Some organizations suffer when multiple security vendors provide disparate tools and features. This impacts the organization's risk posture, increasing the likelihood threat actors find and exploit gaps in the organization's security approach. 

Managing multiple security solutions and providers becomes increasingly difficult as the organization grows. Combining those tools into a consolidated platform eliminates silos, unifies cyber threat detection and incident response, and strengthens the company's cybersecurity efforts. 

Organizations that undergo cybersecurity vendor consolidation can protect a wide variety of IT assets and attack surfaces using fewer cybersecurity tools. This streamlines operations and allows each vendor to do more while costing less. 

Why go through the process of cybersecurity consolidation? 

Successfully consolidating your security stack unlocks significant value. Achieving deeper visibility, exerting greater control, and earning significant cost savings can transform your cybersecurity posture and better-position your organization to address future threats. Ensuring streamlined security operations and robust business continuity through a single platform enables the Security Operations Center (SOC) to work at optimal capacity. 

While consolidating your cybersecurity tech stack is not without risks, organizations that delay consolidation may overpay for security technologies that do not provide enough visibility and protection from cyber threats. Managing many individual cybersecurity vendors without a unified platform can drag down security team performance and introduce security gaps. 

Unconsolidated security tech stacks constantly require configuration and integration. Every time you change the way different tools and vendors interact, you run the risk of introducing misconfigurations and other vulnerabilities into your security posture. Managing these tools through a single, centralized platform reduces these risks considerably. 

5 considerations to take when consolidating cybersecurity tools 

Not all organizations successfully transform their collection of security tools to a fully consolidated security platform. It is a complex undertaking that requires deep product knowledge and expertise driven by a consolidation strategy. To reap the benefits of platform consolidation, security leaders must plan for major obstacles that can prevent a successful implementation. 

Weigh the benefits of consolidation against the best-of-breed approach 

Most cybersecurity technologies fall into one of two categories: 

• Platforms provide a comprehensive collection of end-to-end security tools in a single, unified solution. They can be a robust, cost-effective solution that reduces tool sprawl and unlocks operational performance. 

• Best-of-breed solutions can focus on one particular use case or vendor strength. Managing a diversity of technical solutions can be challenging yet it provides flexibility and access to emerging technologies and innovative approaches. 

Consolidated platforms address some of the key challenges of the platform approach. However, some organizations are better served by a combination of well-integrated cybersecurity solutions from different vendors.  

 Your organization may not need a fully consolidated platform. It might simply need access to scalable product expertise, or even one capable of integrating its cybersecurity stack more efficiently. Talking to a reputable third-party MDR (Managed Detection and Response) vendor can provide the insight you need to address both scenarios. 

Plan for integration issues—"rip and replace" isn't the only option 

When it comes to any cybersecurity implementations, integration issues are going to be a concern. Every organization has long-established workflows it relies on to generate value for customers and stakeholders, and bringing in innovative technology can disrupt those workflows in unpredictable ways. 

Consider consulting a team of product experts that can determine whether your existing security solutions can be configured to work in a platformed environment. You may be missing consolidation opportunities that can lower costs, reduce risk, and improve performance. 

Obtain buy-in from stakeholders and end users early on 

Stakeholders and end users can create problems if there isn’t clarity on the value of consolidation, or they disagree with the methods employed to achieve it. 

 Establishing open channels of communication between stakeholders, end users, and consolidation champions is vital. Doing this early ensures that everyone involved has clear, unambiguous information on why the change is necessary, what improvements it leads to, and what to expect in the meantime. 

 Enterprise security teams may need an in-house change management leader to proactively address everyone's concerns. This is another area where working with a scalable managed detection and response vendor like Lumifi can generate significant value and reduce the risk of user experience friction during the implementation process. 

Avoid exposing your organization to the risk of vendor lock-in 

Vendor lock-in is a risk many security technology implementations share. Whether your organization chooses to implement a single, consolidated platform or a variety of best-of-breed solutions, there are obstacles getting data to and from third-party vendors. Your organization likely has significant long-term investments in some vendors, making it difficult and expensive to give them up.  

Cribl is a data flow and observability solution that enables security teams to connect any tool or platform to any other, all while keeping your data safely secured inside your environment. 

This can completely change the way your organization approaches cybersecurity consolidation. Eliminating vendor lock-in and lowering integration and maintenance costs for best-of-breed solutions may unlock significant value that would not otherwise be obtainable. Using the right consolidation platform can dramatically reduce the risk of vendor lock-in. 

 Lumifi’s proprietary technology ShieldVision™ provides visibility and control over any number of third-party security solutions. It consolidates your Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), Network Detection and Response (NDR) and Mail Scanning platforms into a unified, interoperable system. ShieldVision™ has thousands of detections and methodologies available out-of-the-box, with SOAR capabilities, proactive threat hunting, and additional valuable features included. 

The post-consolidation strategy should meet future requirements 

Shieldvision™ enables enterprise security leaders to leverage the benefits of consolidation without running the risk of vendor lock-in. It supports every tool and platform as a data source, which means you can bring your own tech stack and consolidate it without giving up visibility and control over your data. 

That puts your organization in a privileged position to manage future security requirements. There is no need to compromise between your organization's long-term growth strategy and its current security needs. Lumifi acts as an extension of your IT security team, providing bespoke services to operationalize new technologies as your organization acquires them. 

Look at how rapidly the threat landscape has changed in the past five years and try to imagine how your consolidated platform will address novel security threats five years in the future, when your attack surface is likely to be much larger and more complex. Take the unpredictable effects of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence into account and consider how AI-driven security operations may change and develop within that period. 

WIth Lumifi leading your cybersecurity consolidation initiative, you can proactively prepare your organization for these challenges. You may not need to choose between a fragmented security tech stack and an expensive, risky rip-and-replace consolidation. Lumifi ShieldVision™ can provide you with the best of both worlds, powered by world-class product expertise and industry-leading technology. 

Contact Lumifi for specialist expertise and guidance on consolidation 

If you are considering implementing a unified security platform for your organization, take time to consult with our team of security product experts. With years of experience leading complex implementations and enhancing security operations for large-scale enterprises, we can provide the insight you need to ensure your next cybersecurity investment is the right one. Contact a cybersecurity consolidation expert now to find out more.