should you use security point solutions?

by Threat Stack, Inc.

Here’s The One Reason You Actually Should Use Security Point Solutions

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Compiling the right set of security solutions to meet your company’s unique requirements is no easy task.


The security needs of each company can vary widely depending on: • Compliance regulations• Industry threat profile• Types of data processed

…and several other factors.


While the security solutions you ultimately go with may fit the bill for what you need, they often:• Don’t communicate or integrate well

together• Overlap in functionality – and not in a

good way • Cost more than a single platform solution


“Many of us in the information security space have a proud legacy of only purchasing best in breed point solutions. In my early days as an information security practitioner, I only wanted to deploy these types of standalone solutions.

This bloat adds unneeded friction to the infosec team’s operational responsibilities.”

- Rick Holland, Forrester


This is all to say…

The only reason you would have a bunch of security point solutions is that you simply don’t know how a single platform approach could replace what you’re currently doing.


Today, sophisticated threats and attackers, coupled with the explosion of BYOD and the IoT means companies need to make some smart decisions:

• Keep the good• Get rid of the bad• Optimize for collaboration and

integration

4 Best Practices to Develop a Strategic and Integrated Security Posture

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1. PLAN FOR YOUR COMPANY’S UNIQUE SECURITY & COMPLIANCE NEEDS

The security and compliance needs of your company are unique, requiring a dedicated strategy for developing the right cloud security toolset.

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Rapidly expanding threat landscape and growing compliance needs means organizations instead cobble together point solutions to tick the boxes or respond reactively to security incidents.

When done in haste, gaping holes appear in organizations’ cloud security and compliance postures, leading to serious consequences if an attacker chooses to take advantage.


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Companies instead should be focused on their complete security and compliance requirements:• Systems (AWS, Rackspace, Azure, etc.)• Data (healthcare, credit card, company

IP, etc.)

From here, they can determine:• Access control levels • File monitoring requirements • Alerting severities



With this approach, companies can better select a comprehensive security solution that meets your specific needs instead of trying to fit the latest solution into an already bloated security toolset.

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2. MINIMIZE OWNERSHIP & WORKFLOW COMPLEXITIES

• How many point solutions does your company use?

• Who is in charge of each of these solutions?

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If you can’t narrow down how many security point solutions your organization is employing and, worse, are unsure who is in charge of each, that is a signal you need better integration among solutions.


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Since many security solutions don’t play well together, the best approach is to leverage a complete platform that includes all the key security components.


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3. A SINGLE COMPREHENSIVE PLATFORM IS KINDER TO SECURITY BUDGETS

Significant efficiencies are gained in combining security solutions into one platform.

This is a far more scalable approach than purchasing a number of disparate (and often costly) point solutions.It’s simple economics.

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…even better, trimming down expenses is a great thing to report up to your CEO and CFO.

3. A SINGLE COMPREHENSIVE PLATFORM IS KINDER TO SECURITY BUDGETS

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4. OVERLAP ISN’T ALWAYS A GOOD THING

The more security solutions you have, the more overlap in functionality there is.

This isn’t always a good thing...

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The way data is collected, analyzed and reported varies from tool to tool.

4. OVERLAP ISN’T ALWAYS A GOOD THING

ExampleOne tool may designate a threat as Severity 1 whereas another might call it Severity 2; the response for a Severity 1 vs. Severity 2 can differ significantly. When a real threat comes in, how can you verify if it’s serious?


As threats become more sophisticated, so too must an organization’s capacity to monitor, alert and respond in time.


What if you could consolidate all security monitoring, alerting and analysis into a single solution that includes:

• Workload insights• Infrastructure monitoring• Vulnerability management• Threat intelligence• Compliance reporting

Try Threat StackFREE TRIAL: WWW.THREATSTACK.COM

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Adopting a platform approach to security with the likes of Threat Stack, you’ll be far better prepared to act fast when the time comes, while also having more time to focus on the job at hand – protecting your company and customers.

should you use security point solutions?

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