As the threat landscape keeps evolving, the tools to tackle the varieties of threats are leading to fragmentation of security solutions, organizations have to juggle an average of 83 different security solutions from 29 vendors. This fragmentation is costing companies a lot, as per a study by IBM and Palo Alto Networks. Thus, it is time that the spending on organizational security be shifted to a dynamic, agile model that will allow scalability, adaptability, and usage-based security. Organizational spending is closely tied to such transformation.
Treating infrastructure as a capital asset is likely to result in obsolete systems that may lead to unpredictable costs and slower threat response. This process can be more costly if treated as a one-time payment as part of Capital Expenditure (CapEx). Let us list in what ways a switch to OpEx can benefit organizations. Treating it as a part of Operating Expenditure (OpEx) offers various benefits.
- Cash flow availability: Turning security as part of OpEx helps companies offset the costs by dispersing into a number of payments, rather than a single one-and-done payment. This situation is particularly useful in today’s uncertain climate. It helps ensure agility by preferring predictable monthly costs over large investments.
- Quicker, scalable security: While on-premises deployments offer more control, subscription-based payments costs are based on resource usage and can scale as per requirements. These products can also be implemented very quickly, compared to the CapEx purchases, which must go at least through the rudimentary procurement, setup, and IT integration processes, which delay the products’ implementation. The OpEx products are usually cloud-based and thus plug-and-play and require minimal setup. Their quicker implementation means better threat response and addressing issues like compliance gaps much faster.
- Staying Secured: Security is no longer a one-time product. Trends like the hybrid work model and cloud shift have rendered traditional security models like moat and castle mostly useless. The loss of perimeter also means users and endpoints need protection anywhere, making cloud-based security a critical asset. CapEx tools have the problem of continuing to use outdated tools because the next procurement cycle is away. OpEx tools vendors are continuously updating their products and enriching them by adding resources like threat intelligence. These provisions enable users to maintain a better secure posture.
- Addressing personnel issues: The cybersecurity sector continues to suffer from a chronic issue of personnel shortage. The current climate of uncertainty and layoffs has just aggravated the situation. In such situations, the availability of OpEx subscription-based tools allows users to outsource critical SecOps functions like vulnerability and incident management. In addition, they can use services like Managed Detection and Response (MDR) to offset in-house capacity building. This ability is valuable for medium-sized companies and startups, who need security but may not have the financial heft to allow on-premises security resources.
- Staying compliant: Global data protection and storage norms are becoming more stringent. Noncompliance attracts hefty fines and loss of brand image. Breaches can even prove fatal for startups. The OpEx cloud-based products offer built-in capabilities like audit trails, automated alerts, and reporting dashboards. These capabilities are crucial for effective breach protection and provide enhanced visibility that allows users to stay compliant with various norms like HIPAA and GDPR.
- Continued product support: In the one-and-done payment model, the vendor gets paid upfront. This may pose a problem of continued support through the financial cycle. There is much less incentive for the vendor. However, the recurring payments model helps do away with these issues. There is a continued incentive for vendors to keep their products up to date.
- Support for modern networks: Today, most networks have moved on from organizational perimeters. They are now a mixture of remote endpoints, third-party platforms, and cloud workloads. Whether the CapEx-related appliance-based tools can manage risks adequately in such fluid, dynamic environments is a matter of doubt. On the other hand, OpEx-based tools are a better fit for such environments owing to their capabilities like APIs, quick adaptability, and dashboarding.
In conclusion, organizations need to ensure that their security systems are up to the task in today’s dynamic threat landscape. The systems need to be agile, flexible, scalable, and up-to-date. A switch from CapEx to OpEx allows users to achieve these goals, primarily by allowing them to switch to a service model, which can maintain the system goals.