What component forwards logs to a central source for analysis in a security strategy?

In the context of a security strategy, the component that forwards logs to a central source for analysis is best identified as a log collector. A log collector is designed specifically to gather, consolidate, and send log data from various sources to a centralized location where it can be analyzed, correlated, and monitored for security incidents.

Log collectors are crucial in managing security logs from different devices and systems because they help simplify the monitoring process by allowing for a centralized analysis. This approach improves the efficiency of security operations and enhances the ability to detect patterns, potential threats, and compliance with regulatory requirements.

While log aggregation, log enrichment, and log parsing are important processes in log management, they serve specific purposes that do not include the direct forwarding of logs to a central source. Log aggregation involves consolidating logs from multiple sources to reduce redundancy, log enrichment adds contextual information to enhance logs for analysis, and log parsing breaks down log entries into more manageable data structures. All of these processes contribute to log management and analysis, but the primary role of forwarding logs to a central source is specifically fulfilled by a log collector.