How to Save Costs and Maximize Value on Cybersecurity Tools

Vendor overload

Although spending on cybersecurity tools continues to rise, to an estimated $1 Trillion in 2020, breaches are on the rise with no end in sight. With an average of 75 tools per organization, security operations teams are more distracted than ever. Many of these tools are implemented to solve a distinct problem, but oftentimes the marketing hype does not live up to reality. CISOs and boards are getting frustrated, not to mention the security teams that are managing these tools. The solution: Tool Rationalization

Follow these 4 steps to maximize value on cybersecurity tools:

• Determine protection and visibility gaps:

  The first step in determining if your cybersecurity tools are the right ones for the job is to conduct an assessment of your environment and determine what gaps you have around your visibility and protection strategy. The best way to accomplish this is by hiring an outside firm. There’s value in having a fresh set of eyes, with no political or other conflicting considerations, to fully review your environment and give you a clear view of what’s going on with your security infrastructure and teams. To ensure you get the value you intend, make sure the firm you engage does not have a large product sales team behind them. Otherwise, they may treat this as a pre-sales exercise.

• Review existing tool capabilities and configurations: 

  Align your current cybersecurity tools against these gaps and determine if they can perform the functions that are missing. For instance, you may discover a gap around Data Loss Prevention (DLP), but you may have purchased a tool with this functionality and not configured it.
  The #1 problem with most security tool installations: Improper configuration.  

• Determine outcomes and improvements.

  You want to understand the outcomes you are looking for, and this is also a perfect opportunity to resolve frustrations and issues that your team has been dealing with around the current toolset. It’s not enough to have the right cybersecurity tools in place, as with any tool; those using it should find that it makes their lives and jobs easier rather than harder.

•  Align policies and processes.

  Tools are not enough on their own. It’s necessary to ensure you have the right policies and procedures that support the outcomes that you are looking for. You could have the most perfectly-configured toolset that alerts you when there’s a suspicious security event, but it’s destined to fail without the right processes wrapped around it. How are escalated alerts handled? How are edge cases treated? Who is responsible for what? A well-defined policy and processes will ensure proper tool usage and tie everything together in a sustainable way.

Cyber Defense Group recommends using an Outcomes-Based Approach when developing the security program that gives you clarity and predictability in a subscription-based model. During these times, your security team must reduce potential risks often seen in misconfigurations and alert fatigue. Download our ebook today to learn more about how to assess where you may be able to reduce your capital expenditures and operational costs.

If you’re looking for more guidance on how to move your cybersecurity program forward, CDG can help. We are shifting the cybersecurity consulting paradigm to address the needs of mid-market, cloud-native or cloud-reliant companies who are experiencing rapid growth.

Founded in 2016 by global security expert Lou Rabon, our nimble team draws on decades of experience and diverse technical expertise to deliver a full spectrum of information security advisory and implementation services on a fixed-cost basis. Our right-sized, results-driven approach will help you meet your immediate needs, but also ready you to navigate what’s ahead. Get in touch, and see what results are possible for your organization.