GigaOm Key Criteria for Evaluating User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) Solutionsv3.0

1. Executive Summary

User and entity behavior analytics (UEBA) is a security domain that detects potential threats by monitoring and analyzing system behaviors. Using machine learning (ML), statistical methods, and rules, UEBA identifies unusual patterns, such as unexpected accessing of data. Continuous observation of actions like login times and data transfers allows UEBA tools to alert security teams to anomalies, potentially highlighting compromised accounts or data breaches.

As cyberthreats grow more complex, traditional security methods fall short. UEBA offers a dynamic solution, focusing on behavior patterns rather than fixed rules. It effectively tackles insider threats, reduces false positives, and oversees non-human entities, leading to quicker threat detection, faster incident responses, and a stronger security position.

UEBA caters mainly to security teams, insider threat units, and compliance groups, with large data-sensitive organizations also benefiting greatly. Its emphasis on proactive detection is a critical response to the expanding cyberthreat landscape and is backed by increasing AI capabilities. There’s a growing demand for real-time threat detection and seamless integrations with existing technologies in the client’s environment, and vendors, both mainstream and niche, are constantly updating their solutions, particularly for large enterprises, with an emphasis on insider threat detection.

Business Imperative
UEBA is a vital tool in the modern cybersecurity landscape. As cyberthreats evolve and become more sophisticated, traditional security measures are often insufficient. UEBA offers a dynamic, proactive approach, focusing on behavioral patterns rather than static rules, enabling a more adaptive defense. This ensures protection against external threats and helps in pinpointing insider threats, which can be equally damaging.

Large organizations, especially those handling sensitive data, face the dual challenge of both safeguarding vast amounts of information and ensuring regulatory compliance. UEBA assists by offering real-time threat detection and seamless integrations with existing technologies in the client’s environment, reducing the risk of breaches and non-compliance. Investing in UEBA means fortifying your organization’s defenses, mitigating insider risks, and responding swiftly to emerging threats, all of which are paramount to the business’s continuity and reputation.

Sector Adoption Score
To help executives and decision-makers assess the potential impact and value of a UEBA solution deployment to the business, this GigaOm Key Criteria report provides a structured assessment of the UEBA sector across five factors: benefit, maturity, urgency, impact, and effort. By scoring each factor based on how strongly it compels or deters adoption of UEBA, we provide an overall Sector Adoption Score for UEBA of 4.2 out of 5, with 5 indicating the strongest possible recommendation to adopt. This indicates that UEBA is a credible candidate for deployment and worth thoughtful consideration.

The factors contributing to the Sector Adoption Score for UEBA are explained in more detail in the Sector Brief section that follows.

Figure 1. Sector Adoption Score for UEBA

This is the third year that GigaOm has reported on the UEBA space in the context of our Key Criteria and Radar reports. This report builds on our previous analysis and considers how the market has evolved over the last year.

This GigaOm Key Criteria report highlights the capabilities (table stakes, key features, and emerging features) and non-functional requirements (business criteria) for selecting an effective UEBA solution. The companion GigaOm Radar report identifies vendors and products that excel in those capabilities and metrics. Together, these reports provide an overview of the category and its underlying technology, identify leading UEBA offerings, and help decision-makers evaluate these solutions so they can make a more informed investment decision.