Security Monitoring 2026

SIEM, EDR, SOAR. The 2026 stack.

SIEM at the centre

Aggregate security-relevant logs into one searchable backend. Splunk, Datadog Security, Elastic SIEM, Microsoft Sentinel.

Detection rules run continuously. Common patterns: failed authentication clusters, privilege escalations, unusual egress.

Cost scales with log volume. Filter aggressively at the source; ingest only security-relevant signals.

EDR for endpoints

CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Microsoft Defender. Behavioural detection on endpoints; kernel-level visibility.

Replaces signature-based antivirus. Modern threats evade signatures; behavioural analysis catches more.

Integration with SIEM. Endpoint events feed central detection; correlated with network and identity signals.

SOAR for response

Orchestrate response across tools. Triage automation, investigation playbooks, contained-action workflows.

Tines, Torq, Splunk SOAR. Modern platforms emphasise YAML-driven workflows over click-built playbooks.

Start with low-risk automations: enrichment, classification. Move to response actions only after confidence builds.

Operating security monitoring

24/7 SOC coverage if scale supports it. Otherwise managed SOC service or rotation-based coverage.

Quarterly tabletop exercise. Walk through scenarios; identify monitoring gaps; close them.

Annual red team exercise. Test what monitoring catches and misses; informed remediation follows.