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USM Anywhere vs syslog-ng 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

syslog-ng
Ranking in Log Management
17th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
3.2
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
USM Anywhere
Ranking in Log Management
29th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
115
Ranking in other categories
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) (29th), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (40th), Compliance Management (14th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2026, in the Log Management category, the mindshare of syslog-ng is 1.3%, down from 2.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of USM Anywhere is 1.3%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Log Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
syslog-ng1.3%
USM Anywhere1.3%
Other97.4%
Log Management
 

Featured Reviews

OC
IT Infrastructure & Cloud Security Manager at Thux
Has ensured compliance by centralizing log data and supporting secure connections
We currently do not use that feature. We currently have just an open-source release, not a premium release. My boss has indicated that he wants to buy a premium syslog-ng version next month. I think we can use other features of this tool in the future. In syslog-ng, I think a GUI would be beneficial. I am unsure if the premium module has a GUI to administer it.
Kris Nawani - PeerSpot reviewer
Co-Founder/Director at Bangkok MSP Company Limited
Offers complete coverage without the need to install additional software
USM Anywhere is used for threat detection and investigation. It provides a solution with built-in threat intelligence and various other investigation tools The solution offers complete coverage without the need to install additional software, as it is maintained by the vendor. It helps in saving…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"For us, the most valuable feature is the use of compound search for searching logs at a specific time, by a specific user, or specific behavior."
"Syslog-ng has built-in features that we can use to create alerts for a SIEM solution. It isn't a true SIEM solution, but it's sufficient for the time being."
"Syslog-ng provides easy access to all my logs. It helps me show managers and other clients precisely where an incident occurred. I also like it because you can integrate syslog-ng with multiple solutions to allow real-time monitoring."
"The ability to extract and store the logs is the most valuable feature of syslog-ng."
"We chose syslog-ng because it is easy to install, easy to maintain, easy to update, and due to the fact that all data arrive in raw format, we can manipulate it as we want."
"What I appreciate most about syslog-ng is its configuration; its C-style config is much easier to understand, read, and write than other popular solutions such as syslog or rsyslog."
"Syslog-ng has a separate config file in addition to the core configuration."
"AlienVault provides us with a very easy to use, central spot to view log files, and take appropriate action."
"Here we can get file integrity monitoring and a vulnerability assessment tool together with SIEM."
"We have benefited greatly due to gaining the visibility we need for different instances."
"Customer Service: The customer service is excellent, we have quick and knowledgeable help on all our calls."
"All of these features combined create a compelling "one-stop" package for a business that needs security monitoring and analytics."
"AlienVault has provided a nice, unified system for monitoring and reporting."
"From my perspective, it saves me about two to seven hours weekly, as now I can easily check in one place all the logs and data in relation to attacks, and it also gives me an overview if a server is not configured properly."
"The most useful feature is the customization for alarms, alerts, and reports."
 

Cons

"It's hard to find people who know how to use syslog-ng. I often find problems with configurations, and solutions aren't integrated correctly with syslog-ng. For example, there might be data with extra decimals, or the collector agents are incorrectly named. It isn't a problem with the solution; it's a lack of professionals."
"The filtering has room for improvement."
"In syslog-ng, I think a GUI would be beneficial. I am unsure if the premium module has a GUI to administer it."
"There is room for improvement in terms of observability."
"There is always the potential for additional integration and protocol extensions."
"I've experienced frequent slowness, and we had to downgrade to filter out many logs."
"AlienVault needs to continue to integrate with other third-party technologies that clients want to have monitored."
"Creating directives is a pain on its own, but editing them can be a nightmare filled with tedious unnecessary steps."
"The solution is a bit complicated. It could be simplified quite a bit."
"I had a renegade plugin that was installed by the company who helped me with the initial setup. The plugin was missing a command to rotate logs and would fill my hard drives capacity to full quickly."
"The solution is very user-friendly, but the dashboard could be improved as well as the level of customization."
"There could be some type of integration with our existing portal."
"As this software is in the cloud, you do not have control on updates and general changes which are happening."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Syslog-ng is a free open-source solution."
"Syslog-ng is open-source."
"It's saved security costs."
"It is affordable, and it also has many features that the premium products such as ArcSight and QRadar have. It is a very good platform for a SIEM solution. Everything is included in the price."
"Its price is in the medium to upper range."
"We ran a few PoCs. The price and feature set were the best with AlienVault."
"AlienVault is flexible on their pricing for unlimited licenses."
"So far, I feel the product's pricing is a good value. The technology is decent. You get what you pay for. I think it's fair."
"The pricing is a good value. The key thing is that for the new product, the licensing of it, is subscription-based and it's based on data. Clients need to be really careful when thinking about that, because odds are they're going to need to put a lot more data into it than what they initially estimate, which is going to drive their subscription costs up."
"​The vulnerability management solution is worse than buying a Nessus Professional license.​"
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Log Management solutions are best for your needs.
902,988 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
11%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
Construction Company
23%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise3
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business65
Midsize Enterprise29
Large Enterprise25
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with syslog-ng?
We currently do not use that feature. We currently have just an open-source release, not a premium release. My boss has indicated that he wants to buy a premium syslog-ng version next month. I thin...
What is your primary use case for syslog-ng?
In Italy, we have to be compliant with the Garante for privacy. We have to log every login, logout, or login failure made by a system administrator. We store all syslog data of the infrastructure. ...
What advice do you have for others considering syslog-ng?
When it comes to parsing, I can parse both structured and unstructured data, though our data are only structured. Currently, we collect all data we receive as raw data. Each file is stored for each...
What needs improvement with AT&T AlienVault USM?
There are scalability issues due to a 60 TB limit, which restricts its use for large customers like banks. It is also limited when used with bigger products and has complex password requirements.
What is your primary use case for AT&T AlienVault USM?
USM Anywhere is used for threat detection and investigation. It provides a solution with built-in threat intelligence and various other investigation tools.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

No data available
AT&T AlienVault USM, AlienVault, AlienVault USM, Alienvault Cybersecurity
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Tecnocom, University of Victoria, University of Exeter, Datapath
Abel & Cole, Bank of Ireland, Bluegrass Cellular, CareerBuilder, Claire's, Hays Medical Center, Hope International, McCurrach, McKinsey & Company, Party Delights, Pepco Holdings, Richland School District, Ricoh, SaveMart, Shake Shack, Steelcase, TaxAct, Taylor Morrison, Vonage and Zoom
Find out what your peers are saying about USM Anywhere vs. syslog-ng and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
902,988 professionals have used our research since 2012.