SIEM vs. SOAR: Exploring the Key Distinctions

B.

SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) and SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) are both security technologies that play a critical role in identifying and mitigating security threats. While there are some similarities between these two technologies, there are also several key differences that distinguish them from one another.

The primary function of SIEM is to collect and analyze security-related data from multiple sources, such as network devices, applications, servers, and endpoints, to detect security events, anomalies, and threats. SIEM solutions typically use advanced analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence techniques to correlate and contextualize security data and generate alerts to security analysts in real-time. SIEM also provides centralized visibility and reporting, enabling security teams to monitor and investigate security incidents more efficiently.

On the other hand, SOAR is a more advanced and mature technology that builds upon SIEM and other security technologies to automate and orchestrate security operations and response activities. SOAR platforms typically integrate with various security tools, such as SIEM, vulnerability scanners, endpoint detection and response (EDR), threat intelligence, and others, to automate security processes, workflows, and responses. SOAR uses playbooks or runbooks to define the sequence of actions that need to be taken in response to a security event or incident, such as quarantining an infected endpoint, blocking a malicious IP address, or launching a forensic investigation.

In summary, the main difference between SIEM and SOAR is that SIEM is primarily focused on collecting and analyzing security data to detect security events and generate alerts, while SOAR is more focused on automating and orchestrating security operations and response activities based on the alerts generated by SIEM and other security tools. Therefore, answer B is the correct option.