With an ever changing and complex cybersecurity landscape it’s inevitable that new technologies and tools enter the market. However, the promise of these tools often falls short when it comes to practical implementation and real-world value. Our CTO Simon Phillips shares his views and insights regarding the increasing challenge of value realization when introducing new cybersecurity tools.
The Illusion of Quick Fixes
Security tools like all marketed products are the solution to the problem they solve, often with the allure and promise of enhanced security with little to no overheads. The reality is often different. In isolation these tools are effective, however they co-exist in an existing security stack, if not properly integrated, they at best become another overhead, at worse impact the effectiveness of the existing stack.
Tool Fatigue and Integration Issues
In a recent report it was noted that on average security teams are managing 45 dedicated security tools, which excludes indirect tools such as security components in productivity suites. It’s no surprise that tool fatigue is becoming a real problem for security teams leading to frustration and underutilization. The result? Tools often get deployed and then collect dust on the shelf, rather than enhancing the organization’s security posture as originally intended.
Skills Gap
Often the biggest issue is not the availability of tools, but the lack of sufficient skills to properly utilize them. The negative impact of the skills gap often goes full circle back into procurement of more tools to plug the perceived gaps with quick wins. The increasing tools then consume more resource and as a result it’s not uncommon to see teams enable features, only to neglect the alerts and findings.
Perhaps, the cybersecurity shortage is less of a supply problem resulting from a lack of skilled professionals and more of a demand issue resulting from the increasing deployment of isolated tooling.
This highlights a critical requirement for new tooling to be thought about and deployed as a service not an isolated tool so that it can include the planning and integration required to fit into the existing security stack and team.
Value Realization
To get real value from new security tools, they cannot be deployed in isolation. They must be part of a holistic environment that includes people, processes, and technology. Organizations need to carefully consider how new tools will interoperate with existing systems, what gaps they will fill, and the overall impact on the security posture. In many instances, simply adding more tools can result in a worse overall security posture.
The key to successful security tool deployment lies in thoughtful integration, realistic expectations, and a focus on delivering real value. By addressing these challenges head-on, security teams can move beyond the hype and achieve true operational excellence.
