ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) vs Splunk Enterprise Security comparison

Cancel
You must select at least 2 products to compare!
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Sep 21, 2023

We compared Splunk Enterprise Security and ArcSight ESM across several parameters based on our users' reviews. After reading the collected data, you can find our conclusion below:

  • Features: Splunk Enterprise Security stands out for its efficiency, extensive integration options, and powerful search functionality. Users say Splunk is a highly scalable and customizable solution. ArcSight ESM is praised for its well-designed dashboard, real-time reporting, and threat intelligence capabilities that leverage AI and correlation tools. 

  • Room for Improvement: Splunk users recommended improvements in AI capabilities, user-friendliness, and analytics. ArcSight ESM users have recommended improvements in training, speed, and data administration.

  • Service and Support: While some users found Splunk support to be responsive and helpful, others reported slow response times and a lack of expertise. Some ArcSight ESM users have found the support to be responsive and helpful, while others have faced issues with slow response times and a lack of expertise.

  • Ease of Deployment: Some users thought Splunk Enterprise Security was easy to deploy, while others found it challenging and needed assistance from Splunk engineers or third-party integrators. Some said that ArcSight ESM is straightforward to set up, while others noted that integration with other systems can be challenging and requires specialized knowledge.

  • Pricing: Some users consider Splunk Enterprise Security to be expensive, but others said the price is reasonable. A few users expressed concerns about the cost of scaling up the solution and managing large volumes of data. Users consider the pricing of ArcSight ESM to be reasonable and affordable.

  • ROI: Users said that it’s challenging to calculate an ROI for Splunk Enterprise Security, and the return varies depending on individual circumstances. While some users have observed a substantial ROI, others have not actively explored or been engaged in ROI conversations. Splunk Enterprise Security offers varying ROI outcomes based on different situations, with certain users achieving significant returns. ArcSight ESM delivers an ROI by helping clients achieve compliance objectives and prevent incidents.

Comparison Results: Splunk is highly regarded for its efficient data processing and powerful search features, but users suggested improvements to its AI capabilities and analytics. ArcSight ESM offers robust threat intelligence and real-time reporting but falls short in terms of data administration and speed. 

To learn more, read our detailed ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) vs. Splunk Enterprise Security Report (Updated: March 2024).
763,955 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"I like the KQL query. It simplifies getting data from the table and seeing the logs. All you need to know are the table names. It's quite easy to build use cases by using KQL.""In Azure Sentinel, we have found, they do have a store in their capability. AI and intelligence features. We found that to be very helpful for us because some other things we do need to integrate again or find another vendor for the store""There are a lot of things you can explore as a user. You can even go and actively hunt for threats. You can go on the offensive rather than on the defensive.""The pricing of the product is excellent.""Azure Application Gateway makes things a lot easier. You can create dashboards, alert rules, hunting and custom queries, and functions with it.""The connectivity and analytics are great.""Sentinel also enables you to ingest data from your entire ecosystem and not just from the Microsoft ecosystem. It can receive data from third-party vendors' products such firewalls, network devices, and antivirus solutions. It's not only a Microsoft solution, it's for everything.""The initial setup is very simple and straightforward."

More Microsoft Sentinel Pros →

"The stability of ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager is good.""For the typical malware or intrusion, this solution assists us by identifying the symptoms based on network traffic from the application servers.""We utilize ArcSight ESM for real-time threat detection in our organization. We have custom rules that we've developed on top of the WAN services, along with scheduled licensing activities.""The solution offers very good monitoring.""Stable solution with good customer service support.""ArcSight gives us better visibility into threats that were unknown earlier.""The tool is good for correlation and aggregation. We use it as a collection platform.""Feature-rich solution which provides better network visibility for improved security"

More ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) Pros →

"We can ingest and correlate data from virtually any type of system.""Splunk would be my choice for the presentation layer because it comes with inbuilt reports and a dashboard that you can customize.""The most valuable feature of Splunk is the log monitoring.""Splunk has machine learning which is a valuable feature.""We are much faster finding and addressing issues with Splunk.""The most valuable feature of Splunk is the management and built-in workflows.""it can explain to management about what kind of traffic is visiting the network. It can also explain other traffic coming in and out, along with protecting against malware.""The client site login is pretty extensible and probably cost-effective."

More Splunk Enterprise Security Pros →

Cons
"If I can use Sentinel offline at home and use it on a local network, it would be great. I'm not sure if I can use Sentinel offline versus the tools I have.""If we want to use more features, we have to pay more. There are multiple solutions on the cloud itself, but the pricing model package isn't consistent, which is confusing to clients.""If Azure Sentinel had the ability to ingest Azure services from different tenants into another tenant that was hosting Azure Sentinel, and not lose any metadata, that would be a huge benefit to a lot of companies.""Sometimes, it is hard for us to estimate the costs of Microsoft Sentinel.""While I appreciate the UI itself and the vast amount of information available on the platform, I'm finding the overall user experience to be frustrating due to frequent disconnections and the requirement to repeatedly re-authenticate.""The performance could be improved. If I create 15 to 20 lines for a single-use case in KQL, sometimes it takes more time to execute. If I create use cases within a certain timeline, the result will show in .01 seconds. A complex query takes more time to get results.""The product can be improved by reducing the cost to use AI machine learning.""We are invoiced according to the amount of data generated within each log."

More Microsoft Sentinel Cons →

"They also could improve the product by integrating user and identity behavior analytics.""We would like the ability to easily identify either unused resources or those that are being used sub-optimally.""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.""ArcSight ESM is lacking cloud scalable technology.""The analytics feature is not reliable and needs improvement for more detailed analysis.​""The weakness in this system comes about because, with so many different logs, it is possible that the security analyst will lose information.""When we need to consume old events, we have to wait for a long time. ArcSight should improve the database capability to reply to queries faster. It would also be interesting if they implemented network visibility. For example, they could add a feature like NetWitness with a model just for looking through the packets.""There could be more API features for extracting logs on different devices included in the product."

More ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) Cons →

"Search head clustering is often temperamental in its current state and should be improved, replaced by something better, or be reverted to search head pooling.""In terms of the interface, it could include some improvements for the look and feel.""The configuration could be better.""Missing capability for audio/video and image processing.""The solution should also have more advanced capabilities in comparison with QRadar, which offers Watson.""The GUI could be improved to include some of the capabilities that other BI solutions have. The layout is a little restrictive where you can’t resize all the panels to exactly how you would like them without tweaking some XML code.""I would like to see ability to master management. In terms of clustering, how it manages clustering needs improvement.""There are a lot of competitive products that are doing better than what Splunk is doing on the analytics side."

More Splunk Enterprise Security Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "It comes with a Microsoft subscription which the customer has, so they don't have to invest somewhere else."
  • "It is a consumption-based license model. bands at 100, 200, 400 GB per day etc. Azure Sentinel Pricing | Microsoft Azure"
  • "Good monthly operational cost model for the detection and response outcomes delivered, M365 logs don't count toward the limits which is a good benefit."
  • "I have had mixed feedback. At one point, I heard a client say that it sometimes seems more expensive. Most of the clients are on Office 365 or M365, and they are forced to take Azure SIEM because of the integration."
  • "It is kind of like a sliding scale. There are different tiers of pricing that go from $100 per day up to $3,500 per day. So, it just kind of depends on how much data is being stored. There can be additional costs to the standard license other than the additional data. It just kind of depends on what other services you're spinning up in Azure, or if you're using something like Azure log analytics."
  • "I am just paying for the log space with Azure Sentinel. It costs us about $2,000 a month. Most of the logs are free. We are only paying money for Azure Firewall logs because email logs or Azure AD logs are free to use for us."
  • "Sentinel is a bit expensive. If you can figure a way of configuring it to meet your needs, then you can find a way around the cost."
  • "Azure Sentinel is very costly, or at least it appears to be very costly. The costs vary based on your ingestion and your retention charges."
  • More Microsoft Sentinel Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "HPE ArcSight pricing might be more expensive than other SIEM solutions, but in my opinion it has powerful features and great flexibility in developing complex use cases."
  • "ArcSight is pretty expensive compared with its competitors. I believe that is fine as it provides value."
  • "Aggregation can help a lot in pushing down licensing costs."
  • "​It is best to be an institutional buyer and directly contact the sales team, as they can provide over-the-top discounts for bulk orders.​"
  • "Thanks to Micro Focus's licensing model, as an MSSP, we are able to see a complete return on our investment almost immediately."
  • "Customers without a ton of resources to dedicate to deployment may be better served by a managed ArcSight service."
  • "The pricing is great compared to others."
  • "The cost of the solution is not very high, although hiring a qualified analyst to work with the product is expensive."
  • More ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Pricing and licensing is quite expensive. But for the value the product provides, it seems at par in the market."
  • "Although Splunk is an expensive product, it is designed to be utilized across your organization in order to maximize your ROI and lower your TCO."
  • "It is not cheap."
  • "Splunk Enterprise becomes extremely expensive after the 20GB/month license."
  • "You will eat up whatever you purchase quickly. The level of insights that Splunk empowers is addictive."
  • "Splunk licensing model might seem expensive but with all the gain in functionalities you will have compared to traditional SIEM solutions I think it’s worth the price."
  • "Pricing is pretty fair."
  • "While licensing can be a concern, there are ways to reduce the licensing costs including filtering some events."
  • More Splunk Enterprise Security Pricing and Cost Advice →

    report
    Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions are best for your needs.
    763,955 professionals have used our research since 2012.
    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:Yes, Azure Sentinel is a SIEM on the Cloud. Multiple data sources can be uploaded and analyzed with Azure Sentinel and… more »
    Top Answer:It would really depend on (1) which logs you need to ingest and (2) what are your use cases Splunk is easy for… more »
    Top Answer:We like that Azure Sentinel does not require as much maintenance as legacy SIEMs that are on-premises. Azure Sentinel is… more »
    Top Answer:In my market, a lot of financial companies had or have an ArcSight installation. Just because in former times it was… more »
    Top Answer:It gives better overall visibility. Before, we didn't have a unified system for managing security alerts. ArcSight… more »
    Top Answer:The pricing model is expensive compared to open-source alternatives, especially as your needs grow.
    Top Answer:For tools I’d recommend:  -SIEM- LogRhythm -SOAR- Palo Alto XSOAR Doing commercial w/o both (or at least an XDR) is… more »
    Top Answer:Splunk handles a high amount of data very well. We use Splunk to capture information and as an aggregator for monitoring… more »
    Top Answer:One key advantage of Splunk over competitors like IBM QRadar is its superior device integration capabilities.
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Azure Sentinel
    Micro Focus ArcSight, HPE ArcSight, ArcSight
    Learn More
    Overview

    Microsoft Sentinel is a scalable, cloud-native, security information event management (SIEM) and security orchestration automated response (SOAR) solution that lets you see and stop threats before they cause harm. Microsoft Sentinel delivers intelligent security analytics and threat intelligence across the enterprise, providing a single solution for alert detection, threat visibility, proactive hunting, and threat response. Eliminate security infrastructure setup and maintenance, and elastically scale to meet your security needs—while reducing IT costs. With Microsoft Sentinel, you can:

    - Collect data at cloud scale—across all users, devices, applications, and infrastructure, both on-premises and in multiple clouds

    - Detect previously uncovered threats and minimize false positives using analytics and unparalleled threat intelligence from Microsoft

    - Investigate threats with AI and hunt suspicious activities at scale, tapping into decades of cybersecurity work at Microsoft

    - Respond to incidents rapidly with built-in orchestration and automation of common tasks

    To learn more about our solution, ask questions, and share feedback, join our Microsoft Security, Compliance and Identity Community.

    ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) is a powerful SIEM solution for analyzing, collecting, correlating, and reporting on security event information. ArcSight ESM analyzes information from all of your data sources while helping your organization maintain high security. In addition, the solution is very customizable and enables users to create their own company-specific rule sets to automatically trigger instant alerts.

    ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) Features

    • Real-time threat detection
    • Visualization and reporting capabilities
    • Patented log management
    • Personalized dashboards
    • Scalable event monitoring
    • Seamless integration with your existing SOC tools
    • Behavior profiling
    • Data and user monitoring
    • Application monitoring
    • Analytics
    • Deployment/support simplicity

    ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) Benefits

    Some of the benefits of using ESM include:

    • Real-time information: ArcSight ESM can correlate data from any source in real-time to detect incidents before they become a breach.
    • Compliance: Optional compliance packs enable packaged reports for PCI, SOX, and IT Governance.
    • Security analytics: With ArcSight ESM, you can build and maintain a security operation center (SOC) through big data security analytics.
    • Integration: ArcSight ESM allows you to integrate SOC with network operations, service desk, CMDB, business intelligence, Hadoop, email security, application security, threat feeds, and more. 
    • Speed: ArcSight ESM provides excellent speed of event collection with patented log management tools. 
    • Advanced detection: ArcSight ESM can detect unusual or unauthorized activities as they occur, preventing business disruptions. 
    • Decrease threat exposure: By implementing ArcSight ESM, you reduce threat exposure because the solution detects threats in real time.  
    • Operational efficiency: ArcSight ESM makes it possible for you to automate responses with ArcSight’s native SOAR, which saves your organization time, and therefore increases your operational efficiency.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) users.

    A Head of Professional Services at a computer software company says, “The simplicity of the solution is the most valuable aspect of the product. The product is quite mature. It's been around for a long time. The integration is easy for the most part.”

    A Managing partner at a tech services company states that the solution is “Good at consolidating logs, fairly stable, and can scale.” 

    PeerSpot user Abbasi P., Vice President Derivatives Ops IT at a financial services firm, explains, “The user interfaces are quite good and speedy, and I like the consoles too. The typology and the setup are also good.”

    A Chief Technological Officer at a tech services company says, "It is a very useful tool for intelligence building because it has many use cases and many rule sets."

    An Associate Vice President at a consumer goods company comments, “We primarily use the solution for its technology including its independent logs, and those types of things. The solution offers very good monitoring. The product's log management and event management capabilities are excellent. There are a lot of really good analytical components. It helps us focus on analysis.”

    Splunk Enterprise Security is a SIEM, log management, and IT operations analytics tool. The solution provides users with the ability to secure their information and manage their data in the cloud, data centers, or other applications. Splunk Enterprise Security also offers visibility from different areas, levels, and devices, rather than from a single system, thus, providing its users with flexibility. Splunk Enterprise Security can monitor data and analyze, detect, and prevent intrusions. This benefits users as it provides alerts to possible intrusions, helps users to be proactive, and reduces risk factors. 

    Full visibility across your environment

    Break down data silos and gain actionable intelligence by ingesting data from multicloud and on-premises deployments. Get full visibility to quickly detect malicious threats in your environment.

    Fast threat detection

    Defend against threats with advanced security analytics, machine learning and threat intelligence that focus detection and provide high-fidelity alerts to shorten triage times and raise true positive rates.

    Efficient investigations

    Gather all the context you need and initiate flexible investigations with security analytics at your fingertips. The built-in open and extensible data platform boosts productivity and drives down fatigue.

    Open and scalable

    Built on an open and scalable data platform, you can stay agile in the face of evolving threats and business needs. Splunk meets you where you are on your cloud journey, and integrates across your data, tools and content.

    Sample Customers
    Microsoft Sentinel is trusted by companies of all sizes including ABM, ASOS, Uniper, First West Credit Union, Avanade, and more.
    Lake Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bank AlJazira, Banca Intesa, and Obrela.
    Splunk has more than 7,000 customers spread across over 90 countries. These customers include Telenor, UniCredit, ideeli, McKenney's, Tesco, and SurveyMonkey.
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm22%
    Computer Software Company11%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Comms Service Provider8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company16%
    Financial Services Firm10%
    Government9%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm33%
    Comms Service Provider19%
    Computer Software Company17%
    Insurance Company5%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm18%
    Computer Software Company12%
    Manufacturing Company9%
    Government9%
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company19%
    Financial Services Firm15%
    Government10%
    Energy/Utilities Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm15%
    Computer Software Company14%
    Government9%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business33%
    Midsize Enterprise21%
    Large Enterprise47%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise16%
    Large Enterprise60%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business32%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise54%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business22%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise63%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business31%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise57%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business19%
    Midsize Enterprise13%
    Large Enterprise68%
    Buyer's Guide
    ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) vs. Splunk Enterprise Security
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) vs. Splunk Enterprise Security and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    763,955 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) is ranked 11th in Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) with 23 reviews while Splunk Enterprise Security is ranked 2nd in Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) with 65 reviews. ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) is rated 7.8, while Splunk Enterprise Security is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) writes "A rock solid, stable solution with a nearly bulletproof correlation engine ". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Splunk Enterprise Security writes "Can be used to find any threats or vulnerabilities inside a user’s environment". ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) is most compared with ArcSight Intelligence, Trellix ESM, IBM Security QRadar, AWS Security Hub and Elastic Security, whereas Splunk Enterprise Security is most compared with Wazuh, Dynatrace, IBM Security QRadar, Elastic Security and Azure Monitor. See our ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) vs. Splunk Enterprise Security report.

    See our list of best Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) vendors.

    We monitor all Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.