Why Splunk: The Benefits of Better Logging

Almost all devices have logs. As you may already know, you can ingest all your logs in a centralized location with Splunk. Imagine an organization with workstations, servers, POS systems, network appliances, and IOT devices. Wouldn’t it be neat to have the logs of “ALL THE THINGS” in one place? Well, that’s where Splunk comes in. 

In this post, I will be sharing some of my insider insight as a Splunk Implementation Engineer to help you better understand what Splunk is, why it’s valuable, and the different ways you can connect with the community if you want to learn even more about it.

Splunk helps you work smarter

Splunk is a powerful application that can ingest and index data. Why would anyone want to ingest data? If I run into issues, I can just look at the logs from the device itself, right? While true, it would be easier to view the logs in a centralized location. I know, I know. You want to stay busy and work through issues at a per-device level. No? Too tedious? I’ve always liked the saying “work smarter, not harder.”

This is one thing that Splunk does well: it helps you work smarter. Not only are you able to ingest all of your logs in a central location, but you can normalize all of the data so it’s easier to search and work with the data. I’ll give you more details about that in a future blog post, so keep an eye out. 

Mainstream means lots of opportunities for value 

Another neat thing about Splunk is it’s mainstream. What does that have to do with you and your data? I’m glad you asked. Splunk being mainstream means that it’s used by quite a lot of people. 

Let’s put it like this: Splunk has a lot to offer. Not only can you ingest your data in a central location, but there are also apps and TAs that will help you with your data. The apps are more for visuals, which will provide dashboards and visual insights to the data that is being used. You can find thousands of apps on Splunkbase. This can help with great presentations to your team, or even upper management. If creating visuals aren’t your thing, then there are TAs that can help you normalize your data without the extra baggage of the app. 

The Splunk community is awesome!

There is also an expansive community that is always involved and willing to help with issues that you are experiencing with Splunk. Have an issue with an app or TA? You have the options to reach out to the developer or ask for help in the Splunk community. Big into chat? There are also Slack communities or IRCs where people hang out to discuss Splunk issues or ideas.

In conclusion

To sum all of this up, Splunk is what you want for your data. It will help make the job easier for a lot of your staff, including receptionists, help-desk, HR, IT operations, and management. Splunk is versatile enough to be useful for everyone. All in all, Splunk helps you work smarter, not harder. Ask any of the Splunk gurus at Hurricane Labs. They can help you Splunk “ALL THE THINGS.”

Happy Splunking!