Why it’s Important to Monitor Your Event Logs

Do you understand what the event logs of your network are, and how they keep your organization secure? If not, you could be ignoring one of the most basic components of network security. Event logs are important for spotting significant issues on a workstation or laptop.

What are Event Logs?
Event logs keep track of events and notifications stored in the background of your computer. Event logs record errors and other important details going on under the hood of your PC, even those that might not appear directly in front of you. If there’s suspicious activity on your workstation, the event logs are one of the ways to tell.

Take, for example, the likely occurrence of a hacker posing as one of your network administrators to gain access to privileged data. If they’ve stolen the proper credentials through either a data leak or a targeted spear phishing attack, they can use a legitimate access method to discover even more sensitive material.

Since the hacker is using a legitimate method of accessing your network, the system won’t flag it as a malicious attempt. Even if you’re using an access log, you might run into problems unless you pay attention to the IP of the user or the physical location. For example, it would certainly be suspicious if you had a network administrator sign into your network from the other side of the world. Therefore, it makes the most sense that you forsake an automated event log monitoring solution for one which is being watched by professional IT technicians who know what to look for, including the aforementioned discrepancies.

Event logs can also help a technician identify a hardware or driver issue before it starts to affect the end-user. By doing so, this eliminates downtime and serves as an early-warning system.

Remote Monitoring and Maintenance
By now, you’re probably wondering how you can always keep an eye on your logs, even when you’re as busy as you are. One way is hiring in-house network administrators whose responsibilities include monitoring event logs, but the average small business may not have the budget to sustain this type of preventative measure. Instead, the easier way is to outsource remote monitoring and maintenance to a managed service provider who can keep a close watch on your network and IT infrastructure.

Preferred can equip your business with the tools it needs to monitor its event logs and ensure maximum network security. Our team of professionals can remotely monitor and maintain your network for any strange or unauthorized activity. To learn more, reach out to us at 708-781-7110.