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AlienVault OSSIM vs IBM Watson for Cyber Security comparison

AT&T and IBM are both solutions in the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) category. AT&T is ranked #12 with an average rating of 7.4, while IBM is ranked #58. AT&T holds a 2.6% mindshare in SIEM, compared to IBM’s 0.4% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of AT&T users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of IBM users who would recommend it.
AlienVault OSSIM
Read 31 AlienVault OSSIM reviews
  • 4,632 Views
  • 4,539 Comparison Views
80% willing to recommend
IBM Watson for Cyber Security
Read 4 IBM Watson for Cyber Security reviews
  • 517 Views
  • 486 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 18, 2024

IBM Watson for Cyber Security and AlienVault OSSIM compete in the cybersecurity market. IBM Watson appears to have the upper hand due to its advanced analytics and threat intelligence, whereas AlienVault OSSIM is favored for its comprehensive integration of open-source security tools.

Features: IBM Watson is renowned for its AI capabilities, high threat detection accuracy, and sophisticated analytics. AlienVault OSSIM integrates multiple open-source security tools, offers a robust overall security solution, and provides broad toolset integration.

Room for Improvement: Users of IBM Watson seek more streamlined AI algorithms, reduced deployment complexity, and better user interface. AlienVault OSSIM users want enhanced reporting features, improved scalability, and more intuitive user interface.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Watson is noted for its challenging deployment process but receives positive feedback for its customer service. AlienVault OSSIM offers a relatively simpler deployment experience but has mixed reviews about customer support.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Watson involves higher initial setup costs but offers strong ROI due to advanced capabilities. AlienVault OSSIM has a more budget-friendly setup cost and delivers good ROI through its comprehensive security features.

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To learn more, read our detailed AlienVault OSSIM vs. IBM Watson for Cyber Security Report (Updated: September 2025).
Buyer's Guide
AlienVault OSSIM vs. IBM Watson for Cyber Security
September 2025
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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

AlienVault OSSIM
Ranking in Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
12th
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
IBM Watson for Cyber Security
Ranking in Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
58th
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) category, the mindshare of AlienVault OSSIM is 2.6%, down from 4.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Watson for Cyber Security is 0.4%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
AlienVault OSSIM2.6%
IBM Watson for Cyber Security0.4%
Other97.0%
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
 

Featured Reviews

HarshBhardiya - PeerSpot reviewer
An open-source solution that provide good detection and more visibility
The solution is not scalable. It impacts so hard. In the initial stages, AlienVault OSSIM can be suitable for small environments. There may be limitations if the customer expresses a desire to expand and add more devices. In such cases, we would need to either explore additional solutions or work within the constraints of the existing setup. We have set up alerts and configured everything in AlienVault OSSIM. It actively monitors for any security incidents. It provides us with regular updates and notifications about any ongoing activities. Only one person is using the solution. It is the perfect solution for small businesses. I rate the solution’s scalability a three out of ten.
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Elena Stefanovska - PeerSpot reviewer
Knowledgeable support, reliable, and useful compliance policies
IBM Watson for Cyber Security can be deployed on-premise or in the cloud and it is used as a SIEM solution The most valuable features of IBM Watson for Cyber Security are ease of use and out-of-the-box reports and compliance policies. Additionally, if there are aspects that are missing IBM add…
Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The paid version of the solution has reporting and better scalability options."
"Network traffic analysis is highly efficient."
"You pay monthly for the solution. I think it's one of the best products. If you compare with other companies, like LogRhythm, etc., the top 8 or 10 CMs, I think Alien Vault has the best price-performance ratio."
"The most valuable features of this solution are the data correlation and vulnerability assessment."
"Inbuilt IDS, inbuilt integration with threat intelligence platform and with vulnerability assessment modules."
"The solution is free to use."
"OSSIM is the only solution that includes the large number of modules that we need: a vulnerability scanner, a network IDS system, a host IDS system."
"The solution is very stable. Compared to Qradar and Splunk, it's very stable."
More AlienVault OSSIM pros
"The most valuable feature of this product is innovation, where the research and upgrading of technology never ends."
"The customer support is very good."
"The most valuable features of IBM Watson for Cyber Security are ease of use and out-of-the-box reports and compliance policies. Additionally, if there are aspects that are missing IBM add them in the next release."
"IBM Watson for Cyber Security is very stable."
 

Cons

"AlienVault OSSIM could improve by having better integration with some of the newer tools."
"The correlation engine needs to be improved."
"There are somewhat more false positives with the user behavior analytics, which could benefit from an additional machine learning model to detect user patterns more rapidly."
"It takes some time. It does not give me a prompt response for any such [malicious] traffic. It takes time to get that alert from the AlienVault system."
"The documentation could be improved."
"I don't like to work on OSSIM because it is unpredictable."
"I would like the solution to be able to integrate with my firewall, my IDS and my Honeypot solutions so that it can provide real-time reporting as things occur and then have alert sent to me on my phone when suspicious activity is happening."
"The solution needs more integration with cyber intelligence systems."
More AlienVault OSSIM cons
"In the future, I would like to see threat intelligence included."
"They need to continue to build the AI capabilities."
"This is an expensive product, so making it more cost-effective would be an improvement."
"The dashboard could improve in IBM Watson for Cyber Security."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"AlienVault OSSIM is free."
"The price of AlienVault OSSIM is too high sometimes for us to present to our customers. The price should be lower. We are on a three-year license to use the solution. We had to pay extra for the support."
"The licensing fees for the non-community edition are paid on an annual basis, and there are no costs in addition to this."
"I used the paid version of the tool and found it to be expensive. It has been a while since I changed to Securonix. I will have to check whether AlienVault charges per device, user, or log."
"OSSIM is open source, and USM is the paid license. So, if you want, you can switch to USM. There you will have to buy a license, and they have a support team that helps you out on issues you face."
"We are using the community version, which can be used for free."
"AlienVault pricing is the best. Whatever cost you are paying, you are getting a return on every penny... It's not like your IBM, your QRadar, or Splunk, where the cost is too high."
"OSSIM is free."
More AlienVault OSSIM pricing and cost advice
"IBM Watson for Cyber Security is very simple to license and is priced well."
"The price of this solution should be lower, although I understand why IBM charges a premium price."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
12%
University
8%
Educational Organization
8%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise8
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about AlienVault OSSIM?
Asset discovery is good.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AlienVault OSSIM?
It depends. I would need to review their cost models, but generally, they are on a scaled basis based on throughput usage. Because it's a software as a service solution for their core product for U...
See all answers
What needs improvement with AlienVault OSSIM?
Scaling for USM is always challenging for any product unless it is purpose-built or overbuilt at the front end. They will use Palo Alto and its competitors, and LevelBlue will manage that implement...
See all answers
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Compared 5% of the time
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Compared 4% of the time
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Compared 30% of the time
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Compared 18% of the time
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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
AlienVault OSSIM
October 2025
AlienVault OSSIM reportDownload AlienVault OSSIM product report
Buyer's Guide
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
September 2025
IBM Watson for Cyber Security reportDownload IBM Watson for Cyber Security product report
 

Also Known As

OSSIM
No data available
 

Overview

AlienVault OSSIM, Open Source Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), provides you with a feature-rich open source SIEM complete with event collection, normalization and correlation. Launched by security engineers because of the lack of available open source products, AlienVault OSSIM was created specifically to address the reality many security professionals face: A SIEM, whether it is open source or commercial, is virtually useless without the basic security controls necessary for security visibility.

AT&T
Watson for cyber security can draw security intelligence from millions of security blogs, online forums and white papers - so you can see threats unseen by other systems.
IBM
 

Sample Customers

Council Rock School District
Information Not Available
Buyer's Guide
AlienVault OSSIM vs. IBM Watson for Cyber Security
September 2025
Free Report: AlienVault OSSIM vs. IBM Watson for Cyber Security
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We monitor all Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.