2024 was a thrilling year for Graylog Capture The Flag (CTF) events! Across major cybersecurity conferences, Graylog invited participants to test their skills in a range of challenging scenarios designed to simulate real-world cyber threats. From North America to Europe and beyond, we saw cybersecurity professionals and enthusiasts go head-to-head in Graylog CTFs, flexing their skills, deepening their knowledge, and having fun along the way.

Being a security analyst today is hard. You’re constantly trying to protect your organization while feeling like attackers are always a step ahead of you. Every year, you seem to add more security technologies to your stack, yet you still find yourself facing tooling gaps. If only you had the ability to clearly compare different products and their capabilities, you think.

As I celebrate my first year as head of product management at Graylog, I’ve had the unique privilege of re-immersing myself in the world of Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) from a new perspective. The past year has underscored one critical lesson: staying competitive in SIEM isn’t about adding features; it’s about finding fresh approaches to meet the real needs of security teams.

Everyone remembers that one required writing class they needed to take. If you’re like a lot of other security analysts, you assumed that your job would focus on using technology, not writing research papers. However, in today’s business environment, cyber incidents are critical business events, especially as governments and agencies create more reporting requirements.