HOW BIG DATA AND LOG MANAGEMENT WORK HAND IN HAND

As Stephen Marsland once said, �if data had mass, the earth would be a black hole.�
A vast part of the immense amount of structured and unstructured data that we call
�Big Data� is nothing but machine-originated log data. Logs are generated for a lot
of different purposes � from security to debugging and troubleshooting. They
constitute a gold mine of useful information and actionable insights if properly
stored, managed, and analyzed.

It comes as no surprise that recent surveys show that log management is used by
more than half of the digital companies that have deployed Big Data projects. For
nearly 60% of them, log management is a priority. We hope yours is one of the wiser
companies as well!

LOG MANAGEMENT AS A USE CASE FOR BIG DATA

Logs are a perfect example of large volume, high-velocity data sets where
information comes in a lot of different varieties. If you didn�t guess it already,
we�re talking about the �three Vs� of Big Data here, showing how the logging is one
of the most known use cases for Big Data. When the sheer number and variety of
formats is properly handled through Big Data solutions, log data is suitable to
perform complex security and auditing tasks.

Needless to say, effective log management is the cornerstone of every robust

security strategy. But when large numbers of security events need to be processed
every day (sometimes petabytes), it could take days or weeks before all the data is
compiled to be analyzed with a traditional approach. Logs may come from countless
endpoints on the sensor grid, with different log structures for each type. Then add
machine data captured from the network and Big Data is the only affordable and
scalable approach to handle the three Vs.

Log management provides an instant overview of the overall health of hardware and
software systems by visually monitoring them, and improves business intelligence by
providing real-time information on the efficiency of applications and servers. But
log management and Big Data open a world of opportunities beyond just continual
tuning, especially for business analytics.

For example, many e-commerce sites capture behavioral data to understand their
customers, such as checking where users clicked in their websites, what they
searched for, what products they bought, and what their shopping experience looked
like. That�s a useful source of downstream information, indeed, but now let�s
imagine if all that data is captured, aggregated and analyzed in real-time. Log
data aggregating, parsing, and processing tools such as Graylog can be combined
with trend visualization and analysis software to provide a seamless log analytics
process. Employing Big Data solutions in tandem with robust log management provides
organizations with an endless flow of upstream business insights that can be used
to build better prediction models or to improve user experience.

BIG DATA AND LOG MANAGEMENT

Merging and manipulating complex data is a very hard task. Although it is
theoretically possible to find anything by performing a series of transformations
on your data, data analysts know very well that you need a complete plan before
engaging in even the timidest search.

LOG MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR LARGE VOLUMES OF DATA - ENTER GRAYLOG

Many log management tools require a certain degree of precision to define a search
and find something meaningful. That�s okay if you�re looking for something in
particular. But when you�re scavenging through Big Data, most of the time you don�t
know what you�re looking for before creating the query. You�re just looking for a
potential threat � you don�t know the answer already.
Graylog is an amazingly flexible tool that provides analysts with all the freedom
they need to explore the data without such a detailed plan. With Graylog, you can
keep revealing new information as you explore, and dive deeper into the search
results step by step until you find the answers you�re looking for. Our log
management software doesn�t need extended training and experience to be used, and
literally, any user can make sense of its simple and intuitive interface almost
immediately. Your operators can focus their efforts on becoming better
investigators rather than just �experts in the Graylog language.�

CONCLUSION
From business intelligence to security, system optimization and IT operations, the
applications of Big Data in log management are countless. But in order to harness
the full potential of the immense data lakes, your organization need the best
tools. From noise to knowledge, Graylog is the tool you need to become the Master
of Big Data.