Security teams can improve the economics of their security strategy in two ways: tool costs and employee time. Platform consolidation addresses both. Moving from several tools to a unified platform reduces licensing and renewal fees. One platform decreases the time employees spend integrating different tools to get a unified process flow. It’s a tactical route to simpler operations.
Learn how to streamline your tool stack and identify cost centers through these questions:
What assets do you own and how are they currently being used?
The security stack acts as the means through which your organization is protected. Depending on which platforms your organization employs, you might have outdated tech, redundant solutions (two email security vendors), or tech capability you’d like to keep that’s costing you more money than it’s saving.
Data, device, cloud, and identity management platforms typically divide cybersecurity vendors into categories. It’s important to evaluate whether your technology overlaps or overcompensates for a process gap in one of those areas. For instance, even a top-of-the-line endpoint management system isn’t designed to handle the myriad alerts and complex data triaging a security incident event management (SIEM) platform can. Endpoint management technology should gather and send data to be interpreted by a SIEM, made easier if your organization uses one unified platform.
What functional security tasks do you spend employee time to keep running?
IT tasks often range from tackling support desk tickets to managing and monitoring employee devices, internet-connected coffee machines, air conditioning units, and everything in between. Highlight areas that directly contribute to business function like provisioning and resetting contractor devices and corporate access. Cloud security and management often touches areas of the business leadership could overlook like ERP systems.
Some elements of a security stack link directly to business function. Identity and access authentication apps allow employees to securely perform their work through device and web sign-in. If this app or device feature suddenly didn’t work, employees couldn’t complete their day jobs. Explore the possibility of sign-in across a company-wide platform instead of multiple verification solutions.
What investments currently contribute to running the business vs. changing the business?
If your business is cautious about technology change, it might be helpful divide IT and security spending in two categories: run-the-business vs. change-the-business goals. When allotted dollars skew toward operational spending (keep the business running) but don’t account for tech debt from legacy platforms that need updating, it might be time to reassess.
Eliminating tech complexity can address modernization and economic strain. Investing run-the-business costs in point solutions makes updates and integrations more difficult in the long run. If your vulnerability scanning tool needs a custom data connector built to interface with your SIEM, that costs employee hours, licensing fees, and maybe expert contracts to pull off. Instead, consider a unified tech stack.
Find efficiencies through consolidation
Consolidating to one platform regularly reduces our customers’ tech debt by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Sound too good to be true? It’s not a flip-the-switch solution: platform consolidation requires partnership between Ascent consultants and the client security team to assess current investments, licensing structure, tech redundancy, and first-priority modernization. For a midsized business, consolidating security software to one platform often allows the security team to breathe. Simpler architecture and fewer overhead costs allow for strategic budget spend instead of just maintaining license renewals and current tool upkeep.
Maximize security change
Healthy organizational attitude to change isn’t avoiding all transition. It’s communicating the benefits and providing guardrails for the best results. Ascent partners with clients to maximize their security budget dollars, technology investments, and in house skillsets. Our managed security services tailors a cybersecurity strategy built for your business at your size and maturity. If you’re interested in learning more, reach out to info@meetascent.com.
