A global study led by the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBM IBV) and Palo Alto Networks reveals that organizations are facing significant challenges due to the increasing complexity of cybersecurityCybersecurity solutions are essential in today’s era. The companies surveyed manage an average of 83 different security solutions from 29 vendors, complicating their ability to address cyber threats. However, the report highlights that “platformification”—the consolidation of tools into a unified platform—may be the answer to enhance efficiency and generate business value.
Complexity as a Barrier to Cybersecurity
The study, titled “Capturing the Cybersecurity Dividend: How Security Platforms Create Business Value”, indicates that 52% of the executives surveyed believe that solution fragmentation limits their ability to cope with cyber threats. Additionally, this fragmentation and complexity are estimated to cost organizations an average of 5% of their annual revenue. For a company with revenues of $20 billion, this represents a cost of $1 billion per year, a figure that includes the effects of security incidents, lost productivity, failed digital transformations, and reputational damage.
Mark Hughes, Global Managing Partner for IBM Cybersecurity Services, stated: “Organizations continue to struggle with updating their security posture to address new threats while being pressured to reduce complexity and expenses. Executives must enable innovation, protect assets, and realize value from their cybersecurity investments”.
Benefits of Platformification
The report highlights that 75% of organizations that have adopted platformification believe that greater integration among security, hybrid cloud, artificial intelligence (AI), and other technology platforms is crucial. Furthermore, 80% of these companies claim to have complete visibility of vulnerabilities and potential threats.
Organizations that have implemented this approach manage to reduce the average time to identify (MTTI) and contain (MTTC) security incidents by 72 and 84 days, respectively, compared to those that have not. Additionally, platformification allows companies to achieve a return on investment (ROI) nearly four times greater in cybersecurity, driving revenue growth and improving operational efficiency.
Karim Temsamani, President of Next-Generation Security at Palo Alto Networks, noted: “We’ve seen the positive impacts of adopting a platformification approach in security. In an AI-driven world, strong partnerships are more essential than ever”.
AI and the Future of Cybersecurity
The study also emphasizes the crucial role of AI in the evolution of cybersecurity. Ninety percent of executives surveyed expect to scale, optimize, or innovate with AI in the next two years. A platform approach enables organizations to analyze data more effectively, gain actionable insights, and accelerate AI adoption to improve threat preparedness.
Tips for Successful Platformification
To successfully implement platformification, IBM and Palo Alto Networks recommend:
- Select strategic partners that simplify the security mission and eliminate those that don’t add value.
- Conduct incident response drills to identify areas where a unified platform can have the greatest impact.
- Prepare teams through immersive experiences, such as the joint Cyber Range offered by IBM and Palo Alto Networks in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where companies can train to combat the latest cyber threats.
In a constantly evolving threat landscape, platformification emerges as a key solution to reduce complexity, improve efficiency, and maximize the value of cybersecurity investments. The partnership between IBM and Palo Alto Networks seeks to provide organizations with the necessary tools to navigate their digital transformation with confidence and achieve sustainable business outcomes.