CISO's guide to security vendor consolidation
Organizations adopt a multitude of disparate security tools over time, which often results in tool overlap and added complexity for protecting systems and data.
There's a staggering array of cybersecurity vendors in the market today. Like with all security controls and tools, CISOs should assess whether they need every vendor they use currently -- and might use in the future.
In some cases, these assessments lead to vendor consolidation -- the process of strategically reducing the number of vendors in use for operational and strategic benefits, financial advantages and security improvements.
Let's examine the benefits and challenges of security vendor consolidation and explore how CISOs can assess their vendor portfolio.
Remember that the "right" number and types of vendors for cybersecurity products and services are subjective. What works for one company might not for another. CISOs should weigh the factors covered below when deciding on the balance that works for their organization.
Benefits and challenges of security vendor consolidation
Forty percent of organizations have already begun to consolidate their cybersecurity tools and vendors and an additional 21% are planning on it, according to the "2025 Fortra State of Cybersecurity Survey Results."
Benefits of security vendor consolidation include the following:
- Operational benefits. For example, reduced management complexity, easier learning curve with fewer tools, improved efficiency and simplified vendor support.
- Strategic benefits. Such as stronger vendor relationships with less time spent negotiating contracts, services and overall cost, and simplified compliance.
- Financial advantages. For example, minimized licensing fees and decreased maintenance costs. Eliminating tool sprawl and shelfware -- tools being paid for that aren't being used -- also saves money in already tight cybersecurity budgets.
- Security improvements. Including improved visibility, streamlined threat management and improved control over the entire attack surface.
Security vendor consolidation isn't without challenges, however. Roadblocks include risk of vendor lock-in, introducing single points of failure, creating security coverage gaps, management complexity and staff training challenges.
How to begin security vendor consolidation
Reducing tool and vendor sprawl is a daunting task. To lay the groundwork for consolidation, CISOs and their teams should consider the following:
- Evaluate the company's needs for cybersecurity tools, features and services and align vendors and service providers with those needs.
- Compare and consolidate existing and new vendors, particularly as market consolidation and vendor feature expansion bring new features and capabilities into play.
- Prepare for acquisitions, business failures and other vendor changes in existing contracts to minimize potential risk.
- Anticipate common vendor challenges and inevitable issues that might arise during contract timeframes.
To start security vendor consolidation, CISOs and their teams should do the following:
- Develop a thorough vendor inventory. List all the cybersecurity vendors in use at the organization.
- Build a capabilities matrix. List required features and functionality, as well as any non-negotiables.
- Identify vendor and product overlaps. Document significant overlap in products and services.
- List new needs. Identify any missing tools, services and capabilities.
- Assess vendor relationships. Consider which vendors are easier to work with than others. For any problematic relationships, ask if the partnership is worth continuing.
After discussing these criteria, CISOs and their teams should research and document each vendor's costs, reputation, support, features and capabilities, and contracts.
Costs
Vendor tools and services should be as cost-effective as possible. When renewing products or introducing new options with existing contracts, be prepared for price hikes, licensing changes, costs out of line with other leading services, hidden costs and unanticipated service charges.
Vendor reputation
A vendor's reputation could change for many reasons, including poor online reviews or social media feedback, cultural issues, breaches and security incidents, acquisitions and mergers, major or continuous vulnerability announcements, or financial woes.
Vendor support
When evaluating vendors, CISOs need to define their support expectations early in negotiations. Measure service-level agreements and expectations with existing vendors to see whether this is a problem area, and document both positive and negative support experiences. Note sudden changes in support policy or fulfillment, as well. For cybersecurity platforms and products, it's critical that support is timely and knowledgeable.
Features and capabilities
While evaluating controls and comparing functionality is important, it's also integral to focus on the vendor commitment aspect. Hold smaller vendors and startups to roadmap commitments contractually, and if a contract was negotiated based on promises of a feature, put hard dates and expectations in place within contracts.
Contracts
Negotiating contracts and working with procurement teams are focus areas of vendor evaluation today. One consideration is contract length. Shorter contracts are less risky but usually cost more. At the same time, CISOs can usually negotiate lower contracts for a yearly cost, but this might lock them into a longer term with a potentially unsatisfying relationship.
For smaller, lesser-known vendors, it's best to opt for shorter contracts. Longer contracts might be offset by negotiating termination clauses that outline performance issues or other negatives in the relationship, but this is highly dependent on what the vendor does. To that end, carefully consider performance expectations as thoroughly as possible before signing new vendors.
Dave Shackleford is founder and principal consultant at Voodoo Security, as well as a SANS analyst, instructor and course author, and GIAC technical director.
