Ossec

For OSSEC alternatives, run a controlled pilot on a few representative hosts.

1. Deploy agents with the permissions and update process you would use in production.
2. Create a harmless policy violation and file change, then inspect detection detail.
3. Disconnect an agent and confirm the system signals missing coverage.
4. Tune noisy rules and verify the exception is documented and time-bounded.
5. Test log export, retention, and recovery from a manager outage.

A silent agent is a blind spot. Compare the candidate's ability to show both suspicious activity and gaps in collection.