Beyond SIEM: Embracing Unified XDR for Smarter Security - Vikas Chaturvedi, Principal Architect - Microsoft Cybersecurity

The modern digital world is evolving rapidly with an increasing number of devices interconnected than before and more entry points for cybercriminals to take advantage of.  Cybersecurity teams are working tirelessly to safeguard these devices from evolving threats and continuously refining the organizations’ security postures. Businesses are also under tremendous pressure to choose the right security solutions that offer quick protection and long-term resilience.

The changing landscape of cybersecurity tools

With cybercriminals constantly updating their methodologies to evade security measures implemented by organizations, security teams should adopt advanced solutions to combat the threats effectively.  Among them, Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Extended Detection and Response (XDR) are leading solutions.  The debate between leveraging SIEM and XDR is very relevant to organizations striving toward the most effective threat detection response and risk mitigation. Traditional SIEM systems have long been the backbone of security operations, but XDR solutions are now gaining traction as a modern alternative.  However, organizations must evaluate whether SIEM, XDR or a combination of both can best fit their requirements. 

Market trends in SIEM and XDR adoption

?         Microsoft commissioned Forrester Consulting to conduct a Total Economic Impact (TEI)

study to evaluate the potential return on investment of their SIEM and XDR solutions.

The study reported a 65% reduction in time to investigate threats and an 88% reduction in time to respond to threats.  Other benefits include reduced operational risk, a compressed security development lifecycle, and faster threat remediation.

?       Stellar Cyber claims that its Open XDR platform leveraged by MSSPs experienced 8x faster Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) and a 20x improvement in Mean Time to Remediation (MTTR) compared to traditional SIEM setups.

?       Gartner predicts that by 2025, 80% of security teams will consolidate SIEM and XDR into a unified security operations platform revealing a growing trend toward integration for improved security.

SIEM is the traditional powerhouse

In this approach, Security Information Management and Security Event Management functions are combined where relevant data from multiple sources is aggregated and analyzed and appropriate action is taken if there are any deviations from the norm.  SIEM Systems offers a centralized view of security events across the IT ecosystems.  It also has real-time monitoring, threat detection, and response to incidents and compliance management capabilities.  Indicators of Compromise inside the networks can be searched by leveraging SIEM tools where hidden threats are uncovered.  Advanced SIEM leverages machine learning algorithms and behavior analytics to identify anomalies and predict potential threats.  Heavily regulated industries such as finance and healthcare continue to prioritize SIEM due to its extensive log retention and compliance reporting capabilities.  Event correlation is what SIEM excels at where security teams can fine-tune alerts for accurate threat detection.  SIEM tools also offer forensic analysis capabilities helping security analyst teams investigate security incidents, gather evidence, extract actionable intelligence, and enhance the security posture of organizations.

Challenges with SIEM

Implementing SIEM solutions can have challenges and has to be managed proactively.  Configuring the SIEM system can be very complex where any error can lead to false positives or missed threats.  Integrating SIEM tools with existing security tools and systems is not easy.  The implementation and maintenance processes are also resource-intensive and require significant time and manpower.  Alert fatigue can be set with traditional SIEM platforms where numerous alerts are generated making it rather difficult to identify the genuine ones.

XDR provides an advanced integrated approach

With organizations facing ongoing digital threats, security teams continuously explore the best tools to help them safeguard their digital assets.  Extended Detection and Response (XDR) solution has the potential to reconfigure the management of security operations. XDR collects and correlates data automatically across multiple layers such as email, endpoints, server, cloud workload, and network.  It delivers a comprehensive approach to threat management integrating various security products into a unified system.  This approach streamlines operations, improves threat detection, and offers response capabilities at scale.  Heavily cloud-native organizations opt for XDR as it provides integrated security across multiple attack surfaces without requiring extensive custom configurations. Businesses that rely on Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) follow the provider’s expertise and lean towards co-managed XDR solutions.

Challenges with XDR

Several XDR solution vendors address only a few attack vectors and have to rely on other vendors’ technology, leaving gaps in the organization’s attack surface.  XDR does not provide detailed logging and compliance tools as well.  Being still in the nascent stage and evolving, XDR does not have an established framework or methodology.  This lack of standardization and clarity is a challenge in selecting and adopting the best XDR solution.

Future of Cybersecurity – The Hybrid Model

A hybrid approach, combining SIEM for log retention, forensic analysis, and compliance with XDR for real-time detection and automated response, provides the best of both worlds. Microsoft’s security ecosystem is already moving toward this model with Microsoft Sentinel (SIEM) and Microsoft Defender integration, providing an end-to-end security solution on their Unified XDR platform with Gen-AI native integration with Copilot for Security.

Microsoft Sentinel offers a Real-time monitoring and threat detection solution, Incident response and compliance management, Threat hunting, UEBA and forensic analysis. Advanced analytics with AI and capability to use custom machine learning models, Fusion detection and cheapest SOAR in the market by far.

For industries with stringent compliance requirements, such as finance and healthcare, SIEM remains a necessity due to its log retention, compliance reporting, and event correlation capabilities. Microsoft Sentinel’s AI-driven analytics help security teams fine-tune alerts, reducing false positives and increasing threat detection accuracy.

Microsoft Defender XDR platform offers, Unified visibility across attack surfaces, CTEM Exposure management solution, CIS framework assessment, Zero Trust, EASM, AI-driven automated response to threats, Integrated security across all Microsoft 365 and third-party platforms, Office, Email, Data, CASB, Endpoint, Identity, and Reduced complexity by eliminating the need for custom configurations. For heavily cloud-native organizations, Microsoft Defender XDR provides an integrated security approach, reducing response times while enhancing detection accuracy. Meanwhile, Microsoft Sentinel remains essential for industries requiring compliance-driven security strategies.

Why You Should Onboard with Unified XDR Today

As cyber threats grow more sophisticated, organizations must adopt a security strategy that balances visibility, automation, and intelligence. Microsoft’s Unified XDR approach provides the necessary tools to stay ahead of modern cyber risks, ensuring a proactive, resilient, and future-proof security posture.