Log Management – Consolidating Log Data and Making It Actionable

Security & Logging

Scattered logs, lack of storage, or a solution that’s reaching its limits in terms of cost and capacity? We are building a centralized, vendor-neutral log pipeline using Graylog and Elastic: collecting logs from all systems, making them searchable, and ensuring compliance with retention policies—either in your own data center or as a managed service through NWS.

All logs in one place

Servers, networks, applications, and the cloud are all consolidated in one place—rather than scattered across ten systems.

Instantly searchable

Full-text search across all sources—answers in seconds instead of an SSH marathon through individual log files.

Storage requirements met

Defined deadlines and audit-proof record-keeping—the foundation for audits and compliance with documentation requirements.

The choice is yours

Whether it’s the Community Edition or licensed Enterprise features, we’ll set up the plan that best fits your needs and budget.

A foundation for more

A clean log pipeline also serves as the foundation for SIEM, alerting, and analytics.

On-Prem or Managed

In your own data center or as a managed service provided by NWS from Germany—the choice is yours.

The Problem

Logs are generated everywhere—but as long as they remain scattered, unstructured, and unsecured, they are of no help in the event of an incident or during an audit.

Logs scattered everywhere

Every server and every application generates its own logs. In an emergency, you search ten places at once—and find it too late.

Missing Records & Documentation

Without a central pipeline, there is no end-to-end history—which is bad for audits, compliance, and troubleshooting after the fact.

Costs are spiraling out of control

Volume-based SaaS billing and vendor lock-in cause costs to rise as log volume increases—without you retaining data sovereignty.

How we work with you

Four steps, identical for every NETWAYS solution—from the sources to the searchable, audit-proof log pipeline in production.

Step 1

Analysis & Concept

We analyze your log sources, volume, and retention and compliance requirements, and determine what actually needs to be collected.

→ You specifically collect what you need—instead of buying everything indiscriminately and at high prices.

"

Step 2

Setup & Integration

We set up Graylog or Elastic for data collection and processing, as well as for searching and storage, and integrate your data sources.

→ A central pipeline instead of scattered log files and individual scripts.

"

Step 3

Commissioning & Evaluation

Go-live: Dashboards, search functions, and defined retention periods are available immediately—the data is searchable.

→ Get answers in seconds instead of sifting through individual log files.

"

Step 4

Support & Operations

Depending on your needs, we can manage the entire pipeline—either on-premises or as a managed service through NWS—or we can support your team.

→ The pipeline remains stable and scales along with the log volume.

How Your Log Pipeline Works

From intake to storage—the four stages are interconnected and can be implemented step by step.

Log Pipeline

Collect & Record

Logs from servers, networks, applications, and the cloud are collected centrally—Graylog serves as the single point of entry for all sources.

Result: No more searching in ten different places.

Parsing & Normalization

Organize & Structure

Raw logs are parsed, normalized, and enriched so that data from different sources can be compared.

Result: Chaos is transformed into usable fields.

Log Analysis

Search & Analyze

We make the data searchable; dashboards and alerts provide analyses and flag anomalies.

Result: Responses in seconds instead of hours.

Retention & Compliance

Retain & Document

Defined retention periods, audit-compliant storage, and export capabilities for audits—all according to your specifications.

Result: Compliance with documentation requirements without additional effort.

What You’ll Achieve

Responses in seconds, compliance ensured, costs under control.

Answers in seconds

Full-text search across all logs instead of manually sifting through individual files—this drastically reduces the time spent troubleshooting.

Compliance Met

Retention periods, supporting documentation, and audit trails are reliably covered—all prepared for the event of an audit.

Keeping Costs Under Control

You choose the right plan for your log volume—whether open source or licensed—and retain control over your data. Costs remain predictable, even as volume increases.

What is your solution built with?

Tried-and-true open-source components—run in-house or via NWS. You decide what you’ll do yourself and what NETWAYS will handle.

Elastic

A powerful search engine as an alternative or supplement—including Kibana for analysis and visualization.

OpenSearch

An open search and analytics platform that keeps logs searchable and stores them—the open-source alternative in the Elastic ecosystem.

Graylog

The pipeline’s entry point: ingestion, parsing, search interface, and alerting—excels at processing large volumes of logs.

Grafana

Cross-source dashboards spanning logs and metrics—a unified view of operations and analytics.

We’ll integrate what you’re already using with

A log pipeline is only as good as its sources and its analysis. A selection of the systems we typically work with.

Log Sources

Server (Linux/Windows)
Syslog
Firewalls
Cloud
Applications

Storage & Search

Elastic
Object Storage (S3)
OpenSearch

Operations & Compliance

On-premises
NWS Cloud (EU)
Retention Periods
Audit Trails

Recording & Pipeline

Graylog
Fluentd
Logstash
Vector
Beats

Analysis & Dashboards

Grafana
Kibana
OpenSearch Dashboards
Alerting

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions About This Solution

What is centralized log management?

2

3

Centralized log management consolidates log data from all systems—servers, networks, applications, and the cloud—in one place. There, they are processed, made searchable, and retained for defined periods of time. Instead of searching each system individually, you have a single, analyzable database.

What is a log pipeline?

2

3

A log pipeline is the path a log takes from its source to analysis: capture, processing (parsing and normalization), storage in a searchable database, and finally analysis and retention. Graylog typically handles ingestion and processing, while OpenSearch handles storage and search.

How long do I have to keep logs?

2

3

That depends on the industry, purpose, and legal requirements—ranging from a few weeks for standard operational logs to several years for data relevant to security or audits. It is important to set deadlines deliberately and ensure they are technically enforced. We'll work together to define the appropriate retention policies and implement them in the pipeline.

Graylog vs. Elastic – Which One Is Right for You?

2

3

Graylog stands out for its easy data ingestion and processing, as well as an interface tailored to log management. Elastic and OpenSearch are very powerful when it comes to searching and analyzing large amounts of data. People often combine the two: Graylog for the pipeline, and OpenSearch as the storage and search backend. We provide manufacturer-neutral recommendations based on your specific application.

What is the difference between this and a SIEM?

2

3

Log management collects, searches, and stores logs—that's the foundation. A SIEM builds on this and adds security-focused correlation, detection rules, and response capabilities. A clean log pipeline is therefore often the first step on which a SIEM can later be built.

Is this also available as a managed service?

2

3

Yes. The pipeline can run either in your own data center or as a managed service provided by NWS from Germany. With the managed service, NETWAYS handles setup, updates, scaling, and availability—you just use the search and analytics features.

Book a personal consultation with ManfredIndividual open source solutions tailored to you and your business.Get in touch