Which of the following best describes the role of a SIEM system?

A Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system plays a crucial role in cybersecurity by aggregating and analyzing security data from various sources within an organization's IT infrastructure. This includes log data from servers, network devices, and security appliances, as well as event information from various applications.

The primary function of a SIEM system is to provide real-time analysis of security alerts generated by applications and network hardware. By correlating different types of events and data points, a SIEM can identify potential security threats, detect anomalies, and assist in responding to incidents more effectively.

In contrast, antivirus protection focuses specifically on detecting and mitigating malware; enhancing network speed pertains to improving the performance of data transmission; and backing up critical data regularly is aimed at data recovery and integrity rather than security analysis. Therefore, the role of a SIEM system is accurately described by its capacity to aggregate and analyze security data for improved monitoring and incident response.