AlienVault has emerged to be a leader in the security information and event management (SIEM) space in recent years, thanks to its open-source and commercial offerings.
In a video interview with eWEEK, AlienVault CTO Roger Thornton explains how the term SIEM only really refers to part of what his company’s technologies offer. AlienVault is the lead sponsor behind the Open Source Security Information Management (OSSIM) platform, on which the AlienVault Unified Security Management (USM) commercial product is built.
AlienVault updated both OSSIM and USM to version 4.5 in February. The company has raised $62 million in funding to date to fuel its efforts.
AlienVault makes hardware, virtual and cloud-based appliances to deliver its technology, Thornton said.
“Inside the appliance is the ability to do asset inventory, vulnerability scanning, intrusion detection and log collection from external sources,” he said.
Among the big drivers for adoption of AlienVault’s products is the need for compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). Compliance is a driver because it helps customers get the funding required to get the AlienVault product up and running, Thornton said.
“We have a selling model where we try to sell directly to the practitioner,” Thornton said. “By selling directly to the practitioner, we’re generally dealing with someone that cares more about security than compliance, but for us and them, the compliance stuff is what allows them to get budget.”
Watch the full video interview with Roger Thornton below:
Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at eWEEK and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.