We use ESM for compliance, log retention, and general security operations. We don't use all the features. We have been late in terms of taking advantage of the cloud option.
Sr. Group Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
It's highly customizable, but the API integration could be better
Pros and Cons
- "ArcSight is customizable. You can integrate just about anything. I also like the ease of use."
- "The API integration could be better, and I'd like to see more machine-learning capabilities in the future."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
ArcSight is customizable. You can integrate just about anything. I also like the ease of use.
What needs improvement?
The API integration could be better, and I'd like to see more machine-learning capabilities in the future.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used ArcSight ESM for nearly 12 years.
Buyer's Guide
ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM)
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
831,369 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
ArcSight is more stable than other solutions I've used if you take care of the maintenance. I've seldom had significant issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scaling up ArcSight isn't a challenge.
How are customer service and support?
I've had mixed experiences. Sometimes, it was fine, and it was not so good at other times. It isn't as good as it used to be.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is simple to me because I've been doing it for a while, but I'm not sure a beginner would find it easy. It could be simpler. I haven't had the opportunity to deploy it on the cloud, but you should be able to do it without problems.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I rate ArcSight ESM six out of 10 for affordability. In my last company, I evaluated Sentinel. The annual license for ArcSight is equal to about two months of Sentinel.
What other advice do I have?
I rate ArcSight ESM seven out of 10. I've worked with it my whole life and watched it evolve. ArcSight doesn't do much that other solutions can't. ArcSight has been around for 20-plus years. A lot of companies have moved on to other solutions. At the end of the day, you get out of a SIEM product what you put into it.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Head Global Alliances Director at Tech Mahindra Limited
Has good integration with third-party products; its technical support team is very helpful
Pros and Cons
- "What I found most valuable in ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) is its good integration with third-party products. The solution also has good core capabilities."
- "What could be improved in ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) is its analytics feature. That feature should be more powerful and have more correlation in terms of AI/ML, though MicroFocus has done a good job in adding analytics to ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) which has become a big draw to customers. What I'd like to see in the next release of the solution is the addition of AI/ML features."
What is our primary use case?
ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) is used in the customer side, specifically where there is an investment because the solution, when implemented, helps with integration. ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) is able to ingest logs and integrate with all the third-party products, so its utility becomes higher. Integration is very important because if the solution isn't able to integrate with others, then data doesn't come under SIEM and becomes incomplete.
How has it helped my organization?
ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) helped my company in terms of correlating alerts. The solution also helped in both alert-giving and understanding alerts. It also dismisses repeat alerts and removes false positives. ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) also gives you the main reason for the alert so it saves time in terms of investigating all alerts, including false alerts, so it improved my company.
What is most valuable?
What I found most valuable in ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) is its good integration with third-party products. The solution also has good core capabilities.
What needs improvement?
What could be improved in ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) is its analytics feature. That feature should be more powerful and have more correlation in terms of AI/ML, though MicroFocus has done a good job in adding analytics to ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) which has become a big draw to customers.
What I'd like to see in the next release of the solution is the addition of AI/ML features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) for almost five years, and I'm still using it.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) has great stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) is a scalable solution.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support team of ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) is very helpful. I would rate technical support for the solution five out of five.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup for ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) was straightforward and the process was very well-explained. How long the process takes would differ from environment to environment and from customer to customer, but it could take one to two days.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) ourselves.
What was our ROI?
I'm unsure on the exact ROI for ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) because in cybersecurity you could never predict how much you saved, but my company got good value out of it.
What other advice do I have?
I'm not using the latest version of ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM).
ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) is not being used by the entire organization, but at least a thousand users use it, though I'm not 100% sure. The solution is used daily, and it's integrated and customized and has become part of the internal monitoring and compliance check of my company.
My advice to others who want to implement ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) is that it's a great product, especially because it increased its feature sets and it has good integration with third-party solutions, for example, with other OEMs, with CrowdStrike, etc. The value proposition of the solution is also getting better and better, and usage-wise, ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) is also good.
I would rate ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) nine out of ten because even if it's an old product, it's been working well for quite some time. It has a huge customer base. I've not seen any issues, so I'm rating it a nine, but not a ten because there's always room for improvement.
My company is a reseller of ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM).
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
Buyer's Guide
ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM)
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
831,369 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Sr. Group Manager at WNS Global Services
It provides us the flexibility to write our own passwords and customize the solution.
Pros and Cons
- "ArcSight ESM provides us the flexibility to write our own passwords and customize the solution. It lets us search and log a variety of SmartConnectors. It has 480-plus SmartConnectors."
- "Sometimes, it takes ages to get an issue resolved. I have ArcSight experience, so I normally try to fix things on my own or find a workaround, but it's tough to get support when I need it."
What is most valuable?
ArcSight ESM provides us the flexibility to write our own passwords and customize the solution. It lets us search and log a variety of SmartConnectors. It has 480-plus SmartConnectors.
What needs improvement?
ArcSight's features are already ahead of many competitors, but may they could offer some more training about how to find tools, how to get them working, and how to optimize them. I'd also like to see a greater focus on cloud content and the ability to write rules from the browser.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using ArcSight ESM for around 10 years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
ArcSight is scalable. I started out with three data centers, and now I have it deployed at more than 48 locations.
How are customer service and support?
I rate ArcSight support seven out of 10. Sometimes, it takes ages to get an issue resolved. I have ArcSight experience, so I normally try to fix things on my own or find a workaround, but it's tough to get support when I need it.
It goes on for days. If you call in the morning and explain it to the engineer, but the issue isn't fixed, you have to explain it to another person when the shift changes. It's usually okay, but it can be challenging if you're dealing with an urgent issue and you don't have the proper documentation.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used McAfee Nitro, IBM QRadar, and DNIF HyperCloud. Other solutions aren't as simple to set up or as stable. ArcSight is better in terms of coverage. The technology is more than 20 years old.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is quite simple, and the documentation is thorough.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We looked at three other solutions. I was working for a government organization, and there was an Indian company developing its own team. ArcSight was head and shoulders above the rest in features like aggregation filtering, bandwidth, parsing, etc. It was there.
Hopefully, we're still way ahead, but the IT data architecture is getting a bit complex with the introduction of Kubernetes and everything. It will be complicated in terms of resources, deployment, etc., but I think ArcSight can still be what it used to be if we sort this out.
What other advice do I have?
I rate ArcSight ESM seven out of 10. I would recommend ArcSight depending on an organization's needs. I don't have much experience in terms of pricing, but ArcSight can provide a lot of functionality if a company requires it.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Information Security Analyst at Banglalink
Other solutions perform better and have a slicker GUI, but this one is cheaper
Pros and Cons
- "We use ArcSight ESM for log analysis and security alerts. It warns us of threats and then helps us conduct a forensic investigation of a cyber attack or internal incident after it happens."
- "ArcSight ESM needs to improve performance, user interface, and automation."
What is our primary use case?
We use ArcSight ESM for log analysis and security alerts. It warns us of threats and then helps us conduct a forensic investigation of a cyber attack or internal incident after it happens.
How has it helped my organization?
ArcSight ESM helps us stop security incidents by detecting them early before they can cause more damage.
What needs improvement?
ArcSight ESM needs to improve performance, user interface, and automation.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
ArcSight has become more stable with the latest patches that have come out, but we also have had many difficulties applying the patches
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's costly to scale up ArcSight ESM, but it's scalable. You have to pay for extra storage, licenses, and log processing.
How are customer service and support?
ArcSight support is okay but slow. It isn't provided promptly. There is a vast time difference between American time and East Asian time.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up ArcSight is very complex. Nothing about it is user-friendly.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
ArcSight's price is reasonable. That's why our company was forced to buy this. It's cheaper than some of the better solutions.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
LogRhythm has a better GUI and some automation options, like an automated password writing script. In Exabeam, I can see an event with the user's picture, which Exabeam can draw from the Active Directory. It has a better GUI, better performance, and customization. I expect these things from ArcSight, but it can't deliver yet.
What other advice do I have?
I rate ArcSight three out of 10. I would never recommend it. I would recommend QRadar, LogRhythm, or Exabeam, but they all cost more. Price is its only advantage.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Manager, Security Operations Centre at Deloitte
Eliminates many false positives, but has fallen behind in AI and ML capabilities
Pros and Cons
- "I value the event correlation of this product."
- "They also could improve the product by integrating user and identity behavior analytics."
What is our primary use case?
I supervise a team at our company that uses this solution. Our organization uses the solution with our customers. We run a SOC for our clients that are on ArcSight. We provide monitoring, SIM administration, and incident management to our customers.
We have many use cases including multiple route logins, multiple administrator login failures, multiple failures, and successful logins.
What is most valuable?
I value the event correlation of this product, it handles it well. We are able to eliminate many of the false positives, which eliminates a lot of the noise within the environment.
What needs improvement?
ArcSight could improve by using AI and ML. More people are leaning towards this type of solution. They also could improve the product by integrating user and identity behavior analytics.
The traits' environment is changing every day. The traditional approach of discovering traits within the environment is gradually changing. We need new approaches to intelligently discover traits within the environment. ArcSight needs to improve its product to move in this direction.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager for one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have integrated a couple of technologies into ArcSight, both on-premise and on-cloud. We were able to integrate the DNS and the firewalls. We were not able to integrate the EDR.
How was the initial setup?
When comparing the initial setup of ArcSight ESM with Curator, the setup is easier with Curator.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Curator. Curator is easier to set up than ArcSight, and it has a UI that is simpl to use.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager to a small degree. However, there are quite a few products on the market now that are easier to use. Other products are providing more insight and providing user entity behavior analytics.
Overall, I would rate ArcSight ESM a six out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Chief Information Officer at Bassein Catholic Co-Op Bank
A fast, stable, and scalable solution with good reporting and log analysis functionalities
Pros and Cons
- "The reports that we are from getting from ArcSight are very valuable. The reporting in ArcSight is good. Our regulators ask us for the reports on a regular basis, and we have been able to provide the required data. Its overall functionality in terms of log analysis and the speed at which it does that is also valuable. It is very quick. Whatever alerts we had configured were extremely fast. We immediately get alerts when there is unauthorized access or unknown access, or even positive access. This is where we found the difference between ArcSight and other solutions."
- "When I asked our networking juniors for a comparison between LogRhythm and ArcSight, they said that both platforms are almost the same. It is just that LogRhythm is more modern with a digital platform, which probably gives it some advantage over ArcSight. ArcSight is a very old and mature product that is running on an old platform. It is an old legacy platform. In terms of new features, it just requires platform upgrades so that it becomes lighter and easily adaptable, specifically in the cloud. It would be a good thing if they can also make reporting easier."
What is our primary use case?
We have outsourced our SOX management to an IT company because I cannot maintain and manage that in the bank. We had selected them because they were using ArcSight. They are a very professional security company. They came up with this suggestion of switching from ArcSight to LogRhythm. We are currently using ArcSight, but we would be switching to LogRhythm.
They are using the latest version of ArcSight ESM. It is all on-prem. Our production setup cannot be on a public cloud. In India, cloud deployment is not allowed for financial services. It has to be either a co-location or in-house.
What is most valuable?
The reports that we are from getting from ArcSight are very valuable. The reporting in ArcSight is good. Our regulators ask us for the reports on a regular basis, and we have been able to provide the required data.
Its overall functionality in terms of log analysis and the speed at which it does that is also valuable. It is very quick. Whatever alerts we had configured were extremely fast. We immediately get alerts when there is unauthorized access or unknown access, or even positive access. This is where we found the difference between ArcSight and other solutions.
What needs improvement?
When I asked our networking juniors for a comparison between LogRhythm and ArcSight, they said that both platforms are almost the same. It is just that LogRhythm is more modern with a digital platform, which probably gives it some advantage over ArcSight. ArcSight is a very old and mature product that is running on an old platform. It is an old legacy platform.
In terms of new features, it just requires platform upgrades so that it becomes lighter and easily adaptable, specifically in the cloud. It would be a good thing if they can also make reporting easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is pretty stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is pretty scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not been in touch with ArcSight for technical support. I only talked to my vendor, who monitored my network. My vendor got in touch with ArcSight support.
How was the initial setup?
The setup ran into a couple of months because the configuration of the endpoint devices to collect the logs was really tedious. It took some time to bring the environment into a condition to get it monitored by ArcSight.
What other advice do I have?
It is a very good product. I would rate ArcSight ESM an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Manager of System Security with 501-1,000 employees
4 stars, not 5 due to the sheer magnitude of work and understanding to have a highly functioning implementation.
What is most valuable?
Custom data parsers and custom event / asset categorization.
How has it helped my organization?
Allowing for non conventional data feeds from HR into our overall security monitoring practice has allowed us to catch gaps in our exit checklist for employees among other things.
What needs improvement?
The network modeling and asset categorization needs to be simplified to facilitate wider adaptation amongst customers.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with ArcSight for over 8 years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
I have never deployed an ArcSight installation without encountering several issues, I have over 40 deployments to my credit.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Absolutely, the new CORR engine is a vast improvement but was pushed out to customers too quickly. Several key components of our analysis workflow broke due to the new event processing scheme.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Not so much on the ESM level, but it gets expensive to scale at the logger level.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service: Support can use vast improvements, but your technical account managers are great. No complaints there.Technical Support: Lacking.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I am a Sr. Principal Architect and design and go with the best solution for the customer, currently deploying a solution around Logstash, elasticsearch and kibana.
How was the initial setup?
Lots of moving parts.
What was our ROI?
Hard to determine, ArcSight is a product that costs millions to implement and takes several months to years before the ROI is clear.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
For this particular project $2.4 million USD.
What other advice do I have?
Understanding of your environment and data sources is key before correlation can occur. You make sure your environment is at a point that augmentation of the existing analysis workflow is required and not using a SIEM to establish one.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Security Engineer at Billie
Can write queries fast but visualization isn't good
Pros and Cons
- "On the positive side, ArcSight ESM's performance was excellent. It was very fast when writing queries. It provided good performance monitoring and had built-in rules to show which rules triggered most often and impacted performance. This performance monitoring was well-implemented."
- "I faced some problems implementing certain attacks, which was my biggest concern. The visualization wasn't very good, and I couldn't create good monitoring dashboards."
What is our primary use case?
I use the solution to implement detection rules based on attack scenarios.
What is most valuable?
On the positive side, ArcSight ESM's performance was excellent. It was very fast when writing queries. It provided good performance monitoring and had built-in rules to show which rules triggered most often and impacted performance. This performance monitoring was well-implemented.
What needs improvement?
I faced some problems implementing certain attacks, which was my biggest concern. The visualization wasn't very good, and I couldn't create good monitoring dashboards.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with the product for a year.
How are customer service and support?
The tool's support is one of its best parts.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
I wasn't involved in the initial setup and deployment of ArcSight ESM, as it had already been implemented when I joined the company. I worked on implementing dashboards and detection rules. The rule categorization was good and had a good alert system when rules were triggered.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Price-wise, ArcSight ESM was a bit high compared to competitors, which factored into our decision to switch to Splunk. It couldn't cover all our business needs for what we wanted to implement.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the overall solution a five out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Sep 9, 2024
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Thanks !! Review is useful and truly looks like given by someone who has actually worked with the product.