The cybersecurity industry becomes more crowded every day. With more than 3,000 options of vendors offering these tools and solutions, how do technology buyers know which options they can trust?
Here’s a breakdown of why technology buyers can trust vendors that “drink their own champagne,” or use their own products-services – and why it’s worth raising an eyebrow at those that don’t.
By using their own cybersecurity services, companies show their faith in the effectiveness of their products. It serves as a strong endorsement of their capabilities and sends a message to customers that they trust their own products to protect their systems and data.
When a cybersecurity company uses its own services, it demonstrates expertise and credibility in the industry. It highlights that they are not just selling a product, but also relying on it internally to secure their own operations. This can instill confidence in customers, investors and partners, showcasing the company's commitment to cybersecurity.
There’s also an added reputational element for cybersecurity companies – whether they use their own tools or not. If they become compromised because their own cybersecurity posture was weak, it makes it extremely difficult for customers to trust that provider to keep them secure. Buyers will question vendors that can’t protect their own operations.
Companies that use their own products also put themselves on a similar playing field with their customers. They are also exposed to the evolving threat landscape and watching how their product reacts. Should an incident pop up, the vendor becomes the first to know and will have equal (if not more) urgency to get the incident resolved to keep themselves protected along with their customers.
By exposing the product to the threats their customers face, the product developers and managers gain a deeper understanding of customer pain points and needs. Most important, companies can see where the weaknesses in their products are before they’re exploited by hackers and affect their customers.
As the world grapples with rapidly emerging technologies, more regulations and compliance requirements are inevitable. Already, we’re seeing action being taken overseas to regulate artificial intelligence, and we can all wonder what’s next on the horizon.
By using their own services, cybersecurity companies can ensure they meet compliance standards and regulations themselves. This firsthand experience offers valuable insight into how their products align with specific compliance frameworks, making it easier to guide their customers through the compliance process. On the other hand, if they find their products are incompatible with the latest requirements, they can begin making adjustments to solve the issues.
Why tech buyers can trust vendors that use their own products
When companies use their own cybersecurity products, they become just as dependent on their performance as their customers are and they will have more visibility into what needs to happen so their offerings as valuable as possible.
Here are some questions that can help tech buyers assess a vendor's cybersecurity posture and determine if they use their own products:
- How does the vendor handle data privacy and security policies and procedures?
- What measures are in place to protect against unauthorized access and data breaches?
- What kind of security assessments or audits of the systems have been conducted?
- How does vulnerability management and software patching get handled?
- Are regular security tests conducted, such as penetration testing or vulnerability scanning?
- What encryption methods are used to protect data in transit and at rest?
- How does the vendor insure the integrity and authenticity of its software and systems?
- What backup and disaster recovery measures are in place?
- Are incident response plans and procedures in place to address cybersecurity incidents?
- Can the vendor provide references or case studies related to its cybersecurity practices?
As the threat landscape evolves, that 3,000 vendor figure will continue to increase, and it will get harder to know which vendors to believe. That’s why it’s time for companies to walk the walk, show that they have real skin in the game, and offer absolute transparency to their customers to help them make informed and educated buying decisions.
Linh Lam, chief information officer, Jamf
