Independent security data engineering consulting specializing in CIM normalization at scale, with automation tooling that collapses weeks of manual effort into hours.
The Problem
Most organizations lack any structured process for CIM normalization. The result: inconsistent coverage, hidden field gaps, ES capabilities that underperform, and correlation searches built on brittle technology-specific filters instead of data models.
Services & Tooling
Every tool I've built solves a real problem I encountered in enterprise security environments. No consulting theater. Just working solutions.
Core Tools
End-to-end automated CIM normalization pipeline. Field mapping, validation, TA documentation, and coverage reporting. Driven by AI, delivered in ~30 minutes per sourcetype.
Core ToolSplunkbase app for CIM health assessment. Validates field coverage, acceleration status, and custom data model compliance. Version 2.0 includes prescribed value validation and gap analysis panels.
Splunkbase AppMonitors Splunk data flows for volume anomalies, tracking events, hosts, and sources at 15-minute intervals and alerting when values deviate from established statistical baselines.
ML ToolSupporting Services
Systematic analysis of Enterprise Security field usage to eliminate unnecessary data ingestion. Cribl-based pipeline optimization with documented ROI and measurable license cost reduction.
In DevelopmentAI-assisted migration from brittle index/sourcetype filter-based correlation searches to scalable, data model-driven searches. Improves ES coverage, reduces maintenance overhead, and unlocks the full value of CIM normalization investments.
In DevelopmentCertified on-premise Splunk Core architecture and implementation, with right-sized deployments, indexer configuration, and forwarder management (Splunk Certified Core Consultant). Includes Performance & Capacity Analytics (PCA): Splunk-native server performance measurement, resource utilization trending, and capacity planning.
SupportingThe AI Advantage
Every engagement benefits from AI-powered tooling built and continually refined to solve specific, hard problems in security data engineering.
About
I'm James H. Baxter, founder of Machine Data Insights, a security data engineering specialist with decades of experience building automation solutions and analytical tools for problems I've identified firsthand across enterprise environments.
I don't run a bench of consultants or sell you a methodology framework. I work directly on your environment, apply tools I've built and refined, and deliver measurable outcomes. My clients get my full attention, not a project manager and a junior analyst.
My focus is narrow by design: CIM normalization, security data integrity, and the automation tooling that makes both dramatically faster and more reliable. That focus is what makes the 95% time reduction possible.
Contact
If you're dealing with CIM coverage gaps, slow normalization cycles, or ES data quality issues, I'd like to hear about it.