diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/cluster_client_adapter.test.ts b/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/cluster_client_adapter.test.ts
index ecefd4bfa271ef..b61196439ee4fa 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/cluster_client_adapter.test.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/cluster_client_adapter.test.ts
@@ -173,6 +173,7 @@ describe('createIndex', () => {
     await clusterClientAdapter.createIndex('foo');
     expect(clusterClient.callAsInternalUser).toHaveBeenCalledWith('indices.create', {
       index: 'foo',
+      body: {},
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/cluster_client_adapter.ts b/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/cluster_client_adapter.ts
index c74eeacc9bb19c..d585fd4f539b5c 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/cluster_client_adapter.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/cluster_client_adapter.ts
@@ -94,9 +94,12 @@ export class ClusterClientAdapter {
     return result as boolean;
   }
 
-  public async createIndex(name: string): Promise<void> {
+  public async createIndex(name: string, body: any = {}): Promise<void> {
     try {
-      await this.callEs('indices.create', { index: name });
+      await this.callEs('indices.create', {
+        index: name,
+        body,
+      });
     } catch (err) {
       if (err.body?.error?.type !== 'resource_already_exists_exception') {
         throw new Error(`error creating initial index: ${err.message}`);
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/documents.test.ts b/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/documents.test.ts
index 7edca4b3943a65..c08d0ac978bc94 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/documents.test.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/documents.test.ts
@@ -22,8 +22,7 @@ describe('getIndexTemplate()', () => {
 
   test('returns the correct details of the index template', () => {
     const indexTemplate = getIndexTemplate(esNames);
-    expect(indexTemplate.index_patterns).toEqual([esNames.indexPattern]);
-    expect(indexTemplate.aliases[esNames.alias]).toEqual({});
+    expect(indexTemplate.index_patterns).toEqual([esNames.indexPatternWithVersion]);
     expect(indexTemplate.settings.number_of_shards).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0);
     expect(indexTemplate.settings.number_of_replicas).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0);
     expect(indexTemplate.settings['index.lifecycle.name']).toBe(esNames.ilmPolicy);
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/documents.ts b/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/documents.ts
index 09dd7383c4c5e3..982454e671008a 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/documents.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/documents.ts
@@ -10,10 +10,7 @@ import mappings from '../../generated/mappings.json';
 // returns the body of an index template used in an ES indices.putTemplate call
 export function getIndexTemplate(esNames: EsNames) {
   const indexTemplateBody: any = {
-    index_patterns: [esNames.indexPattern],
-    aliases: {
-      [esNames.alias]: {},
-    },
+    index_patterns: [esNames.indexPatternWithVersion],
     settings: {
       number_of_shards: 1,
       number_of_replicas: 1,
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/init.ts b/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/init.ts
index 7094277f7aa9fd..c67d6541ce0020 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/init.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/init.ts
@@ -62,7 +62,13 @@ class EsInitializationSteps {
   async createInitialIndexIfNotExists(): Promise<void> {
     const exists = await this.esContext.esAdapter.doesAliasExist(this.esContext.esNames.alias);
     if (!exists) {
-      await this.esContext.esAdapter.createIndex(this.esContext.esNames.initialIndex);
+      await this.esContext.esAdapter.createIndex(this.esContext.esNames.initialIndex, {
+        aliases: {
+          [this.esContext.esNames.alias]: {
+            is_write_index: true,
+          },
+        },
+      });
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/names.mock.ts b/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/names.mock.ts
index 7b013a0d263da8..268421235b4b2d 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/names.mock.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/names.mock.ts
@@ -9,11 +9,12 @@ import { EsNames } from './names';
 const createNamesMock = () => {
   const mock: jest.Mocked<EsNames> = {
     base: '.kibana',
-    alias: '.kibana-event-log',
+    alias: '.kibana-event-log-8.0.0',
     ilmPolicy: '.kibana-event-log-policy',
     indexPattern: '.kibana-event-log-*',
-    initialIndex: '.kibana-event-log-000001',
-    indexTemplate: '.kibana-event-log-template',
+    indexPatternWithVersion: '.kibana-event-log-8.0.0-*',
+    initialIndex: '.kibana-event-log-8.0.0-000001',
+    indexTemplate: '.kibana-event-log-8.0.0-template',
   };
   return mock;
 };
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/names.test.ts b/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/names.test.ts
index d88c4212df91ca..baefd756bb1ed0 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/names.test.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/names.test.ts
@@ -6,15 +6,21 @@
 
 import { getEsNames } from './names';
 
+jest.mock('../lib/../../../../package.json', () => ({
+  version: '1.2.3',
+}));
+
 describe('getEsNames()', () => {
   test('works as expected', () => {
     const base = 'XYZ';
+    const version = '1.2.3';
     const esNames = getEsNames(base);
     expect(esNames.base).toEqual(base);
-    expect(esNames.alias).toEqual(`${base}-event-log`);
+    expect(esNames.alias).toEqual(`${base}-event-log-${version}`);
     expect(esNames.ilmPolicy).toEqual(`${base}-event-log-policy`);
     expect(esNames.indexPattern).toEqual(`${base}-event-log-*`);
-    expect(esNames.initialIndex).toEqual(`${base}-event-log-000001`);
-    expect(esNames.indexTemplate).toEqual(`${base}-event-log-template`);
+    expect(esNames.indexPatternWithVersion).toEqual(`${base}-event-log-${version}-*`);
+    expect(esNames.initialIndex).toEqual(`${base}-event-log-${version}-000001`);
+    expect(esNames.indexTemplate).toEqual(`${base}-event-log-${version}-template`);
   });
 });
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/names.ts b/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/names.ts
index be737d23625f14..d55d02a16fc9a7 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/names.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/event_log/server/es/names.ts
@@ -4,25 +4,31 @@
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the Elastic License.
  */
 
-const EVENT_LOG_NAME_SUFFIX = '-event-log';
+import xPackage from '../../../../package.json';
+
+const EVENT_LOG_NAME_SUFFIX = `-event-log`;
+const EVENT_LOG_VERSION_SUFFIX = `-${xPackage.version}`;
 
 export interface EsNames {
   base: string;
   alias: string;
   ilmPolicy: string;
   indexPattern: string;
+  indexPatternWithVersion: string;
   initialIndex: string;
   indexTemplate: string;
 }
 
 export function getEsNames(baseName: string): EsNames {
   const eventLogName = `${baseName}${EVENT_LOG_NAME_SUFFIX}`;
+  const eventLogNameWithVersion = `${eventLogName}${EVENT_LOG_VERSION_SUFFIX}`;
   return {
     base: baseName,
-    alias: eventLogName,
+    alias: eventLogNameWithVersion,
     ilmPolicy: `${eventLogName}-policy`,
     indexPattern: `${eventLogName}-*`,
-    initialIndex: `${eventLogName}-000001`,
-    indexTemplate: `${eventLogName}-template`,
+    indexPatternWithVersion: `${eventLogNameWithVersion}-*`,
+    initialIndex: `${eventLogNameWithVersion}-000001`,
+    indexTemplate: `${eventLogNameWithVersion}-template`,
   };
 }