Event Log Management refers to the comprehensive process of consolidation of network-wide generated event logs in a central repository, archiving of current and historical event logs to keep them readily available for future reference, event log filtration for requirement-centric browsing and report generation to ensure comprehensive event log tracking and identify critical events.
Being a crucial source of details required to avoid security threats, legal hassles, network breaches and system damage, event logs need to be tracked and managed.
Depending on the organization and network size, event log management may become more challenging as well as demanding for the network administrator. For example, event logs indicating any login failure may have many aspects, such as it may be just a simple logon failure or an attempt towards unauthorized access of organizational data or information theft. In such a situation, to decide on the actual threat, event logs need to be managed so that required ones can be browsed and accessed whenever required. This is just a glimpse; have a look at these requirements to understand the significance of event log management:
- An administrator needs to stay informed about critical events so that activities affecting system health and security can be identified and immediate action can be taken.
- There are times when any forensic investigation may require historical event logs immediately. In the absence of an effective event log management system, it is not possible to get the required historical event logs on such short notice.
- In organizations where customers’ confidential details or credit card details are kept or processed, keeping a check on event logs may help to avoid any fraudulent activity.
- For system troubleshooting, the administrator may require event logs to identify the process or activity which caused the problem. Well-managed event logs help the administrator to reduce the detection time and resolve the issue at the earliest.
- Compliance upholding is something that any organization cannot compromise with. Event log management makes it possible to uphold compliance by fulfilling all auditing and event log retention requirements defined by various regulatory bodies. Moreover, comprehensive reports generated on HIPPA, GLBA, PCI, FISMA, and SOX compliances help to ensure the fulfillment of these regulations.
Working with event logs usually becomes a tedious errand for most, because in most cases it is such chaos that system admins wish they could avoid tracking events. It is considered so cumbersome, tiring and painstaking to search among zillions of logs using the event viewer and shuffle among systems one by one to ensure complete security.
Lepide Event Log Manager for Windows computers
Lepide Event Log Manager (LELM) collects network-wide events and presents them in an easy way to make log comprehension and compliance settlement simpler. It offers a freeware version as well as a paid enterprise version. The freeware version collects Windows event logs from a range of systems, identifies them, and also generates alerts for critical events with partial information. It helps Sort, Filter, Save, Delete and Refresh events from a centralized platform.
Here are some of the features of the Lepide Event Log Manager Freeware version:
LELM is easy to install. Just follow the few simple installation steps and the software is ready to take care of all event log tracking worries. Once LELM is installed, all one needs to do is configure a database to store event logs for computers and event types one needs to track. LELM lists all SQL servers available on the network; you just have to select the required SQL server and configure a database on it. Lepide Event Log Manager provides the facility to configure event log collection criteria, which gives the privilege to track event logs only for the required time. It helps to avoid duplicate and unnecessary event logs from getting piled up in the database.
The facility to view Compliance reports is really an appreciable feature of LELM and makes ensuring compliance easy before. Simply select the required or all computers and time period and view reports for HIPAA, PCI, FISMA, GLBA and SOX.
The free software keeps you aware of critical events that may somehow affect system health, network security, or compliance upholding. To keep you aware of critical events, an alert facility is available; alerts can be created for events that are potentially critical.
The enterprise version provides better assimilation of features and bestows the capability to manage them efficiently to completely eradicate security and compliance violation threats.
Lepide Event Log Manager is available in two versions: Freeware and Enterprise edition. You just need to fill up a few details and click on the Download button to start downloading the software. However, before you proceed to download software on your machine, be sure that your system meets these minimum system requirements:
- 2 GB RAM
- Disk space as per database size (2 GB minimum)
- Prerequisites: Microsoft .NET Framework 4, SQL Server (located anywhere in the network)
- Supports all recent versions of the following platforms: Windows Server, Windows OS, VMWare, SQL Server.
To install the software you need to execute the following steps:
- Double-click on Setup.exe and Run the software.
- Lepide Event Log Manager Setup wizard opens up.
- Select “I accept the agreement” checkbox and click “Next” to continue.
- Browse and specify the destination location, where the software will be installed. Click Next.
- Select additional tasks (optional) and click Next.
- The setup wizard now has enough information to start the installation process. Click “Install” to start the installation.
- After the installation process gets completed, “Completing the Lepide Event Log Manager Setup Wizard” message appears.
- Click “Finish” button to launch the software.
Features of the software:
- Built-in comprehensive reports for regulatory compliance.
- Real-time alerts to notify Administrators of critical events.
- Centralize platform to collect, browse and view network-wide event logs.
- Out-of-the-box reports covering all aspects of Windows event log reporting.
- Allows you to analyze event patterns to get fore-warning on possible system crash to ensure high uptime.
- Gives a significant advantage over native Windows event viewers as it not only allows you to view but also manage event logs.
Key functions of the software can be summarized as:
- Helps administrators overcome all problems encountered in managing event logs in a large organization.
- Helps to sustain compliance and overcome legal hassles by offering out-of-the-box reports for HIPAA, GLBA, FISMA, PCI and SOX compliance.
- Supports comprehensive monitoring and real-time alerts on critical events concerning system health, compliance violation, and security issues.
- Provides a centralized platform to view Windows event logs for registered systems and also provides the option of requirement-centric event browsing.
Limitations of Freeware version
The Freeware version of Lepide Event Log Manager is completely free and allows you to avail of its features without paying any license fee. However, the free version comes with certain limitations:
- Supports a maximum of 10 computers for event log collection and analysis.
- Does not support W3C event collection.
- Supports event log archiving for a maximum of 30 days.
- Does not support saving compliance reports.
- No schedule report feature.
- Allows creating a maximum of 3 alerts on Event Id and Event source.
- Technical support through web forum only.
Lepide Event Log Manager Free Download
The freeware version of Lepide Event Log Manager can be downloaded from HERE.
Go here if you are looking for more Free Event Log Managers.
