Independent security data engineering consulting specializing in CIM normalization at scale, with AI-accelerated tooling built to make slow, manual work fast and repeatable.
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
Turning Data Into Gold™
Every tool I've built solves a real problem I encountered in enterprise security environments. No consulting theater. Just working solutions that extract real value from your machine data.
Core Tools
Splunkbase 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 App More info →Free, open-source tool that scrubs CUI, PII, PHI, and credentials from Splunk log exports. Runs entirely on your own machine as a self-contained browser tool or Python CLI, with no installation and no network calls. CMMC, HIPAA, and GDPR aware.
Free & Open Source More info →Refines raw machine data into validated, CIM-compliant Splunk Technical Add-ons and Cribl packs: packaged, documented, and ready to deploy. Read-only exports go in; deployment-ready artifacts come out.
Normalization Pipeline More info →Supporting 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 Development More info →AI-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 Development More info →Splunk-native server performance measurement, resource utilization trending, and capacity planning. Clear visibility into how a deployment is holding up as data volumes climb.
Supporting More info →Monitors 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 Tool More info →Generates synthetic data flows for ingestion into Splunk or Cribl. Provides realistic, repeatable test data for validating apps, TAs, dashboards, and threat detections without touching live production feeds.
Testing Tool More info →The 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 analytical tools and automation solutions 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 AI-powered automation tooling that makes both dramatically faster and more reliable. That focus is what makes AI-accelerated delivery 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.