Today’s application security (AppSec) landscape is more complex than ever. Many organizations are juggling a growing number of tools, each targeting a specific security need. While this “best-of-breed” approach might seem comprehensive, it often creates noise, redundancy, and ballooning costs that ultimately hinder security efforts. As seen across multiple CISO Village discussions, ultimately consolidating AppSec tools can save millions while boosting security effectiveness.
In our latest community paper, CISOs from Team8’s CISO Village share their approach to AppSec tools, and how organizations can streamline their strategy for significant cost savings and operational efficiency.
The Cost and Complexity of Tool Sprawl
A sprawling toolset may seem necessary to cover all security bases, but in reality, it burdens organizations with high costs and inefficiencies. Many companies rely on multiple tools, each aimed at different aspects of AppSec, leading to rising operational costs and a swathe of overlapping features. For large organizations, the total cost of AppSec tools can easily surpass $4.7 million per year when factoring in licensing, integration, and staff time.
On top of that, multiple tools mean more noise and complexity, with security teams spending excessive time deduplicating findings and managing false positives. This distracts from true vulnerabilities, undermining the entire security program. Tool consolidation offers a path to cut through this noise and focus on impactful security measures.
The Case for Consolidation: Leaner, More Effective AppSec
Consolidating AppSec tools into a unified platform—such as an Application Security Posture Management (ASPM) solution—has the potential to cut costs dramatically while simplifying operations. By switching from a best-of-breed to a best-of-suite approach, organizations can achieve the same coverage using fewer tools. For example, consolidating six tools into three by adopting an ASPM can reduce yearly AppSec costs from $4.7 million to approximately $2.1 million. This frees up resources that can then be allocated to higher-impact security activities, maximizing budget efficiency while also lightening the workload for security teams.
CISO Tips for Consolidating Your AppSec Tools
Transitioning to a consolidated tool strategy requires planning. Here are a few steps we suggest to get started:
- Evaluate Your Current Tools: Begin by assessing each tool’s effectiveness, looking for redundancies or tools that are underutilized. Identify those that duplicate functions and create noise in your system.
- Adopt a Best-of-Suite Platform: Consider an ASPM solution that integrates multiple security functions—such as SAST, DAST, and Software Composition Analysis (SCA)—into one platform. This reduces the need for separate tools and consolidates insights in a single interface.
- Reallocate Resources to Strategic Initiatives: With a consolidated toolset, organizations can reinvest savings in activities like bug bounty programs, red teaming, and SOC enhancements. This shift from maintaining tools to proactive threat management strengthens the overall security posture.
For Detailed Insights: Download the Full Report
The insights presented here come from the collective expertise of security leaders within the Team8 CISO Village, including Ross Young (CISO in Residence, Team8), Adam Arellano (Strategic Advisor and Cybersecurity Consultant), Andrew Wilder (Board Member and Information Security Executive Educator), Heather Hinton (Former CISO at PagerDuty and Cybersecurity Advisor), Jason Richards (VP of Information Security, CHG Healthcare), Karl Galbraith (Independent Security Consultant and Virtual CISO), Pieter VanIperen (Chief Information Security Officer), Renana Friedlich (Senior Director and Global Head of Cyber Threat Management, PayPal), Samir Sherif (CISO, F5), and Yabing Wang (VP and CISO, Justworks) who contributed to this report and research.
To get the full insights, download the report here!
And if you’re a CISO looking to join our village, reach out to me at [email protected]
