Monitoring AWS Security Events Without Breaking the Bank

Monitoring in AWS doesn’t have to be expensive. In this guide, we’ll walk through real-world strategies to detect and respond to security events in AWS without blowing your budget — using a mix of native tooling, automation, and open-source solutions. Table of Contents Introduction Why AWS Monitoring Costs Spiral Key Principles for Cost-Effective Monitoring Low-Cost Native AWS Tools for Security Monitoring Open-Source Solutions That Complement AWS Example Architectures & Pricing Automation Snippets for Cost-Efficient Alerts Common Pitfalls to Avoid Conclusion Introduction When people talk about security monitoring in AWS, the conversation quickly jumps to expensive SIEM tools or overengineered pipelines. But if you’re running lean, or just want better control over where your money is going, you can achieve excellent security visibility with surprisingly low cost. ...

May 19, 2025 · 5 min · 915 words · Javier Pulido