Unraveling the 'spaghetti' mess of cybersecurity

Security vendors and enterprise executives might want a more consolidated approach, but the reality is that integrating multiple products is the most well-rounded approach to cybersecurity, says Omdia's Maxine Holt.

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Kelsey Ziser, Phil Harveyand 1 more

September 10, 2024

At a Glance

  • How Omdia defines 'security platforms' and why they're important in the cybersecurity industry (04:48)
  • Security product consolidation isn't realistic (06:24)
  • Unraveling the 'spaghetti' mess of cybersecurity (11:01)

The annual Black Hat cybersecurity event brings together "ethical" hackers to share findings about security vulnerabilities, which in turn helps organizations better understand how to protect their networks. Improving security in enterprise networks also requires integration versus consolidation, explains Omdia's Maxine Holt, VP of Enterprise Research.

While 2023 was the year of GenAI, 2024 at Black Hat is the year of the security platform, says Holt. She shares how platforms, which provide a security "proposition that rolls up multiple products into an integrated offering" are important to provide organizations with "cumulative, quantifiable benefits" for their network security. 

Security vendors, security operations centers (SOCs) and CISOs might want a more consolidated approach, but the reality is that integrating multiple products is the most well-rounded approach to cybersecurity, explains Holt.

"[Omdia] is really firm about the idea that there isn't a single vendor security platform," says Holt. However, she acknowledges that managing multiple products can be challenging and explains how organizations can simplify their approach to cybersecurity before it becomes a "spaghetti" mess. 

Check out Omdia's analysis of the key takeaways from Black Hat 2024 here.

Below are some topics we cover in this podcast:

  • Background on the Black Hat cybersecurity event (01:05)

  • How Omdia defines "security platforms" and why they're important in the cybersecurity industry (04:48)

  • Security product consolidation isn't realistic (06:24)

  • DIY and managed service approaches to running security platforms (07:15)

  • The top features and benefits organizations want from their security platforms (09:06)

  • Unraveling the "spaghetti" mess of cybersecurity (11:01)

  • Security concerns and opportunities for GenAI (13:45)

  • The trouble with data breaches (19:50)

Click on the caption button for a lightly edited transcript. 

About the Authors

Kelsey Ziser

Senior Editor, Light Reading

Kelsey is a senior editor at Light Reading, co-host of the Light Reading podcast, and host of the "What's the story?" podcast.

Her interest in the telecom world started with a PR position at Connect2 Communications, which led to a communications role at the FREEDM Systems Center, a smart grid research lab at N.C. State University. There, she orchestrated their webinar program across college campuses and covered research projects such as the center's smart solid-state transformer.

Kelsey enjoys reading four (or 12) books at once, watching movies about space travel, crafting and (hoarding) houseplants.

Kelsey is based in Raleigh, N.C.

Phil Harvey

Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading

Phil Harvey has been a Light Reading writer and editor for more than 18 years combined. He began his second tour as the site's chief editor in April 2020.

His interest in speed and scale means he often covers optical networking and the foundational technologies powering the modern Internet.

Harvey covered networking, Internet infrastructure and dot-com mania in the late 90s for Silicon Valley magazines like UPSIDE and Red Herring before joining Light Reading (for the first time) in late 2000.

After moving to the Republic of Texas, Harvey spent eight years as a contributing tech writer for D CEO magazine, producing columns about tech advances in everything from supercomputing to cellphone recycling.

Harvey is an avid photographer and camera collector – if you accept that compulsive shopping and "collecting" are the same.

Maxine Holt

Research Director, Security, Ovum

Maxine leads Ovum's security proposition, developing a comprehensive research program in this area to support vendor, service provider, and enterprise clients. Having worked with enterprises across multiple industries in the world of information security, Maxine has a strong understanding of the challenges faced and how organizations can look to overcome these challenges.

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