Splunk is a popular big data platform that works as a monitoring tool and a security solution as well. There was a time when Splunk was known as Google for data centers. However, it has grown into something much more than a wonderful search engine. Splunk today can simultaneously collect, store, process (index), analyze and visualize received information (machine data). It’s a great tool which is very useful. In this post, we will find out more about Splunk and take a look into some of its competitors as well. Let’s get started.
Splunk And Its Competitors: All You Need To Know
Splunk is a cross-platform solution that receives information from various sources and combines and visualizes the correlated information on a dashboard. The data processed by Splunk can also be enriched with conventional data from relational databases.
What are some of the features of Splunk?
One of Splunk’s key features is its ability to receive data from almost any source. The systems shown in the picture are only part of it. It is possible to receive the logs (machine data) from, for example, production machines, measuring devices, sensors, vehicles, etc.
What is machine data?
Machine data is the information (unstructured data ) generated by various systems (computers, mobile devices, network components, security appliances, measuring devices, etc.) during operation. When people talk about the machine data, they mostly talk about the logs.
What are some great benefits of Splunk?
Real-time architecture
Splunk collects, indexes, monitors and analyzes machine data in bulk (hundreds of terabytes of data per day) from the various sources in real-time. Just like real-time, Splunk can also handle historical data in extremely large amounts of data.
Universal Machine Data Platform
Splunk can be described as a universal platform for machine data, as it combines complex data acquisition, processing and analysis. Splunk is able to combine different types of data such as machine data, business data and user data.
Scheme on the fly
Splunk searches the data based on time only. No knowledge of the data structure is assumed. Just as with a conventional search engine, keywords can be entered and you will get the first result. A difference to a search engine are the times. Each search query can be stopped or paused to view intermediate results.
Agile Reporting & Analytics
Splunk offers extensive options for creating analyzes and reports and their visualization. Again, Splunk can use the external source (e.g. SQL).
Scales from Desktop to Enterprise
Splunk uses a MapReduce technology that enables horizontal scaling and automatic load balancing without additional components.
Fast time to value
Splunk is fairly quick to implement compared to the other products. You can generate the first report immediately after importing data.
For years, various products were developed in IT that only saw the emerging IT problems from their own perspective and could only analyze their own areas. Splunk, on the other hand, can get a bird’s-eye view of problems across infrastructure. You identify the problems and potential risks before there is a business impact.
Splunk can be compared to a medical check-up. It can cost money, but it can detect the first symptoms of a disease in a curable stage. In this way, the objecting measures can be carried out before the fatal damage occurs.
What are the different available versions of Splunk?
Splunk is licensed on an indexed volume (GB) per day basis. There are two types of licenses: a time-limited (annual license) and an unlimited license. The following rule applies: the more throughput volume you buy, the cheaper the license becomes.
There is also a free Splunk version, which is intended for customers with less than 500 MB of indexed volume (GB) per day.
Splunk currently offers three main products:
Splunk Enterprise
This on-premise version of Splunk doesn’t have any technical limitations.
Splunk Cloud
This is a cloud based version of the Enterprise. It’s hosted on AWS and users have the option to create a hybrid scenario with on-premise and cloud.
Splunk Light
Splunk Light is the version that’s best suited for small IT firms with these limitations: 5 users, single server instance, 20 GB / day). This edition can also be acquired in a hybrid format.
Splunk Free
If your daily indexed volume is lower than 500 MB, you should go for the free edition.
What are some of the best alternatives to Splunk?
In a way, Splunk is unrivaled. There is currently no comprehensive solution on the market that is similar to Splunk. There are a number of solutions that map to one area or another of Splunk. Splunk, on the other hand, offers everything from a single source. This makes the TCO lower, despite high product prices.
In case you can’t pick up Splunk for your business for some reason, here are some of the best alternatives to it:
- Nagios.
- Cisco.
- Broadcom.
- Microsoft.
- SolarWinds.
- ManageEngine.
- SevOne.
- Riverbed.
