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Amazon CloudWatch vs ArcSight Logger comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024

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

Amazon CloudWatch
Ranking in Log Management
13th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
46
Ranking in other categories
Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability (13th), Cloud Monitoring Software (10th)
ArcSight Logger
Ranking in Log Management
30th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Log Management category, the mindshare of Amazon CloudWatch is 2.0%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ArcSight Logger is 0.8%, down from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Log Management
 

Featured Reviews

Rasanpreet Singh - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable AWS monitoring and logging
The choice of logging solution should always be determined by the specific business requirements. It is crucial to align the logging strategy with what type of logs are needed and how they should be used. There are instances where we require custom solutions to retrieve logs, especially application logs that may not be easily accessible through CloudWatch or similar services. When we heavily rely on AWS native services, CloudWatch is indeed a robust choice. However, in certain scenarios, we might need integration capabilities with other tools, and if they can incorporate such features, it would enhance overall logging capabilities. I would rate it eight out of ten.
Geraldo Freitas - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhances our security incident investigation but not good for correlation
Investigation is good when you know what you want to search for in Logger. The most difficult part is parsing the logs and configuring the parsers. For investigation, it's good. For correlation, it's not good. We use Sentinel, and Sentinel has pre-built use cases that are much easier to configure. So, it enhances our security incident investigation. We have inbound integration, but configuring the parsers is sometimes very difficult. We only have two use cases where we have a correlation set up. We send the information to Check Point to block IP addresses when we see a lot of blocks from the same source. We have a trigger. So, Logger automatically blocks these IP addresses. We could have Logger put them on a blacklist. So, it offers the ease of integration.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable features of Amazon CloudWatch are metrics, dashboards, alarms, logs, events, logs insight, and application insights."
"The most valuable feature of Amazon CloudWatch is intrusion prevention."
"The detection is the most valuable feature."
"The most valuable feature of Amazon CloudWatch is its ease of use and logs. You do not have to go to each separate system to see the logs, such as Syslog and they are located in one dashboard GUI."
"The solution effectively monitors golden signals like CPU, page requests, and queues."
"Every time we get an alarm or have an incident, CloudWatch is always there. We use it not only for resources we've spun up in the cloud, but also for some of our on-premises resources."
"CloudWatch immediately hooks up and connects to the KPIs and all the metrics."
"The solution is easy to use."
"It's a robust, mature product and you can do some really complex operations and analytics."
"The most valuable feature is the level of detail that you can see about certain events, even when they do not come up in the console."
"ArcSight's robustness is its most valuable feature."
"The ESM use cases are the most valuable. It enables us to use the big data collection inside our company. We are able to create use cases for whatever it suits and I find that the most interesting part of any SIEM solution."
"It provides in-depth information on business activities once we log into the system."
"The machine learning is a good feature."
"We check a lot of logs in ArcSight Logger because we're running a massive database platform."
"We haven't had any crashes or bugs. It is stable."
 

Cons

"Better reporting is always something needed. That could be an answer to just about anything. But you always want better reporting, better dashboards, things that are just more dynamic and more accessible."
"It is hard to configure; it is not a straightforward tool."
"The monitoring part and GUI are areas in Amazon CloudWatch that have shortcomings currently and can be considered for improvements in the future."
"There is room for improvement in the pricing, because they have a premium version, but it's not really a premium version. It's just an enhanced monitoring version, and it can be a bit expensive depending on your usage."
"It's not an advanced way of monitoring."
"Incorporating a straightforward method or a plug-and-play solution for integrating these databases with our systems, facilitating smooth data transfer, and enabling the creation of dashboards for monitoring and analysis would be beneficial."
"For monitoring applications or for APM, CloudWatch has some limitations. You cannot monitor application performance from CloudWatch, and you have to go for a third-party tool."
"What would make Amazon CloudWatch better is if it includes more on-site checks, particularly status checks on the CPU, network input/output, etc. It would also be helpful if there's built-in swap space, disk, and memory monitoring in Amazon CloudWatch because, at the moment, my team has to configure it manually through a shell script."
"It would be better if the product is cheaper."
"It's not a new product and is a bit complex. So, it requires a person dedicated to working on it and to know about it in and out. It is a huge product, and the search operation is a bit complicated for a new user or someone who has not used it for long. So for that person, it becomes a bit difficult."
"Using the ArcSight Logger dashboard is not particularly intuitive or efficient, so it is important to be trained in its use."
"I had some latency issues for two months. I had to increase our storage capacity significantly to reduce the latency."
"The solution could be improved in maintenance settings."
"I think the ArcSight team should try to simplify legacy products for the customers, because that product is not easy to use or to work with. It needs more more competency or appeal to use. We hope Micro Focus is trying to resolve this."
"We have had problems with archiving."
"You have limited reporting capabilities and I wouldn't choose ArcSight Logger for this purpose."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price is okay for me."
"Its pricing is reasonable. It is sometimes tricky, but it is reasonable as compared to others."
"We have monthly licensing costs. The licenses are probably in the vicinity of about $300 - $350/month."
"It’s an open-source solution."
"The pricing model is pay-as-you-go so you have to be mindful of usage to manage costs."
"The product's cost is relatively inexpensive."
"The tool is not expensive."
"The solution is expensive."
"It's not cheap at all as it's a big product and has been in the market for quite some time now."
"ArcSight is an expensive solution."
"The pricing is quite harsh."
"We have a lifetime license, so we don't pay a monthly fee."
"I would rate the product a seven out of ten since it's an enterprise product."
"Pricing is reasonable compared to similar tools on the market. They offer perpetual licenses."
"I rate the product’s pricing a seven out of ten, where one is inexpensive, and ten is expensive."
"ArcSight Logger is very expensive compared to their competitors, but when we talk to the customer and explain what the features are and how we can scale, they understand. Still, ArcSight is more expensive than the competition."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
17%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Real Estate/Law Firm
5%
Financial Services Firm
20%
Computer Software Company
17%
Government
9%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Amazon CloudWatch?
Amazon CloudWatch charges more for custom metrics as well as for changes in the timeline, which I see as a disadvantage given the price.
What needs improvement with Amazon CloudWatch?
Amazon CloudWatch charges extra for custom metrics, which is a significant disadvantage. Another aspect that needs improvement is the look and feel of custom dashboards, which currently do not matc...
What do you like most about ArcSight Logger?
We have a trigger. So, Logger automatically blocks these IP addresses. We could have Logger put them on a blacklist.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ArcSight Logger?
The pricing isn't the problem. We have a lifetime license, so we don't pay a monthly fee.
What needs improvement with ArcSight Logger?
The solution has room for improvement. We're currently upgrading to the newer version, where they have something like Kafka, a hub for all solutions feeding information into Logger. However, I thin...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Micro Focus Arcsight Logger, HPE Arcsight Logger
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

AirAsia, Airbnb, Aircel, APUS, Avazu, Casa & Video, Futbol Club Barcelona (FCBarcelona), National Taiwan University, redBus
China Merchants Bank, Bank AlJazira, Banca Intesa
Find out what your peers are saying about Amazon CloudWatch vs. ArcSight Logger and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
851,471 professionals have used our research since 2012.