Cloudflare launches Log Explorer to simplify security insights

Cloudflare has announced the general availability of its Log Explorer tool, which provides businesses with immediate access to security and performance insights across their IT environments.

The Log Explorer enables customers to analyse, investigate, and monitor for security attacks with detailed log-level insights from within the Cloudflare Dashboard. This new capability removes the requirement for organisations to forward logs to third-party analysis platforms.

Cloudflare's offering comes in response to ongoing challenges faced by security and operations teams, who rely on logs to troubleshoot issues, investigate incidents, and optimise performance. In many organisations, accessing these logs has traditionally involved using external monitoring tools that can be both complicated to configure and add to operational costs, especially due to separate storage requirements and proprietary query languages.

"The log management market has been unnecessarily complex and expensive for far too long. We think businesses deserve better, and thanks to the scale of our platform, we're uniquely positioned to deliver a faster, more unified way for businesses to gain visibility and understand all the risks to their business," said CJ Desai, President of Product and Engineering at Cloudflare.

Cloudflare already detects threats faster than any solution on the market. Now, combining our threat detection capabilities with native log management, we are one step closer to allowing customers to get rid of certain third party tools, like SIEMs.

The tool's integration into the Cloudflare Dashboard allows for a single source of investigation, eliminating the need for multi-platform workflows that can slow down response times and reduce visibility. According to Cloudflare, the Log Explorer was previewed by more than 500 customers prior to general release, who used it to investigate issues, respond quickly and reduce spending on log storage, all from within a single console.

Now available to all Cloudflare customers, the new capabilities are designed to address several critical needs. Businesses can reduce the cost and complexity associated with using third party tooling, thanks to an easy, one-click setup that requires no additional pipelines, shipping, or customisation. The Log Explorer supports search of HTTP, security event, and Zero Trust logs directly within the Cloudflare interface.

The platform's in-dashboard response enables organisations to take immediate action to mitigate threats or address performance bottlenecks. This helps teams to respond to incidents without leaving the workspace, potentially accelerating the resolution of security and operational issues.

For compliance and governance requirements, Cloudflare Log Explorer will allow organisations to set custom log retention policies in order to meet various audit or regulatory obligations. According to Cloudflare, flexibility of retention is intended to help organisations align their log storage practices with both internal and external requirements.

Organisations typically produce large quantities of log data, which can increase both the cost and the complexity of managing such information if external tools are used. Cloudflare aims to address this by providing a unified log management solution that is both scalable and already integrated into existing customer workflows.

The general availability follows a preview period, during which Cloudflare gathered feedback from participants to refine the solution. The company asserts that customers across a range of industries and sizes can now access these capabilities, and that its scale of operations supports a holistic approach to application, infrastructure, and security monitoring.

Cloudflare's announcement underscores a shift in the market for log management, as businesses seek simpler and more cost-effective ways to manage their data while minimising reliance on additional third-party systems. With the new Log Explorer, the company aims to provide a direct path for organisations to enhance their security posture and compliance, while reducing operational overheads associated with managing separate log analysis infrastructures.