The ELK stack, comprising Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana, and Beats, is a widely used open-source tool for centralized logging and system monitoring but presents several challenges in maintenance, upgrades, security, and performance optimization. Organizations face difficulties with the complex and often risky process of upgrading the stack, where mismanaged upgrades can lead to downtime and data loss. Security is another critical area of concern, as improperly secured logs can expose sensitive information, making outsourcing management a viable solution to mitigate risks. Performance optimization is essential but resource-intensive, requiring continuous fine-tuning of infrastructure to handle increasing data volumes, which may not be the most efficient use of developers' time. While the ELK stack is powerful and beneficial for infrastructure analysis and visualization, its successful implementation necessitates significant expertise and investment, leading many businesses to consider managed services for maintaining their ELK deployments.