Jon AbbottWhy A Multitude Of Tools Is Providing You With A False Security Blanket

Accordingly, the fast-growing cyber security industry has developed a seemingly endless array of solutions. Organisations can now find tools to combat any form of cyber threat, including many that the average business may not have considered previously.

But in its own way, this plethora of solutions can be almost as daunting as the threats themselves. Firms can easily find themselves paralysed by choice, particularly when they are likely to have a limited security spending cap carved out of an already overstretched IT budget.

Presented with so much choice, it can be tempting to simply throw some money towards a handful of the most appealing solutions, and hope that will be enough to keep the company secure.

Armed with a selection of shiny new solutions, each one no doubt advertising itself as a best-of-breed industry leader, it is easy to be lulled into a false sense of security. All these powerful solutions form a comforting security blanket. But more often than not, this security blanket is full of holes that can and will be exploited by cyber criminals.

The Effectiveness of Your Security Tools?

Part of the problem is that it can be difficult for the average company to ascertain just how effective their selection of security tools really is. In many cases, we find that although companies have invested in solutions, their IT or security team lacks the resource or experience to deliver their full value. We also frequently encounter tools that are designed to deal with issues the company is unlikely to ever run into. Scenarios like these mean a firm can still be vulnerable to basic cyber risks, despite having stretched its IT budget to breaking point. At the same time, crucial tools may be missing from the security strategy entirely.

While the tools may be powerful individually, without a single consolidated view to unite them it will be much harder for IT and security personnel to manage them all effectively.

This is particularly crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic, where remote workers fall under less security oversight and are more exposed to cyber criminals taking advantage of things like VPN connections. Simple tasks like confirming the security status of a single remote worker’s endpoint device could involve an entire morning of swapping between half a dozen applications and dashboards.

To truly protect the business from cyber attacks, this unravelling security blanket must be stitched together to provide one consolidated view. This will enable IT and security personnel to quickly identify security risks and focus on resolving any threats – whether known, or unknown.