Understanding the nuances between cybersecurity products and platforms is crucial for enhancing business protections and supporting businesses anywhere. These two terms, product and platform, often surface in cybersecurity discussions. Each has its strengths, but it’s essential to discern which is more effective for your organization.

A cybersecurity product is a specialized solution that addresses a specific security need. It could be an Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) system, a firewall, or an encryption tool designed to protect your organization’s security.

A cybersecurity platform is a comprehensive solution that integrates various security products into a unified system. It provides a holistic approach to security, covering multiple aspects of an organization’s cybersecurity needs.

The Case for a Cybersecurity Product — Cybersecurity products typically provide a specialized capability to tackle specific threats. They can also be easy to deploy and manage, making them a good choice for businesses with limited IT resources.

The Case for a Cybersecurity Platform — Cybersecurity platforms provide comprehensive visibility across multiple attack surfaces and intuitive orchestration across diverse telemetry data and security information. Managing access controls, detecting and responding to threats and implementing a zero-trust model become much easier and more efficient. Platforms simplify security management and analysis by integrating various security functions into a single dashboard.

So, Which is More Effective?

Choosing between a cybersecurity product and platform is not a matter of one being superior to the other. The decision should be based on the organization’s specific needs and circumstances. Understanding these needs is critical to making the right choice.

A cybersecurity product might be the most cost-effective solution for small businesses with limited resources. It allows them to address security concerns without investing in a comprehensive platform.

A cybersecurity platform can be a game-changer for larger organizations with intricate IT environments. It offers a comprehensive view of the organization’s security posture and simplifies management, analysis and response to threats to help bolster security.

Here are two examples of security technology that can be deployed as standalone products or integrated within a platform.

Taking the Risk Silos out of Access Management

IT infrastructure perimeters are expanding across a complex multi-cloud, on-premises, mobile and remote user ecosystem. A zero-trust model defines access boundaries with a policy that reduces attack surface risk and secures corporate assets. Deployed effectively, it can delineate access boundaries, allowing users with only the necessary access and permissions they need while giving IT and security teams strong controls.

Risk silos lie within different business units and departments, such as HR, sales, accounting and others, where these stakeholders have their assets, data and processes. This is a challenging environment for managing enterprise cybersecurity risk and data privacy. And one that requires a dedicated approach to managing access and permissions.

Defending those business siloes against cyberattacks isn’t easy. Without automation, it can be like shooting fish in a barrel. It takes diverse and sophisticated technology and deep domain expertise to create solutions that reliably protect enterprise IT investments.

The need for zero-trust to protect digital resources is explicit. Enabling strong security enforcement with zero-trust by limiting access to and using privileged digital resources through robust authentication and authorization is critical, whether as a standalone product or within a platform.

Protecting Business Applications

Applications drive business, while cybersecurity protects and enables applications to perform without interruption and risk.

In today’s digital landscape, applications are the engine that propels businesses forward. They streamline operations, facilitate communication and enable companies to innovate and provide value to their users. From managing internal workflows to interacting with customers, applications are pivotal in how a business functions and thrives.

However, the need for robust cybersecurity grows as application reliance grows. Cyber threats pose a significant risk to businesses, potentially disrupting operations, compromising sensitive data and damaging a company’s reputation. This is where endpoint security comes into play.

Endpoint security continuously monitors endpoint devices for evidence of threats and performs automated actions to mitigate them. The many physical devices connected to a network, such as desktops, laptops, virtual machines and the internet of things (IoT), represent the growing entry points or attack surfaces. Endpoint security helps security analysts detect and remediate threats before they can spread throughout the network. These solutions continuously log behaviors and analyze the data to uncover suspicious and anomalous events and activities that could indicate malicious threats.

Endpoint security, whether as a standalone product or within a platform, allows vital business applications to operate without risk. While both products and platforms have merits, organizations should consider their unique needs, risk tolerance and compliance requirements when choosing between them. A balanced approach that combines targeted products within a comprehensive platform can provide optimal security coverage.