Pureplay Vendors, Point Solutions and the Video Camera Analogy

Triumfant does a lot of things, some of which that intersect with point solutions from pureplay vendors.  When I talk to prospects about point solutions I always use the same analogy about buying a video camera or camcorder. 

When you go to but a video camera, your ego will normally get the best of you and you will undoubtedly pay a lot more than you intended for a whole host of features.   Just as predictably, the vast majority of you point this camera at something and the only feature you ever use is the zoom.   Not only do you not use the other features, most even forget they are there and likely have no idea why they would want to use them in the first place. 

Point solutions dazzle the same way as the video camera in the hands of the Best Buy guy or gal who will make it quite life or death that a camera has a DIGIC DV III image processor or the ability to video in sepia tones.   One example is whitelisting and blacklisting, which we do a very good job of enforcing to eliminate unauthorized applications that may cause organizations unnecessary vulnerabilities, and therefore risk.  I sat through the presentation of one of the leading whitelist companies and within a slide or two the conversation dropped into what I saw as camcorder features.  I also came to the conclusion that some of the basic functionality, such as the ability to automate remediation, was severely lacking. 

Beware of trying to relying on too many point solutions in your defense in depth strategy.  You end up with multiple agents, multiple consoles, and you are responsible for being the integrator.   When looking for functionality, think more broadly about other needs and see if you can find a vendor that can knock off several of your needs with a single tool.   While you may not get all of the bells and whistles, you will likely find that you would have never used those functions in the first place, and you can get all of the functionality you need in a broader tool.   Not to mention save yourself money, and human resource expenses in training your team to administer a lot of point solutions. 

Take care to know what you really need, and don’t fall victim to the alluring trap of the exotic features.  Because a solid camera with a good zoom may be the answer.