Gartner: Pursuing Security Vendor Consolidation

A recent survey by Gartner, Inc. found that 75% of organisations are pursuing security vendor consolidation in 2022, up from 29% in 2020.

“Security and risk management leaders are increasingly dissatisfied with the operational inefficiencies and the lack of integration of a heterogenous security stack,” said John Watts, VP Analyst at Gartner. “As a result, they are consolidating the number of security vendors they use.”

The survey found that 57% of organisations are working with fewer than 10 vendors for their security needs, as they are looking to optimise to fewer vendors in key areas like secure access service edge (SASE) and extended detection and response (XDR).

The survey was conducted online during March and April 2022 among 418 respondents from North America, Asia Pacific and EMEA. Its objective was to determine organisations’ security vendor consolidation efforts and priorities, and the drivers and benefits of consolidation endeavours.

Gartner analysts are discussing how organisations can shape their security vendor strategy and projects during the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit, taking place in London through Wednesday.

Improving Risk Posture Is the No. 1 Benefit of Consolidation

The survey found that organisations want to consolidate their security vendors to reduce complexity and improve risk posture, not to save on budget or to improve procurement. Sixty-five per cent of surveyed organisations expect to improve their overall risk posture, and only 29% of respondents expect reduced spending on licensing.

“Cost optimisation should not be the primary driver for vendor consolidation,” said Watts. “Organisations that look to optimize costs must reduce products, licenses and features, or ultimately renegotiate contracts.”

Organisations that have not pursued security vendor consolidation yet indicated that the two primary impediments to consolidation were time constraints and having a vendor partnership that is too rigid (34% of respondents for each answer).

SASE and XDR Are Opportunities for Consolidation

Lengthy procurement processes or requests for proposals are allowing for consolidated offerings, such as XDR for endpoints and SASE for edge connectivity and security with integration on the backend.

The survey found that 41.5% of respondents plan to have adopted SASE within their organisations by the end of 2022, while 54.5% of organisations have plans to adopt XDR by the end of 2022.

“Security and risk management leaders must consider XDR and SASE as compelling options to start their consolidation journey,” said Dionisio Zumerle, VP Analyst at Gartner. “SASE provides secure enterprise access, while XDR focuses on detecting and responding to threats through increased visibility on networks, cloud, endpoints and other components.”

In fact, the survey found that 57% of organisations resolved security threats faster after implementing an XDR strategy. More than half of surveyed organisations use SASE projects to simplify network and security policy management and improve security posture.

“While 89% of surveyed organisations want SASE and XDR to work together, security and risk management leaders will often opt to keep them distinct from one another but ensure they can interoperate,” said Zumerle. “This is an approach validated by 46% of surveyed organisations, which allows for flexibility to select best-of-breed functionality.”

“Security and IT leaders should plan at least two years for consolidation as it takes time to effectively consolidate and consider incumbent vendor switching costs,” said Watts. “It is also important to anticipate vendor M&A disruption as the security market is always consolidating but never consolidated.”

To read more news and exclusive features see our latest issue here.

Never miss a story… Follow us on:
LinkedIn Security Buyer
Twitter logo @SecurityBuyer
Facebook @Secbuyer

Media Contact
Rebecca Morpeth Spayne,
Editor, Security Portfolio
Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922
Email: [email protected]

About Security Buyer

Security Buyer is the leading authority in global security content, delivering expert news, in-depth articles, exclusive interviews, and industry insights across print, digital, and event platforms. Published 10 times a year, the magazine is a trusted resource for professionals seeking updates and analysis on the latest developments in the security sector.

To submit an article, or for sponsorship opportunities, please contact our team below.

Rebecca Spayne picture 2025

Rebecca Spayne

Managing
EDITOR

Georgina Turner image

Georgina Turner

Sales
Manager

Afua Akoto image - Security Buyer

Afua Akoto

Marketing Manager

Read the Latest Issue

Follow us on X

Follow us on X

Click Here

Follow us on LinkedIn

Follow us on LinkedIn

Click Here

Advertise here

Reach decision makers and amplify your marketing

Advertise here

Click Here

Related News

OneLink

Product Spotlight – Gallagher’s OneLink

Gallagher Security presents, OneLink – the product that is elevating remote security through the power of the cloud 
Pinaccle systems

Pinnacle Systems further supports Installers and System Integrators

Pinnacle Systems has launched the Pinnacle Partner Programme, a new initiative designed to provide enhanced support for installers…
Stephen Tickle

Comelit-PAC Appoints Stephen Tickle as Regional Sales Manager

Comelit-PAC has appointed Stephen Tickle as its new Regional Sales Manager.  Stephen will focus on supporting PAC’s access control…
Intersec Saudi

Intersec Saudi Arabia returns with record exhibition space

Intersec Saudi Arabia, the premier industry platform for security, safety and fire protection, will return to the Riyadh…
Abloy UK

Abloy Academy breaks attendance records

Abloy UK has achieved record breaking attendance at its Academy, with more professionals than ever attending its…
Hikvision

Hikvision Introduces X-ray Baggage Inspection System

Hikvision India has recently introduced X-ray Baggage Inspection System with AI- enabled Intelligent Recognition Capabilities…
GBV

IFPO Column: The Quiet Signals of Danger

Yoyo Hamblen of IFPO and Gary Simpson, Nonverbal and Behavioural specialist discuss the important topic of Gender-Based Violence..
Doorbird Carousel

Product Spotlight – Door Communication for the “Neue Wallufer”

 A customised solution case study for a residential complex is presented by DoorBird and CompuNet Systems GmbH 
suprema

Suprema Achieves EN 60839 Certification

Suprema, a global provider of AI-powered access control and security solutions, has achieved EN 60839-11-1:2013 Grade 3 certification
ASSA ABLOY

Electric locks are a vital component in digital access

To protect the important openings in their buildings, organizations need locks they can trust. This means more than just strength…
Scroll to Top