What is the purpose of a SIEM tool like Splunk?

A SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) tool like Splunk is specifically designed to collect and analyze security data from across an organization's IT infrastructure to enhance threat detection and response. Its primary purpose is to aggregate logs and security-related documentation for analysis, enabling security teams to identify unusual patterns or behaviors that might indicate a security threat.

Using real-time monitoring, a SIEM tool processes large volumes of data from various sources, such as firewalls, servers, and applications. This capability allows organizations to respond quickly to potential security incidents by providing insights based on the collected data. Furthermore, it helps in compliance reporting and incident investigations, making it an invaluable tool in a company's cybersecurity arsenal. The ability to conduct advanced analytics and correlate events across diverse systems greatly enhances the organization's situational awareness and readiness against cyber threats.

The other options all pertain to different functions: backing up data is concerned with data preservation and recovery rather than security; managing IT project schedules relates to project management, which is not a function of SIEM tools; and creating security awareness training programs focuses on educating employees rather than on the technical aspects of security data analysis.