Sumo Logic vs. Splunk: Comprehensive Reviews and Alternatives (Paid and Free) (2023)

Sumo Logic and Splunk share several similarities and key features that you might be looking for in a SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) tool. Both brands are industry-leading security and log management tools capable of collecting log data across multiple servers and providing real-time security insights and historical forensic audits.

Similarities: Sumo Logic vs Splunk

Both Sumo Logic and Splunk act as an ongoing security monitor for your organization, detecting and removing threats that firewalls and antivirus software often miss. As a SIEM tool, both products can be configured to detect insider threats, outside intruders and track APTs (Advanced Persistent Threats) on a network.

Both companies have an impressive number of international and corporate clients. Sumo Logic catered to giants like Samsung, Whole Foods and Pitney Bowes. Splunk, on the other hand, has worked with industry leaders like Intel, Comcast and Coca-Cola. Splunk and Sumo Logic have served Fortune 500 customers and are well designed for enterprise environments.

From a dashboard perspective, both products present incoming data and new information through an intuitive user interface. Views are fully customizable as per your needs through drag and drop style templates.

Sumo-Logic

Sumo Logic brings security, business and operational intelligence from structured and unstructured data streams into a single, manageable platform. A key difference between Sumo Logic and Spunk is that Sumo Logic is currently only available for cloud configuration, which means that data collected from your devices and networks is stored on one.private cloud.This is not a problem for most companies, but it can be an issue for organizations that are looking for an on-premises solution only.

Main features:

• Flexible data collection tool
• Ready-to-use research tools, so-called apps
• query builder
• alarm setting function
• free version

A collector retrieves unmanaged data from multiple sources. This collector is a lightweight agent that can be manually installed or scheduled. The setup process is quite simple and it supports multiple hosts such as Linux, Windows, macOS or as a binary package. Once the connector is deployed through the setup wizard, you will see your active connector underManage Data > Collection > Collectionsection of your Sumo Logic control panel.

Sumo Logic makes it easy for you to start getting value from your data relatively quickly through a set of wizards, integration support and an intuitive interface. After configuring your sinks, use another wizard to identify a source for your data. This adds context to the data the collector is starting to pull.

When it comes to visualizing your data, you can manually configure metrics from any source to display information in a graph. This can take a while during the initial setup. Fortunately, Sumo Logic has an entire section called Applications dedicated to creating ready-to-use insights that you can apply to your data. Deploying an app to your data is as simple as selecting the app or data you want for your data and clicking install.

Running manual queries of your log data is an easy process, especially if you've already queried data from logs or other search engines. Like Splunk, Sumo Logic automatically populates the search bar with parameters and data sources to save you time remembering search functions. If you are new to working with searches and queries, Sumo Logic offers a number ofuseful cheat sheetswhich contain all the common search functions for querying your data.

To create meaningful alerts, you must first create a query based on that alert. Once this query is recorded, you can specify a condition to trigger this alert and set a threshold. You can use an outlier operator to position your boundaries to expand and contrast with web traffic. Creating alerts is easy as long as you've written your query correctly. Notifications can be sent via email or webhook via third-party integrations.

Sumo Logic offers a seamless integration process with minimal setup required to start collecting business intelligence. There is a free version of Sumo Logic that you can use to start collecting and analyzing limited data. The current pricing model is divided into four tiers based on data usage and uses a credit system for flexible billing. Small business logging and monitoring starts at $2.50 per gigabyte with a data limit of 10 GB per day.

See too: sumo logic review

splunk

Splunk is a SIEM tool that aims to provide enterprise-grade information security and log management for customers. The Splunk platform offers a wide range of services and features, including insider threat detection, forensic auditing, and even fraud detection. While Splunk mostly advertises that it is cloud-based, there is an option for an on-premise installation. This can be done through the VMware infrastructure, but compared to deploying in the cloud, it can take a significant amount of time to ensure that requirements are met and the correct resources are allocated.

Main features:

• On-premise or cloud platform
• data analytics platform
• records management service
• SIEM option
• Alert creation mechanism

Like most SIEM products, Splunk uses its own agent called an indexer to collect data. This indexer requires some configuration, depending on the operating system environment in which it is installed. Once the indexer is configured and installed, you can configure Splunk to start receiving data by accessingSettings > Forwarding and Receivingand enter your agent's listening port.

The setup process can sometimes be complex and involves redirects and installing "apps" designed to simplify the onboarding process and prevent misconfigurations. Depending on the complexity of your environment and the number of domain controllers and servers you need to define policies for, integration time can vary. Splunk's support team has a professional services department that can help with integration, data migration, and configuration.

After the initial onboarding process, Splunk's ease of use really starts to shine. Splunk has some of the most intuitive and flexible dashboards in the SIEM space, allowing drag-and-drop editing via the view editor and XML configuration to make changes on the fly. Dashboard dashboards are designed for teams, giving you the ability to create specific views based on departments or groups. This ensures that no team is overwhelmed with information that is not relevant to their tasks.

Researching Splunk can be a complex but rewarding task. Splunk uses its own query processing language (SPL) to filter and sort data. This SPL can sometimes have a steep learning curve, but it allows for the generation of complicated and complex queries. One of the most powerful features of Splunks SPL is the ability to view your survey data in real time. Whether it's a numerical value in a graph or a geolocation tag, this information can be visualized as you develop and refine your query.

You can create notifications in Splunk based on a query by simply typing that query as a search and clickingSave asbutton and selectionAlarm. From here, an alert workflow is created that allows you to select the conditions for triggering the alert, as well as the permission level and schedule for running the alert script. Once saved, all notifications will automatically appear on your notification panel, where you can get an overview of their current status and how often they were triggered.

Splunk has a proven track record of serving enterprise customers and bringing a truly comprehensive SIEM tool to market. Splunk's dashboards and alerting features are designed for ease of use and scalability. Splunk has a unique and comprehensive pricing modelfour different pricing optionsdepending on the different ways your business wants to scale. Expect Splunk Enterprise pricing to start at $2000.00 per year on a 1GB/day data plan.

See too: Splunk Review

Main differences between Sumo Logic and Splunk

When comparing Sumo Logic and Splunk, there were some key differences that you might want to delve into mastering SIEM before committing to either tool.

Splunk has a bigger community and more features.Splunk took its profits and reinvested them heavily in the Splunk platform. This has allowed the platform to achieve "hockey stick" growth while maintaining a competitive advantage over other SIEM tools.

Features like Augmented Reality (Splunk AI) allow you to visualize data in real-time, and new developments in the Splunk mobile app give data a new level of versatility compared to other platforms. Although Splunk is not open source, it still has a large community that helps other users answer questions, share best practices, and request new features.

Splunk has extensive documentation and more support options.While both Sumo Logic and Splunk offer various forms of support, Splunk has extensive documentation andadditional funding programsfor those who demand a superior level of service. Splunk has five different support models, from basic documentation access to premium 24/7 support with a minimum response time of 30 minutes.

While not all companies require this level of granularity in their support contract, Splunk has taken the time to create these plans to better serve our customers.

Sumo Logic has a smaller learning curve.If you don't have the budget or want to delve into proficiency with a SIEM, Sumo Logic is an easier option. Sumo Logic offers the best security and records management without spending dozens of hours on training. Splunk's SPL search engine may be powerful, but it adds many layers of complexity to the mix that smaller companies may not even need to use.

Splunk has more third-party integrations.While both platforms have the ability to use webhooks and API integrations, Splunk has many more plugins and features out of the box. Currently, Splunk has over 600 different types of apps and plug-ins that extend and enhance the platform's usefulness. Splunk also has many other security and business intelligence tools that make integrating these new features relatively easy.

Which tool is best for you?

In the case of Sumo Logic vs. Splunk, the comparison was head-to-head. Both products offer flexible, competitive pricing while providing state-of-the-art features and records management. If you're a large business or enterprise looking to scale and leverage data over the long term, Splunk is probably your best bet. While the learning curve may be greater, you'll have more opportunity to evolve later on and have less trouble incorporating these features in the future.

For smaller companies looking to implement security and log management in their environment, Sumo Logic is a good choice due to its ease of use and flexible pricing.

Alternatives to Sumo Logic and Splunk

With these selection criteria in mind, we identified log management tools that compete well with Sumo Logic and Splunk.

Below is a short list of alternatives to Sumo Logic and Splunk:

1. data dogLeverage real-time and historical data to deliver actionable insights, automated remediation, and alerts on-premises or in the cloud.
2. Centinela.ioProvides logging solutions primarily focused on software development teams and the DevOps industry.
3. ELKPopular free open source log management tool that includes tools like Elasticsearch, Logstash and Kibana for advanced features.
4. Log StashPowered by Elastic, LogStash makes data management accessible to small development teams and researchers.

If you're still comparing SIEM products, check ours out.best SIEM toolsMail.

Frequently Asked Questions about Sumo Logic vs. splunk