Global digital growth is at risk from cyber threats. Learn five simple, incremental steps to strengthen security and protect your business.
Under constant pressure to defend against cyber threats, organizations often adopt new security tools rapidly to address specific vulnerabilities or compliance requirements. However, this reactive approach can lead to “tool sprawl,” where the unchecked accumulation of disparate solutions results in an overly complex and fragmented security environment.
What is cybersecurity tool sprawl?
Cybersecurity tool sprawl occurs when organizations continuously add new tools without fully assessing their existing security infrastructure or considering how these additions fit into the broader architecture. Over time, this reactive approach leads to an overextended security framework, where overlapping functionalities, siloed data, and operational inefficiencies compromise overall security.
As the complexity of managing a myriad of security tools grows, so do the risks of inefficiency, increased costs, skill gaps, and security vulnerabilities. Understanding these challenges is critical to developing effective strategies for minimizing tool sprawl.
A more holistic approach, where each tool is necessary, fully integrated, and effectively utilized, is crucial for maintaining a robust security posture in today’s dynamic threat landscape.
Having the right technology for your specific security needs leads to a strong cyber defense — not deploying the most technology.
What does cybersecurity tool sprawl look like?
Today, cybersecurity tool sprawl is characterized by an overabundance of security tools, often numbering in the dozens or even hundreds within large organizations. At the 2019 RSA Conference, Matt Chiodi, Former Chief Security Officer of Public Cloud at Palo Alto Networks, noted that small organizations average 15-20 tools, medium-sized businesses 50-60, and large enterprises over 130 tools.
These tools span various categories, including endpoint protection, intrusion detection, threat intelligence, identity management, etc. Despite this extensive array, research and industry reports indicate that only a small fraction of these tools are actively used, with many going underutilized due to their complexity or redundancy.
According to Richard Watson from Ernst & Young, most organizations utilize only 10% to 20% of their technology while paying higher license costs for technology they have not leveraged for other business needs.
Watson, in his article, “Simplify to Survive: How Organizations Can Navigate Cyber-Risk,” suggests that a technology declutter is required:
“Simplification will make companies more adaptive and pragmatic. It will support a shift from a complexity-inducing approach […] to an adaptive approach that works backward from core risks and sets companies up to move swiftly when attacks strike. Simplification will result in operational efficiencies, reduced technology and infrastructure overhead, and ultimately the ability to respond to cyber threats more quickly.”
Also Read: Stolen Data: A Lucrative Business on the Dark Web
5 critical challenges that come with tool sprawl
Tool sprawl presents numerous challenges that can hinder an organization’s ability to maintain an effective security posture. Five of the top side effects of tool sprawl are:
- Operational inefficiency
- Increased costs
- Skill gaps
- Visibility and control issues
- Integration challenges
Operational inefficiency arises when organizations deploy many security tools, often with overlapping functionalities; it creates a complex, difficult-to-manage environment. Security teams may struggle to effectively monitor and correlate data from multiple tools, leading to missed threats and slower response times. The lack of integration between these tools can also result in fragmented security processes, where critical information is siloed and not shared across platforms. (Read about efficient tech stacks by Keepit CTO Jakob Østergaard.)
Increased costs are another significant issue. Each tool requires licensing, maintenance, and support, which can quickly escalate expenses. Additionally, the need for specialized personnel to manage and operate these tools further increases costs. In many cases, organizations find themselves paying for underutilized or redundant tools, exacerbating the financial burden.
Skill gaps among security staff can also be a challenge. The more tools an organization uses, the more difficult it becomes for the security team to be proficient with each one. This can lead to suboptimal use of the tools, where their full capabilities are not leveraged, ultimately weakening the organization’s overall security posture. The difficulty of keeping up with updates and best practices for various tools can also contribute to skill gaps and operational errors.
Visibility and control issues often arise in environments plagued by tool sprawl. Maintaining comprehensive visibility across the network becomes challenging with so many tools in play. This fragmented visibility can result in blind spots, where security incidents may go unnoticed or unaddressed. Moreover, the lack of centralized control can make it difficult to enforce consistent security policies across the organization and thoroughly test a larger-than-necessary attack surface. (Read our article on“simplicity as a shield” and immutability.)
Finally, integration challenges are a common problem. Many organizations use legacy systems and new technologies that do not easily integrate. This lack of integration can prevent security tools from working together effectively, reducing their effectiveness and complicating incident response efforts. Without seamless integration, data from different tools might not be aggregated and analyzed properly, leading to threat detection and response delays.
While cybersecurity tools are essential for protecting an organization’s digital assets, excessive tool sprawl ultimately leads to significant challenges — all of which can weaken an organization’s security posture rather than strengthen it. Reducing tool sprawl through strategic consolidation and better tool management can help mitigate these challenges.
How can security leaders minimize tool sprawl?
Minimizing cybersecurity tool sprawl is crucial for maintaining an effective and efficient security posture. Here are several strategies that security leaders can adopt to tackle this challenge:
- Data governance and prioritization: Clearly define which data and assets are most critical to your organization. You can prioritize monitoring and tool selection efforts by understanding the specific areas that require protection. This targeted approach ensures that resources are allocated efficiently and security tools are directly aligned with the organization’s most valuable assets.
- Recovery testing and centralized oversight: Regular recovery testing of backed-up data can help centralize security efforts. Centralizing oversight and validation processes minimizes sprawl and ensures that your security measures are comprehensive and cohesive, minimizing gaps in protection.
- Strategic SIEM implementation: Implementing a robust Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system can consolidate monitoring efforts. A well-integrated SIEM can aggregate data from various sources, reducing the necessity to monitor multiple platforms independently. This consolidation simplifies the security environment and helps to avoid the complexities that lead to tool sprawl.
- Selective tool acquisition: Before acquiring new security tools, it’s essential to clearly define your monitoring objectives. Any new tool should be evaluated for its ability to integrate seamlessly with your existing SIEM infrastructure. This careful selection process prevents the unnecessary expansion of the toolset and ensures that each addition provides real value.
- Diversified intelligence sources: While integration is key, it’s also important to maintain diverse intelligence sources. This diversification allows for cross-verifying threat information, providing more accurate and comprehensive detection. Ensuring your tools incorporate varied intelligence sources can enhance the overall security posture without adding redundant tools.
- Resource and capacity assessment: Evaluate your security team’s capacity to manage the existing toolset effectively. This includes deciding whether to maintain an in-house Security Operations Center (SOC), outsource it, or adopt a hybrid approach. Aligning your toolset with the available resources ensures that your security team can effectively manage and utilize the tools.
- Regular review and rationalization: Reviewing your toolset is essential for identifying redundancies and underutilized tools. This rationalization process optimizes the security stack, ensuring every component adds value and enhances your security posture. Regular reviews prevent sprawl from creeping back in and keep your security environment streamlined.
By implementing these strategies, organizations can effectively manage and reduce cybersecurity tool sprawl, ensuring a more efficient, cost-effective, and secure environment. A streamlined and integrated security approach is beneficial and essential in today’s complex threat landscape.
Also Read: Cyber Threats 2025: Trends, Tactics, and Tech to Watch
Conclusion
Perhaps contrary to the wishes of the endless array of readily “onboardable” SaaS applications promising a silver bullet for your problems, just adding more tools isn’t the solution to cybersecurity woes—streamlining and integrating your security stack is.
By focusing on quality over quantity and maintaining oversight of your solutions, you can reduce tool sprawl, enhancing efficiency and security. A well-coordinated approach not only cuts costs but also fortifies cyber resilience efforts.
