Why Security Executives Avoid Point Cybersecurity Solutions

Cyberattacks are getting worse. 

Between 2021 and 2022, it increased by 38% worldwide:

There are other sides to this data.

First, cybercriminals are also becoming more sophisticated in their attacks on companies. Accordingly, there are growing numbers of tools (i.e., point cybersecurity solutions) for addressing specific threats individually.

And, that’s supposed to be a good thing. 

Unfortunately, using multiple vendor tools to tackle each cyber threat hasn’t helped CISOs secure their company infrastructure. For instance, another research by Check Point found that too many security solutions does your team’s cybersecurity efforts more harm than good: 

This insight calls for CISOs to pause and ask… 

Most are often reactive purchases. 

Take when news of an enterprise data breach creates an uptick in sales of point solutions for tackling such cyberattacks. Likewise, a series of phishing attacks will pull companies into investing in counter-phishing solutions.

It usually makes sense at first. Long-term, however, such a siloed, reactionary approach to mitigating cyber risks has downsides. One is that, because they aren’t interoperable with others, they still leave gaps for cybercriminals. This is why opting for an interoperable cybersecurity suite designed to work dynamically makes more sense. 

And a veteran CISO recommended this: 

Joe’s suggestion highlights why IT executives should opt for a cybersecurity solution that can tackle multiple threats in one place. 

In line with that, this article will:

• Explore 8 core cybersecurity solutions (and threats they tackle) 
• Showcase Cyber Sierra, our interoperable cybersecurity suite. 

There’s no shortage of point cybersecurity tools. 

And that’s in any niche or subniche you tune into:

But across this multitude of tools, there are core data security threats each category aims to mitigate. We explore those solutions below. 

1. Security Information & Event Management (SIEM)

SIEM products monitor and analyze security events across an organization’s systems and network. According to IBM, most point solutions in this category offer the same core functionalities: 

And it’s not just having the same functionality. 

Being difficult to set up and manage without specialized employees are other problems SIEMs have, per W@tchTower. In short, their report further noted something CISOs should take even more seriously:

A solution to this is a SIEM that can aggregate threat alerts into an auto-updated risk register. Better if this risk register also has the capability to articulate the possible impact, likelihood, and risk score of each threat alert. This way, the data is more actionable for your team. 

Cyber Sierra has these capabilities:

2. Vulnerability Management Tools

While SIEMs can analyze and highlight crucial intelligence about potential threats, they lack in providing the right context, as observed above. Also, the data you get is often voluminous, making it difficult for your security team to prioritize efforts. 

Point vulnerability management tools will integrate with a SIEM to complement it and create manageable processes for eliminating cyber threats. So if you purchase and implement a SIEM product, you’d still need to buy a separate vulnerability management software.

Such essential synergy is pre-built into Cyber Sierra. 

At the top, the security dashboard has an always-updated overview for members of your team to quickly glance: 

• Average safety score of your organization
• No. of vulnerabilities.
• No. of warnings, and
• Threats sorted from critical to low: 

Below this overview section, and from the same pane, managing vulnerabilities doesn’t require buying and implementing a separate tool. 

Each sorted alert comes with a description and succinct remediation to-do. And you can assign remediation tasks to your team right there on our platform or push them to JIRA without jumping through hoops: 

3. Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

Solutions in this category use custom enforcement to prevent sensitive data that could lead to security breaches from leaving your organization. Top DLP software can monitor, detect, and block both data entering your corporate network and those attempting to leave. 

According to Gartner, the top nine DLP products are:

4. Network Access Control (NAC)

These technologies allow CISOs and IT security executives to confirm the authorization and access of all devices and users on a company’s network. But most NAC tools rely on threat alerts from a SIEM. 

For instance, an implemented NAC product could enforce a security policy to contain an endpoint based on alerts triggered by a SIEM. In other words, as a point security solution, NAC tools could be deficient. 

eSecurity Planet reviewed the top nine NAC tools: 

5. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Here is an MFA technology explained visually: 

As shown, MFA creates an added layer of security for anyone trying to access your software. Instead of just passwords, which hackers can easily breach, personal verification methods are enforced. 

This reinforces your organization’s identity and access management (IAM), decreasing the likelihood of cyberattacks. 

Expert Insights reviewed the top MFA products:

6. Security Configuration Management (SCM)

Solutions in this category are essential if your organization must comply with governance and regulatory compliance (GRC) requirements. First, they ensure that your company’s cloud tools, devices, and all related systems are properly configured and secured. 

On the other hand, a good SCM automates most processes needed to improve your cybersecurity posture and secure compliance certifications. 

But they have a caveat. 

SCMs are standalone point solutions. So, you’ll still need to purchase separate tools to navigate the tiresome process of securing different compliance certifications like SOC, ISO27001, PCI DSS, and others. 

And this is where an interoperable cybersecurity solution suite like Cyber Sierra shines. First, with a single scan, it can continuously identify misconfigurations in your network, repository, cloud, and Kubernetes:

Threats identified can be managed (with remediation tasks auto-generated per alert) on the same platform. This gives your team an always-updated view of your company’s data cybersecurity posture in one pane. 

Also, your company’s cyber posture data gets ingested natively into our GRC solution, reducing the entire process of getting standard and custom compliance certifications to a few simple clicks: 

Since you’re still here…

7. Phishing Simulation & Employee Awareness Program

Products in this niche help IT executives to disperse cybersecurity awareness and train employees on countering phishing attacks. Often called anti-phishing programs, they simulate realistic attacks and gauge how effective employees are at handling cyberthreats. 

But an exceptional solution should do more.

It should have the various anti-phishing training types built-in, so busy executives can easily send them to employees in a few button clicks.

Cyber Sierra has that: 

Also, awareness training programs to educate employees on all possible cybersecurity threats should be built-in, too.  This includes:

• Best ways to use social media
• Cyber risks through 3rd-party vendors
• How to spot phishing emails
• Multi-factor authentication
• Safe browsing habits
• Sensitive data handling 
• Ransomware
• Common cybersecurity threats
• And others. 

Cyber Sierra also has these out of the box:

8. Third Party Risk Management (TPRM) Solutions

By utilizing the tools in the seven categories so far, you can greatly strengthen your internal data security measures. Unfortunately, they won’t prevent cybercriminals from attacking through 3rd-party vendors, which your company needs to enhance its capabilities.

In short, the stats are scary in this area:

Point TPRM tools help you mitigate possible third-party threats. 

But managing 3rd-party risks along with other threats in one, interoperable solution suite, is more optimal. Instead of another siloed tool in your security stack, you get the entire process synced into your team’s existing cybersecurity program.

Cyber Sierra makes this possible by streamlining the entire processes involved in managing third-party risks into three steps. It also comes pre-built with the two essential vendor assessment templates: 

We’ve covered the eight core cybersecurity solutions.

We also emphasized the need to opt for an interoperable cybersecurity solution instead of multiple point tools. 

You may be wondering… 

I’ll give you three reasons. 

The 1st is that the threat landscape is expanding with no end in sight. Consequently, the skills and knowledge required to answer the simple, but crucial question, “are we secure,” will only get broader. Johan Bogema, a Cybersecurity Expert, observed this in a report for ON2IT. 

He wrote: 

As cyber threats broaden with more sophisticated attacks, mitigating them in one interoperable platform that works well together is optimal. That’s because your team can tackle threats without losing sight of others. 

The 2nd reason has to do with wasted spend and exposure to vulnerabilities resulting from tools that don’t play well together. Matt Kakpo, a veteran Reporter at Cybersecurity Dive, corroborates: 

The 3rd reason is a consequence of the 1st two.

Due to wasted spend and difficulties with implementing separate solutions that don’t work together, executives are opting for solutions that tackle a wide range of threats in one pane. 

Take Delta Air’s Global CISO:

In addition to replacing most point solutions highlighted, Cyber Sierra works well with cybersecurity tools used by enterprise companies. I mean those for tackling advanced threats like: 

• Web Application Firewall (WAF)
• Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW)
• Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB). 

This built-in interoperability means you can cut down on vendors, while getting a one-pane view with detailed intel of your company’s cyber posture. It also means you can identify endpoints across your organization’s network with potential threats faster. 

Continuous security controls monitoring and the entire process of securing cyber insurance is streamlined into Cyber Sierra. This means you (and your team) can address a broad range of threats in one place: