For those of us who have lived in the same house for some time, we can all relate to that moment when we realize just how much unnecessary clutter we've accumulated over the years. Whether it’s old furniture, outdated electronics, or clothes that no longer fit, as humans, we tend to hold onto things, in the eternal hope they’ll one day become useful again or we can somehow realize the value they once held. But inevitably, that day comes when we realize, this on the most part, is sadly no more than a boat load of junk, in need of a major declutter.
While clearing-out the loft of a recently deceased relative, I found myself, as a CISO, reflecting on how this scenario is all too familiar in the corporate world of cybersecurity. Of course, I am not referring to household items, but the business equivalent: legacy related vendor sprawl.
In the cybersecurity landscape, this accumulation happens in the form of tools and platforms that were once state-of-the-art but are now outdated, redundant, or overlapping or even competing with newer technologies by adding to the maintenance overhead. Just like those items in the attic, we tend to hold onto historic tools—sometimes out of inertia, other times because there is a belief that they still hold value. But eventually, the overwhelming number of tools begins to hinder more than it helps, and that’s when you know it’s time for a cybersecurity tech clean-out.
The Challenge with Vendor Sprawl
Organizations today are managing an overwhelming number of security tools from various vendors, and it’s becoming a serious problem. The sheer number of security providers is staggering. IT-Harvest Dashboard, the largest database of cybersecurity vendors, lists over 3,200 companies across 17 categories. Since it can take a year or two for new startups to gain visibility with analysts, the actual number of companies is likely even higher. The complexity caused by these tools doesn’t just result in inefficiencies - it can actively weaken the security posture of an organization. Managing dozens of dashboards, alerts, and interfaces is not only difficult for security teams but often leads to misconfigurations, gaps in coverage, and missed threats. As a CISO having a single dashboard that can show where my areas of vulnerability lay is invaluable.
When I think about the clutter we hold on to at home, I realize how similar this is to the tools we cling to in business. Many of these tools may no longer be the best fit for our current needs, but out of habit or resistance to change, they stay in place, often well beyond their useful life. The result? Instead of improving our security posture, they often introduce additional areas of vulnerability, complicate the ability to manage the security estate.
Why Vendor Sprawl Hurts Security
Complexity
With each new tool comes another dashboard competing for attention and the resource necessary to manage and make sense of fragmented data, more data, and more alerts, much of it after the fact when it’s just to late to be of significant value. Security teams often find themselves buried in information, creating alert fatigue and increasing the risk of missing critical threats. Artificial Intelligence (AI) specifically focused on LLMs designed to understand and manage these threats is maturing and has the potential to help mitigate this issue.
Redundancy
It’s not uncommon to find multiple tools performing similar functions. This not only wastes financial resources but also adds unnecessary layers of complexity, making it harder for teams to work efficiently.
Integration Issues
Many security tools don’t integrate seamlessly with one another, leading to data silos and blind spots. This lack of integration prevents teams from seeing the full picture, reducing their ability to respond effectively to threats.
Costs
Beyond the initial cost of acquiring these tools, there are ongoing expenses for training, licenses, and maintenance. These costs can quickly spiral out of control, often with diminishing returns.
Time for a Clean-Out: Consolidation is Key
The solution, much like decluttering a home, is consolidation. By streamlining the number of vendors and tools, organizations can simplify their security operations, reduce redundancy, and gain better visibility over their security landscape. A unified security platform can cover multiple functions—everything from detection and response to AI supported threat intelligence - without the need for separate, disconnected tools.
This approach doesn’t just reduce complexity; it also improves efficiency. A consolidated platform allows teams to manage security more effectively, reducing the risk of errors and improving their response times when threats arise.
Risk-Based Planning: A More Strategic Approach
Rather than reacting to every emerging cyber threat with a new tool, organizations should adopt a risk-based approach. By focusing on high-priority risks and vulnerabilities, companies can allocate resources more effectively and avoid the trap of acquiring tools they don’t truly need.
This approach ensures that cybersecurity investments are made strategically, based on an organization’s unique risk profile, rather than on the latest trend in the market.
The Future of Cybersecurity: Efficiency Over Excess
As the cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve, we must take a lesson from our own homes – and our human bias around our propensity to hold on to ‘stuff’, in this case the adage that, sometimes less is more. By consolidating tools, adopting a risk-based approach, and focusing on efficiency, organizations can build a security posture that is not only effective but also sustainable. Just as removing unnecessary clutter from our living spaces brings a sense of order and clarity, cleaning out the excess tools in a cybersecurity stack allows for a sharper focus on critical threats.
The reality is that today’s threat landscape demands agility and precision, and bloated, disjointed systems hinder that. With too many overlapping tools, cybersecurity teams struggle to identify and prioritize threats, often becoming overwhelmed by sheer volume. Simplifying these systems and embracing integrated platforms can free up valuable time and resources for the real task at hand: protecting the organization from evolving cyber threats.
Moreover, consolidation doesn’t mean sacrificing depth. In fact, it enhances it. When systems are streamlined, teams can work more effectively, gaining a holistic view of their threat environment and responding to incidents immediately they arise, faster and more efficiently. By reducing the noise, organizations can focus on high-priority threats and adopt a proactive security posture that aligns with business goals.
It’s clear: the future of cybersecurity lies not in adding more tools to our arsenal but in ensuring that the tools we have work smarter, not harder. The time for a cybersecurity declutter is now, and with it comes the opportunity to build stronger, more resilient defenses against the threats we all face today as well as those on the near horizon.
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