Security teams are drowning in data — and paying a premium for it. As organizations shift to cloud-based SIEM platforms, log volumes have exploded, and with ingestion-based pricing, so have the bills. It’s no surprise that one of the most common questions we hear from clients is: “How do we reduce our SIEM ingest costs?”
But here’s the twist: more data doesn’t automatically mean better security. Visibility without actionability is just noise. What really matters is sending the right data to the right tools in the right format.
The Data Problem Nobody Talks About
Security teams face several hidden challenges when bringing data into a SIEM:
- Logs contain mountains of fields that add no detection value.
- Every vendor formats data differently, making normalization painful.
- Some data needs expensive hot storage; other data belongs in cheap, long-term archives.
- Privacy requirements mean certain fields must be masked or removed.
- Indexed SIEM data can expand up to 5×, inflating storage costs.
And because many SIEM vendors profit from data ingestion, they offer few incentives — or native tools — to help teams solve these issues.
Enter Data Pipeline Management (DPM)
This is where data pipeline management tools come in. DPM platforms sit between data sources and the SIEM, making smart decisions about what to send where. They can filter, redact, enrich, normalize, route, and reformat security-relevant data long before it hits expensive systems.
The result?
- Lower SIEM ingest bills
- Cleaner, more consistent log data
- Faster investigations
- Better cloud and compliance strategies
- More flexibility in choosing storage or analytics platforms
DPM also lets teams tier storage intelligently: high-value data can go to an XDR platform for rapid response, while long-term retention data can head to cheaper storage.
Why Security-Specific Pipelines Matter
Many enterprises already use generic data engineering pipelines, but they rarely meet the unique needs of security teams. Security data requires:
- Native support for frameworks like OCSF
- Integrations with SIEM, XDR, SOAR, and observability platforms
- Ability to process logs at scale with consistent schema
- Security-aware transformations and redaction
This is why tools like Logcollect are useful. Even SIEM vendors such as Splunk and CrowdStrike are building or integrating pipeline capabilities.
The Bottom Line
Security teams don’t just need more data — they need better data. Data Pipeline Management brings clarity, governance, and cost control to security data operations. As organizations mature their detection and response strategies, DPM is fast becoming a foundational layer rather than a “nice to have.”
If your team is wrestling with SIEM costs, inconsistent logs, or data overload, now’s the time to look seriously at DPM. It’s one of the most impactful upgrades you can make to your security data stack.