to paid editions to access Blumira's 24/7 SecOps team for guided support for critical priority issues, longer data retention, advanced reporting and detection rule management capabilities to customize rules for their organizations' needs.”
For SMB owners who want some of the added features and consultation services, here’s how Blumira breaks down its new product offerings:
- Microsoft 365: Thirty days of data retention; custom, scheduled reports sent out periodically.
- Cloud: Expanded cloud coverage for Microsoft 365, Duo Security and SentinelOne; one-year of data retention to meet compliance and cybersecurity regulations.
- Advanced: Security consultations with a technical account manager; full coverage for cloud and on-premises environments, including Windows and firewalls; honeypots to detect lateral movement, active threats and curious insiders insider the network; automated response to block threats immediately
Michelle Abraham, a research director in IDC’s security and trust group, pointed out that a free SIEM may help small organizations bring traditionally expensive SIEMs within reach, though its limits may curb its effectiveness.
“Any organization wanting insights into environments beyond Microsoft 365 or needing to keep data for more than a week will need to upgrade to a paid version,” Abraham said.
