Streamlined Combination of Security Tools Enhances Operational Efficiency and Enhances Threat Elimination
In a recent study conducted by the IBM Institute for Business Value and Oxford Economics, over 1,000 executives across 21 industries and 18 countries were surveyed, revealing significant benefits for organisations that consolidate their security spending towards integrated platforms.
According to Mark Hughes, global managing partner for cybersecurity services at IBM, security complexity and concerns can hinder an organisation's digital transformation efforts, often preventing innovation and experimentation. However, the study suggests that consolidating security spending could be a solution to this problem.
One of the key benefits of this approach is a significantly higher return on investment (ROI). Organisations using consolidated security platforms achieve an average ROI of 101%, compared to just 28% for those relying on fragmented or point-tool approaches. This is accompanied by lower overall spending, indicating cost efficiency from integrated solutions.
For example, Forrester's analysis of the Cynet platform showed $2.73 million in savings over three years with a 426% ROI and payback in under six months—demonstrating measurable financial benefits from real-world implementations.
The study also highlights improved operational efficiency. Organisations that platformize their spending generate four times greater ROI than non-adopters, despite consolidated users spending less overall. This is due in part to the reduction in the time it takes to identify and mitigate security incidents. The "platformization" model reduces the time it takes to identify security incidents by an average of 74 days and the time to mitigate incidents by an average of 84 days.
The report also examines the push to consolidate security spending towards platforms that integrate multiple tools, often involving working with a single vendor. This trend is reflected in the competitive landscape, with major security firms like Palo Alto Networks, CrowdStrike, Microsoft, and others competing for large enterprise customers, aiming to convince them to consolidate their global security spending with a single security provider.
In 2024, the competition among security firms became an industrywide concern, with Palo Alto Networks aggressively pursuing a strategy that includes offering deferred payments and other incentives to customers who consolidate their business on its platforms.
The study by IBM and Palo Alto Networks reveals that organisations using integrated security platforms have improved cyber resilience and operational efficiencies. Karim Temsamani, president of next generation security at Palo Alto Networks, emphasized that the number of disparate tools and vendors puts significant complexity on a security team to fully deploy, integrate, and operationalize all capabilities without gaps.
The study notes that organisations, on average, manage 83 different security tools from 29 different vendors. This tool sprawl has been a struggle for enterprise security teams. However, the shift towards consolidated platforms offers a solution, with companies reporting better integration across security, hybrid cloud, and AI technologies, leading to improved unified exposure and threat management.
Strategic and technical convergence is also a trend in the market, with acquisitions and investments by major firms like Cisco, CyberArk, and Palo Alto Networks reflecting a market trend toward unified platforms that holistically manage exposure, providing premium valuations and superior security outcomes.
One example of this convergence is Palo Alto Networks' Cortex XSOAR platform, which now integrates vulnerability management with security orchestration, enabling faster reaction and better handling of threats through automation.
In summary, consolidating security spending towards integrated platforms offers financial savings, higher ROI, enhanced operational effectiveness, and improved technological integration. This approach enables organisations to manage security exposures more holistically and efficiently, providing a path towards more effective and efficient digital transformation efforts.
The study by IBM and Palo Alto Networks suggests that consolidating security spending towards integrated platforms can lead to improved cybersecurity, as organizations using integrated security platforms have enhanced cyber resilience. Furthermore, the strategic and technical convergence in the market toward unified platforms like Palo Alto Networks' Cortex XSOAR platform can provide better integration across security, hybrid cloud, and AI technologies, leading to improved unified exposure and threat management.
