

VMware Aria Operations for Logs and Cribl compete in log management and data routing solutions. Cribl seems to have the upper hand due to its flexibility in data routing and cost-efficient log optimization.
Features: VMware Aria Operations for Logs offers integration with the VMware ecosystem, descriptive event analysis, and infrastructure-specific insights to enhance troubleshooting. It supports automation, capacity planning, and VMware product log correlation. Cribl provides data routing and log optimization through Cribl Stream and Edge, along with an intuitive UI and extensive multi-vendor integration.
Room for Improvement: VMware Aria Operations for Logs needs improvements in log partition management, VM failover without restarting, dashboard consistency, and third-party integration. Cribl could enhance performance under large-scale data ingestion, metrics handling, and debugging capabilities, along with better documentation.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: VMware Aria Operations for Logs is reliable on-premises, supported by excellent engineering, but often needs escalation, showing a decline in response time satisfaction. Cribl's deployment across on-prem, hybrid, and cloud settings is straightforward, yet customer support responsiveness requires improvement.
Pricing and ROI: VMware Aria Operations for Logs is cost-effective in VMware environments but expensive otherwise, with favorable ROI when replacing third-party tools. Cribl is more cost-effective, notably cheaper than Splunk, with strong long-term savings through data efficiencies, albeit having a substantial initial investment barrier for smaller companies.
What we've seen is really an overall reduction of just shy of 40% in our ingest into our SIM platform versus prior to having Cribl.
The second thing is that data aggregation, sampling, and reduction that we're able to do of the data, lowering our overall data volume, both traversing the network as well as what's being stored inside of our final solutions.
In terms of reduction, we were able to save almost ~40% of our total cost.
They had extensive expertise with the product and were able to facilitate everything we needed.
Usually, within an hour, we get a response, and we are able to work with them back and forth until we resolve the issues.
Sometimes by hearing the problem itself, they will know what the solution is, and they will let us know how to resolve it, and we do it immediately.
While support staff is knowledgeable, getting access to specialists can be challenging when dealing with the limits of a product.
Customer service and support have declined.
I did not need technical support because I am a professional with VMware.
The infrastructure behind Cribl Search is also scalable as it uses a CPU and just spawns horizontally more instances as it demands and requires.
Compared to other SIEM tools I use, any slight change on the operating system end impacts a lot on our SIEM tools and other things, but Cribl performs well in that regard.
Cribl performs effectively across both market segments.
Since payment is based on hardware, scalability impacts are managed more effectively than with other tools paid by data volume.
It's relatively easy to find individuals with the skills to work with VMware because it is a widely spread tool.
Migrating from those SC4S servers to Cribl worker nodes has truly been a game-changer.
Regarding scalability, we started with zero servers and have around 285 servers now.
Cribl is designed to deal with certain kinds of loads and is not designed to handle any scenario in the market.
Managing a lot of data involves reliance on hardware and network performance, which are external factors that can affect stability.
It has been very stable, and every time I needed it, it was available and working.
VMware as a whole provides very stable tools.
A more stringent role-based access control feature would enhance security and allow granular control over what users can see and access.
When passing query logs or DNS logs, if certain malicious query patterns need to be identified or if fast-flux attacks are happening, Cribl can report that and those would definitely be a plus for them.
I would advise others looking to implement Cribl that if they are evolving Cribl Search, it would be very interesting to see more capability, more flexibility, and more ways to share the data similar to Splunk.
It would be beneficial to have a roadmap for these dashboards to ensure consistent functionality.
There is also dissatisfaction with Broadcom's broader attitude, which is prompting me to search for alternatives.
VMware Aria Operations for Logs is not a cost-effective tool.
Over time, the licensing cost has increased.
It was cheaper than the Splunk license.
Splunk is more expensive, and Cribl appears to be more affordable.
Splunk, often paid by the terabytes, becomes expensive quickly if not managed carefully.
The price has risen significantly, and for smaller customers, the cost can be up to ten times more than before.
VMware comes with a lot of packages, however, it remains too expensive.
The data reduction and preprocessing capabilities make Cribl really unique.
Cribl has a feature called JSON Unroll or Unroll function that allows you to differentiate the events; each event will come ingested as a single log instead of piling it up with multiple events.
The Cribl UI is very simple and easy to use, particularly when working with data from various sources; it makes it very easy to create pipelines, add complex logic to those pipelines, and then gives you a preview of what your data looks like before applying that pipeline and what you get after.
This tool also provides greater insight when integrated with VMware infrastructure, making it more precise than other tools.
The most valuable features are log centralization and long-term retention for logs.
A valuable feature of VMware Aria Operations for Logs is its ability to allow personalization of dashboards and requests.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Cribl | 2.7% |
| VMware Aria Operations for Logs | 1.4% |
| Other | 95.9% |

| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 34 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 6 |
| Large Enterprise | 34 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 7 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 9 |
| Large Enterprise | 12 |
Cribl offers advanced data transformation and routing with features such as data reduction, plugin configurations, and log collection within a user-friendly framework supporting various deployments, significantly reducing data volumes and costs.
Cribl is designed to streamline data management, offering real-time data transformation and efficient log management. It supports seamless SIEM migration, enabling organizations to optimize costs associated with platforms like Splunk through data trimming. The capability to handle multiple data destinations and compression eases log control. With flexibility across on-prem, cloud, or hybrid environments, Cribl provides an adaptable interface that facilitates quick data model replication. While it significantly reduces data volumes, enhancing overall efficiency, there are areas for improvement, including compatibility with legacy systems and integration with enterprise products. Organizations can enhance their operational capabilities through certification opportunities and explore added functionalities tailored towards specific industry needs.
What are Cribl's most important features?Cribl sees extensive use in industries prioritizing efficient data management and cost optimization. Organizations leverage its capabilities to connect between different data sources, including cloud environments, improving both data handling and storage efficiency. Its customization options appeal to firms needing specific industry compliance and operational enhancements.
Manage data at scale with centralized log management, deep operational visibility and intelligent analytics for troubleshooting and auditing across private, hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
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