Organisations manage 67 security solutions on average, driving up costs and complexity
A new study by IBM and Palo Alto Networks reveals that 60 per cent of Indian executives believe their security teams are overwhelmed due to excessive workload, as organisations manage an average of 67 security solutions from 26 vendors. The global report highlights that complexity in cybersecurity operations is a growing challenge, with 77 per cent of Indian respondents citing it as a major barrier to effective threat management.
The study, titled “Capturing the Cybersecurity Dividend: How Security Platforms Generate Business Value,” underscores the need for a consolidated approach to security. Globally, 75 per cent of companies that have adopted security platformisation agree that better integration across security, hybrid cloud, AI, and other technology platforms is essential. Organisations that rely on fragmented security solutions are experiencing increased inefficiencies, higher operational costs, and slower threat response times.
Executives estimate that security fragmentation costs organisations an average of 5 per cent of their annual revenue. For a company generating USD 20 billion annually, this translates to USD 1 billion in financial impact, including expenses related to security breaches, productivity losses, and reputational damage.
Mark Hughes, Global Managing Partner, Cybersecurity Services at IBM, noted that companies are struggling to update their security frameworks while also managing cost reductions. “Security executives need to enable innovation, protect assets, and derive value from their cybersecurity investments to help their organisations thrive,” he said.
Michelle Saw, VP GTM and Ecosystems, Japac, Palo Alto Networks, highlighted the evolving cyber threat landscape, where AI plays a dual role in both defence and attack strategies. “Platformisation can help organisations achieve improved cybersecurity outcomes by addressing complexity through strategic consolidation and integration of security solutions onto a unified platform,” she said.
The study finds that organisations adopting platformized security solutions experience faster response times, with mean time to identify (MTTI) and mean time to contain (MTTC) security incidents reduced by 152 and 113 days, respectively. Meanwhile, 80 per cent of companies embracing platformisation report having full visibility into potential vulnerabilities and threats.
In India, the pressure to manage security costs remains high, with 60 per cent of executives acknowledging financial constraints, compared to 80 per cent globally. Additionally, the report reveals that four out of five non-platformized organisations worldwide struggle to handle the increasing number of cyber threats.
