Best Way to Learn Splunk | Cybrary (2024)

February 6, 2020

SLWelty

A Breakdown of Learning Splunk

First things first, let's understand what Splunk is. There are a variety of courses out there to learn Splunk; however, it's important to understand what it is before jumping in headfirst. Splunk is a one-stop-shop that allows users to search and analyze real-time data, as well as build reports and other visualizations from machine-generated data based on your organization's information. The goal of Splunk is to provide easy-to-read data-driven results, trends, and diagnoses that are accessible to any specific person or group within your organization. Cybrary's Introduction to Splunk course will provide you with an excellent baseline knowledge of what Splunk is. As you work your way through this article, you will be filled with additional knowledge on learning more about what Splunk is and its benefits, how you can learn it, and also have a better understanding of how Splunk can work for you and your organization.

‍

‍Enroll in FREE Intro to Splunk course >>

‍

How to Learn Splunk?

Now that we understand a little about what Splunk is, let's discuss our steps for how to learn it:

1. Determine the need for Splunk for you and your organization.
2. If applicable - download the software.
3. Take the Cybrary Intro to Splunk course
4. Take additional courses through Cybrary or other credible sources available.
5. As you continue to grow your level of knowledge, continue to poke around within the platform, and contact customer support to answer any additional questions.

‍

Should I Learn Splunk?

Splunk is a fantastic tool that can ultimately generate data-driven results that can benefit any organization. In short, yes you should learn Splunk if you are in the IT Industry and here are some high-level reasons why:

• Resources to learn Splunk are accessible to anyone
• User-friendly platform
• Streamlined and easy-to-read reporting
• Plays friendly with any data file type when organizing data
• Real-time processing and troubleshooting
• Machine-generated data

‍

On top of these high-level reasons why Splunk is a good tool to learn, here are some additional features Splunk has to offer:

• Search & Analysis functionalities
• Dashboards & Visualizations
• Scheduled Reporting
• PDF Download functionality
• Integrations & Plugins
• Certifications

‍

Ultimately, there are other tools out there that offer similar traits, but Splunk has managed to be a one-stop-shop for all standard IT needs with a strong customer support team behind it.

‍

Is Splunk Easy to Learn?

The courses to learn Splunk are easily accessible online. However, it simply takes time and dedication to learn like any skill. There are many courses available online that you can take in the ease of your own home from your laptop. For example, Cybrary offers courses that breakdown different offerings within the Splunk system, such as creating SIEM Reports, learning about centralized monitoring, and more. As mentioned in the course description for Cybrary's introduction to Splunk, the nice thing about Splunk is its platform's language is based on the UNIX commands, making it much easier to learn Splunk. In short - Splunk is not something that can be taught overnight; however, the tools you need to learn Splunk are easily accessible and user-friendly for all levels of experience.

‍

How Long Does it Take to Learn Splunk?

Like any skill, some skills come more straightforward than others. Imagine studying for the SAT or trying to learn a new language - it takes time! As we learned above, there are multiple courses available online. For the Splunk Fundamentals course, this can take anywhere from 10 to 15 hours, depending on your background experienced. There are a total of three fundamental courses, along with more advanced courses available. Essentially, Splunk will take time for you to learn; however, the online courses allow you to learn at your own pace.

‍

The Final Question - Is Splunk Right For You?

Now that you have learned a little more about what Splunk is, what it has to offer, and how you can learn it, have you determined if it is right for you? Some final thoughts on Splunk to sum up all that we have learned thus far. If you have machine built data, Splunk will take all of that knowledge and data and build an easy-to-read visualization for anyone within your organization. Did you know - you do not have to be a Splunk data analyst or admin to understand the information Splunk can provide for you. So even if you are not personally in the IT industry, you and your organization can still benefit from your company having Splunk. You will be experienced Splunk users to build out the platform to report on the data that matters most to you and your organization. This type of data at hand will help you:

• Learn how your organization is performing.
• Not only learn, but visualize how the systems/products of your company are working or not working together.
• Make data-based decisions based on your organization's data.

‍

Start Learning Cyber Security with these FREE Courses:

• Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking
• Intro to AWS
• CompTIA Security+

‍

Conclusion

In short, Splunk is a very powerful tool. Having the knowledge to use Splunk can be beneficial to any IT professional as it can make you very marketable from an admin and business analyst standpoint.

Start learning with Cybrary

Create a free account