Log management as a cloud-based service

http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/nsm/2009/062909nsm2.html

Network device and system logs hold a wealth of knowledge and required information for IT managers looking to achieve compliance and enforce company policies, but the process of capturing and storing the data can be cost-exorbitant and time-consuming for many.

Software-as-a-service vendor Paglo says it log management service can lessen the pain of collecting data and making use of the data. The Log Management application, available now for $99 per month including 25 megabytes of peak log volume per day and 30 days of log storage, is a cloud-based service that enables IT managers to access, query, search and maintain log data for troubleshooting purposes as well as to maintain compliance with regulatory standards such as Payment Card Industry.

In the instance of PCI compliance, Paglo executives say, the vendor’s approach to combining its search capabilities with IT asset and log data helps customers more easily address the requirements of the regulatory standard.

“There are three primary uses for the Log Management application: operational troubleshooting, security and compliance monitoring, and Web app and application log monitoring,” says Chris Waters, Paglo co-founder and CTO.

The service works in two ways. For existing Paglo customers, the Paglo core technology already installed in their environment will automatically capture and transmit the network device and system logs to Paglo. New customers would be required to perform “a simple configuration change” to send logs directly to Paglo using tools such as the open source application Syslog-ng.

“Paglo is providing log management capabilities without requiring an upfront investment in software or appliances, but as a cloud-based service that customers pay for as they use it,” says Brian de Haaff, Paglo CEO. “We are securely transporting all log data from companies into a cloud-based service, combining that with asset information and analysis, which we believe is a killer combination that really gives IT managers a system of record for IT.”

Paglo is also making available a free version of its Log Management service. The free version includes 10 megabytes of peak log volume per day and 7 days of log storage.