Cybersecurity is the number one priority for state and county CIOs, according to GovTech. Yet supporting that priority is a perpetual challenge. Another survey finds that top of the list of workforce needs for state CIOs is cybersecurity talent.

I bet there was a time you loved your security information and event management (SIEM) system. This central location for managing all the security events on your network. But, as good as it may seem, many IT organizations have a love/hate relationship with their SIEM.

A security information and event management (SIEM) system is an essential part of any security strategy and can help you pass a compliance audit (think ISO 27001, which requires event data to be aggregated from multiple systems). But SIEMs can be expensive, time-consuming, and hard work, especially for smaller, resource-constrained government IT departments, which often puts this essential tool out of their reach.

Security Information Event Management (SIEM) tools have been around for quite some time. SIEMs are great for aggregating log files, parsing them, and using real-time correlation rules to spot security incidents. But more advanced incidents can evade detection by your SIEM. Finding those evasive threats becomes a lot easier if you employ threat hunting.

One of the biggest threats to the security of government data and systems doesn’t come from rogue hackers or nations, it comes from within. As we revealed in The 4 Biggest Cybersecurity Threats of 2014, the careless and untrained government employees represent the top source of security threats to federal agencies.