What is Log Management?

What is Log Management?

Log management is the process of collecting, storing, analyzing, and retaining system activity records to detect security incidents, troubleshoot issues, and support compliance audits. Logs provide a chronological record of events across servers, applications, network devices, and security tools.

What gets logged

Effective log management covers:

• Authentication events — successful and failed login attempts, password changes, MFA challenges
• Authorization events — access grants, denials, privilege escalations
• System events — configuration changes, service starts and stops, errors
• Network events — firewall decisions, DNS queries, connection attempts
• Application events — user actions, API calls, data access patterns
• Security events — malware detections, vulnerability scan results, intrusion alerts

Log management in compliance frameworks

• SOC 2 — CC7.1 through CC7.4 require monitoring, detection, and response capabilities that depend on logging
• ISO 27001 — A.8.15 (logging) and A.8.16 (monitoring activities) address log collection and analysis
• HIPAA — the Security Rule requires audit controls to record and examine activity in systems containing ePHI
• PCI DSS — Requirement 10 mandates logging and monitoring all access to network resources and cardholder data
• NIST CSF — DE.CM (continuous monitoring) and DE.AE (anomaly detection) rely on log data

Best practices

• Centralize logs in a SIEM or log aggregation platform for correlation and analysis
• Set retention periods that meet both compliance requirements and operational needs (typically 90 days to one year)
• Protect log integrity with immutable storage or tamper-evident mechanisms
• Establish alerting rules for high-risk events like failed authentication spikes or unauthorized access attempts
• Regularly review and tune logging to ensure coverage without excessive noise

How episki helps

episki documents log management policies, tracks retention schedules, and links logging controls to evidence for audit readiness. Learn more on our compliance platform.