Microsoft Sentinel
Definition
A cloud-native Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) solution from Microsoft.
Use Cases
- ASOS: Centralize security monitoring and incident response across cloud and enterprise data sources — Adopted Microsoft Sentinel as a cloud-native SIEM, ingesting logs from Microsoft sources and other security/data platforms via connectors, then using analytics rules and automation playbooks to triage and respond to incidents. (Improved visibility and faster investigation/response by consolidating alerts and telemetry into a single incident workflow, reducing manual effort for security operations.)
- PwC: Deliver managed detection and response (MDR) and SIEM modernization for clients — Built security operations offerings using Microsoft Sentinel to collect and correlate client telemetry, apply detection content, and automate response actions through orchestration workflows. (Enabled scalable, cloud-based security monitoring and more consistent incident handling across client environments.)
- KPMG: Security operations transformation and SIEM/SOAR enablement for enterprise environments — Implemented Microsoft Sentinel as a SIEM/SOAR platform, integrating Microsoft and third-party data sources and using automation to standardize response processes. (Streamlined SOC operations by improving correlation across data sources and accelerating common response actions through automation.)
Provider Equivalents
- AWS: Amazon Security Lake (with Amazon OpenSearch Service/Amazon Athena) + Amazon GuardDuty + AWS Security Hub
- Azure: Microsoft Sentinel
- GCP: Google Security Operations (Chronicle SIEM) + Google Security Command Center
- OCI: OCI Logging Analytics + OCI Cloud Guard
Frequently Asked Questions
- What's the difference between Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Defender XDR?
- Microsoft Sentinel is a SIEM/SOAR: it collects and analyzes security data from many sources (Microsoft and non-Microsoft), correlates events, and orchestrates response. Microsoft Defender XDR focuses on detection and response across Microsoft security products (like endpoint, identity, email, and cloud apps) and provides XDR incidents. In practice, Defender XDR can feed high-quality alerts and incidents into Sentinel, while Sentinel adds broader log coverage, cross-platform correlation, and SOAR automation.
- When should I use Microsoft Sentinel?
- Use Sentinel when you need centralized security monitoring across multiple systems (Azure, Microsoft 365, on-premises, and other clouds), want to correlate events into incidents, and need automation for triage and response. It’s especially useful for organizations with a SOC (or an MDR provider), compliance requirements that demand centralized logging, or hybrid/multi-cloud environments where you want one place to investigate and respond.
- How much does Microsoft Sentinel cost?
- Sentinel pricing is primarily based on data ingestion and retention in the underlying Log Analytics workspace (how many GB/day you ingest and how long you keep it). Costs can also be affected by which data sources you connect, how much telemetry you collect (for example, verbose firewall or endpoint logs), and any additional Azure services used for automation or enrichment. Microsoft offers commitment tiers and other pricing options that can reduce per-GB costs at higher volumes, so estimating expected daily ingest is the key first step.
Category: security
Difficulty: advanced
Related Terms
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