CITIZENS & NORTHERN BANK
IMPLEMENTED A LOG MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM TO ADDRESS COMPLIANCE
CONCERNS, BUT FOUND THE SYSTEM
PROVIDED ADDITIONAL BENEFITS.
BY PETE BOERGERMANN
WITH THE ADVENT OF WEB 2.0 AND CLOUD computing, organizations across all industries are drowning in data. While this data explosion presents logistical challenges from a data management perspective, it also offers a wealth of opportunities for organizations
that are able to leverage this information effectively.
A number of advanced analytics techniques are emerging
in the business intelligence field, but many organizations
overlook the most basic—and vital—aspect of successfully
leveraging data for a competitive advantage: collecting and
retaining all your log data.
At Citizens & Northern Bank, based in Wellsboro, Pa.,
we use a log management system to ensure the collection and
retention of all our syslog data. We purchased our log management suite from LogLogic in 2006 with the intention of
using it as a fail-safe for compliance purposes. Since then,
we’ve discovered a wealth of other ways to leverage the data
stored in our logs and ensure maximum ROI. Here they are:
Streamlining IT operations: One of the greatest benefits
of using a log management system is being able to automate
the collection of all your syslog data from various systems.
We have 24 branches, and all of them have their own routers
and switches.
In the past, we had to log on to each system manually and
gather all the log information we needed. Now that information is collected in a single, searchable Web-based interface,
saving our IT team countless hours in the process. In a typical
week, we spend approximately 30 to 60 minutes checking
the logs. Without our log management appliance, the same
process used to take several hours each week.
Event management: Many executives do not realize that
log management systems can also be used for SIEM (
security, information and event management). We recently had
an event in which our log management system saved our IT
team considerable time.
One of our servers started pumping out 14,000 events
per minute on the network. Our log management applica-
tion allowed us to identify the affected server quickly and fix
the problem. Otherwise, it would have been a tedious and
time-consuming process of searching more than 150 servers.
Our log management suite allowed us to restore the network
performance to normal levels, and our business operations
continued with minimal interruption.
Pete Boergermann is assistant vice president and technical support
manager at Citizens & Northern Bank, based in Wellsboro, Pa.
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