Cloud Connectors

Cloud Connectors is a log collection service from Exabeam that ingests data from dozens of cloud services and feeds it into Exabeam’s SIEM and UEBA platform.

Reviewed by 7wData

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Cloud Connectors is a log collection service from Exabeam that ingests data from dozens of cloud services and feeds it into Exabeam’s SIEM and UEBA platform. It is designed for security operations teams that need to centralize logs from SaaS applications, IaaS environments, and hybrid on-premises infrastructure without building custom API integrations. The service supports cloud, on-premises, and hybrid deployment models, making it suitable for organizations that are migrating to the cloud but still maintain legacy systems. It is particularly aimed at SOC analysts and incident responders who want to reduce the time spent on data collection and focus on threat detection and investigation.

Cloud Connectors works by establishing pre-built integrations with cloud services such as Google Workspace, AWS, Azure, and others, automatically pulling logs into Exabeam’s data lake. Once ingested, the data is enriched with user and entity context, then analyzed using Exabeam’s behavioral analytics engine, which includes UEBA and the Exabeam Nova AI feature for prioritizing anomalous agent behavior. The platform generates automated timelines of user and agent activity, which accelerates investigation and response by providing enriched context. According to Exabeam’s documentation, the connectors are designed for faster deployment on cloud, reducing the time to value compared to manual log configuration.

Exabeam was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Foster City, United States. The company competes with major SIEM vendors including Microsoft Sentinel, IBM QRadar, Elastic Security, SolarWinds SEM, and Fortinet FortiSIEM. Exabeam was named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for SIEM for the third consecutive time, and received a Customers’ Choice distinction in the 2021 Gartner Peer Insights Voice of the Customer for SIEM with an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5. The company has also partnered with Google Cloud, selecting it as the foundation for the New-Scale Security Operations Platform, and integrates with Google Cloud and Google Workspace to accelerate threat detection, investigation, and response.

The honest trade-offs: Cloud Connectors is tightly coupled with Exabeam’s ecosystem, so organizations using other SIEM platforms will not benefit from the pre-built integrations. Users report a steep learning curve for the broader Exabeam platform, and the licensing model is complex, varying by user count, data volume, and deployment option. The tool has limited APM support, making it less suitable for organizations that need full application performance monitoring alongside security log collection. Some users also note UI and usability issues, and integration challenges when connecting to less common or custom cloud services.

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How it works

  1. Log collection from cloud services

    Reliably collects logs from dozens of cloud services, including Google Workspace, AWS, and Azure, through pre-built connectors.

  2. Multi-deployment model support

    Supports cloud, on-premises, and hybrid deployment models, allowing organizations to ingest logs from diverse infrastructure environments.

  3. Behavioral analytics and UEBA

    Uses advanced behavioral analytics and UEBA to detect anomalies and security incidents that bypass traditional SIEM tools.

  4. Exabeam Nova AI prioritization

    Detects and prioritizes anomalous agent behavior using Exabeam Nova, reducing alert fatigue for SOC analysts.

  5. Automated investigation timelines

    Accelerates investigation and response with automated timelines and enriched context, correlating user and agent activity.

  6. Unified user and agent visibility

    Provides unified visibility into both user and agent activity, enabling detection of insider threats and compromised accounts.

  7. Faster cloud deployment

    Designed for faster deployment on cloud, reducing the time to value compared to manual log configuration and integration.

Strengths and trade-offs

Strengths

  • Cloud Connectors integrates with dozens of cloud services out of the box, eliminating the need for custom API development for log ingestion.
  • Exabeam Fusion SIEM received an overall peer rating of 4.5 out of 5 on Gartner Peer Insights, with 64% of customers giving 5 stars.
  • The platform uses UEBA and Exabeam Nova to automatically prioritize anomalous agent behavior, reducing false positives by focusing on high-risk events.
  • Automated timelines and enriched context accelerate investigation and response, helping SOC teams reduce mean time to detect (MTTD).

Trade-offs

  • The licensing model is complex, with pricing varying by user count, data volume, and deployment option, making cost estimation difficult.
  • New users report a steep learning curve for the Exabeam platform, requiring significant training before full utilization.
  • Cloud Connectors has limited APM support, so organizations needing full application performance monitoring must use separate tools.
  • Some users report UI and usability issues, including integration challenges when connecting to less common or custom cloud services.

Pricing context

Pricing is subscription-based and varies by number of users, data volume, and deployment option (cloud vs. on-premises). No public tier pricing is available; organizations must contact Exabeam for a quote.

Getting started with Cloud Connectors

  1. Sign up for Exabeam

    Contact Exabeam sales to request a subscription for Cloud Connectors. Provide your organization's user count, expected data volume, and preferred deployment option (cloud, on-premises, or hybrid) to receive a tailored quote and onboarding instructions.

  2. Connect cloud service accounts

    In the Exabeam admin console, navigate to the Cloud Connectors section. Select each cloud service you want to ingest logs from, such as Google Workspace or AWS, and follow the prompts to authenticate and grant the necessary permissions for log access.

  3. Configure log ingestion settings

    Set the data collection frequency and log types for each connected service. Define retention policies and specify which logs to forward to Exabeam's data lake. Verify that the connectors are actively pulling logs by checking the ingestion status dashboard.

  4. Review automated investigation timelines

    After logs are ingested, open the Exabeam Fusion interface to view automatically generated timelines of user and agent activity. Examine the enriched context for any flagged anomalies to understand how the platform correlates events and prioritizes threats.

  5. Schedule regular log audits

    Set up recurring checks in the Exabeam console to monitor connector health and data completeness. Review the ingestion logs weekly to ensure all cloud services are sending data without errors, and adjust configurations if new services are added or permissions change.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Exabeam Cloud Connectors?

Cloud Connectors is a log collection service from Exabeam that ingests data from dozens of cloud services into Exabeam's SIEM and UEBA platform. It helps security teams centralize logs without building custom API integrations, supporting cloud, on-premises, and hybrid deployments.

Which cloud services does Exabeam Cloud Connectors integrate with?

Cloud Connectors provides pre-built integrations with cloud services like Google Workspace, AWS, and Azure. It automatically pulls logs from these services into Exabeam's data lake, eliminating the need for custom API development for log ingestion.

How does Exabeam Cloud Connectors improve threat detection?

Once logs are ingested, Cloud Connectors enriches data with user and entity context. Exabeam's behavioral analytics engine, including UEBA and Nova AI, then prioritizes anomalous activity, generating automated timelines to accelerate investigation and reduce mean time to detect.

What are the deployment options for Exabeam Cloud Connectors?

Cloud Connectors supports cloud, on-premises, and hybrid deployment models. This flexibility allows organizations migrating to the cloud to ingest logs from diverse environments, including legacy on-premises systems, without needing separate tools.

What are the main limitations of Exabeam Cloud Connectors?

Cloud Connectors is tightly coupled with Exabeam's ecosystem, so it doesn't work with other SIEMs. Users report a steep learning curve, complex licensing based on user count and data volume, limited APM support, and UI issues with custom cloud services.

How much does Exabeam Cloud Connectors cost?

Pricing is subscription-based and varies by number of users, data volume, and deployment option (cloud vs. on-premises). No public tier pricing is available; organizations must contact Exabeam directly for a custom quote.

Alternatives

How Cloud Connectors compares

Direct head-to-head against 3 competitors. Picked by 7wData.

This tool

Cloud Connectors

Pricing
Pricing is subscription-based and varies by number of users, data volume, and deployment option (cloud vs. on-premises). No public tier pricing is available; organizations must contact Exabeam for a quote.
Target
Cloud Connectors is a log collection service from Exabeam that ingests data from dozens of cloud services and feeds it into Exabeam’s SIEM and UEBA
Strength
Cloud Connectors integrates with dozens of cloud services out of the box, eliminating the need for custom API development for log ingestion.
Watch for
The licensing model is complex, with pricing varying by user count, data volume, and deployment option, making cost estimation difficult.

Fivetran

Pricing
Usage-based; starts at $0.25/credit; free tier available with 500k monthly active rows.
Target
Data engineers and analysts needing automated, schema-drift-resilient ELT pipelines.
Deployment
SaaS cloud
Strength
Automated schema migration and 500+ pre-built connectors.
Watch for
Cost escalates with data volume due to MAR-based pricing.

Airbyte

Pricing
Open-source free; Cloud starts at $2.50/credit; 10GB data sync free monthly.
Target
Teams wanting open-source control and community-built connectors.
Deployment
Self-hosted or SaaS
Strength
400+ connectors with active open-source community contributions.
Watch for
Self-hosted setup complexity; cloud version still maturing.

Hevo Data

Pricing
Starts at $239/month for 1M events; custom enterprise pricing available.
Target
Mid-market teams needing no-code pipelines with real-time ingestion.
Deployment
SaaS cloud
Strength
Real-time streaming ingestion with 150+ pre-built connectors.
Watch for
Pricing jumps significantly at higher event volumes.

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Sources

Reporting on this tool draws on these publicly available sources.

  1. www.exabeam.com
  2. www.gartner.com
  3. www.exabeam.com
  4. docs.exabeam.com
  5. www.exabeam.com