FortiSIEM vs Splunk

March 07, 2025 | Author: Michael Stromann
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FortiSIEM
FortiSIEM brings together visibility, correlation, automated response, and remediation in a single, scalable solution.
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Splunk
We make machine data accessible, usable and valuable to everyone—no matter where it comes from. You see servers and devices, apps and logs, traffic and clouds. We see data—everywhere. Splunk offers the leading platform for Operational Intelligence. It enables the curious to look closely at what others ignore—machine data—and find what others never see: insights that can help make your company more productive, profitable, competitive and secure.

FortiSIEM and Splunk, at first glance, appear to be two large, complex creatures that exist to make sense of the chaotic and deeply suspicious world of cybersecurity. They both watch over networks with the kind of intense scrutiny usually reserved for suspicious-looking strangers at intergalactic customs. They crunch logs, analyze threats and generally try to figure out if something terrible is happening before it turns into something even worse. If a rogue AI, an overenthusiastic intern or an unusually determined hacker tries to cause trouble, both systems will dutifully sound the alarm—though whether anyone listens is, of course, an entirely separate matter.

FortiSIEM, born in 2009 under the watchful eye of AccelOps (and later adopted by Fortinet), is a network security aficionado with a penchant for asset discovery and performance monitoring. It enjoys long walks through firewalls and has a suspiciously close relationship with Fortinet’s other security tools, which is either a strategic advantage or mild nepotism. Compared to its counterparts, it’s known for being a bit more affordable, particularly for mid-sized organizations that would rather not sell a kidney to fund their security operations. It is, in many ways, the sensible choice for those who want solid SIEM capabilities without being buried under a mountain of unnecessary complexity.

Splunk, on the other hand, predates FortiSIEM by several years, having been born in 2003 with a mission to make sense of vast amounts of data—security-related or otherwise. While it later developed a strong security focus, it retains a soft spot for big data analytics, log aggregation and generally poking around in anything that looks remotely like a dataset. Splunk’s unique language (SPL) allows users to summon insights from the depths of their data ocean, provided they know the correct incantations. It’s highly customizable, immensely powerful and frequently found lurking in large enterprises, where its ability to scale matches its ability to generate eye-watering invoices.

See also: Top 10 SIEM software
Author: Michael Stromann
Michael is an expert in IT Service Management, IT Security and software development. With his extensive experience as a software developer and active involvement in multiple ERP implementation projects, Michael brings a wealth of practical knowledge to his writings. Having previously worked at SAP, he has honed his expertise and gained a deep understanding of software development and implementation processes. Currently, as a freelance developer, Michael continues to contribute to the IT community by sharing his insights through guest articles published on several IT portals. You can contact Michael by email stromann@liventerprise.com