A Tale of Two Approaches
I've worked with a lot of customers of different sizes, and I typically see two overarching strategies when deciding on technology solutions.
The first is called Best of Breed, where a company will pick the best product within the product category that also meets their business requirements. For example, a customer may pick Arista for switching, Palo Alto for firewalls, and CrowdStrike for endpoint security.
The other approach is typically known as the Platform approach. This entails a company picking multiple products or solutions from one vendor in an effort to achieve better operational efficiencies. An example of this approach would be picking Cisco for switches, wireless access points, SD-WAN, and SSE (Security Service Edge).
Each one of these solutions has its benefits, and we are going to explore the top two to three overarching pros for each.
Best of Breed Approach
Best Capabilities
Ever purchased a bundle and ended up using a tool just because it's available? Sometimes the tool is the perfect fit while other times you suffer through using it and just make it work. Well, organizations that prioritize the best tools avoid this headache. They are likely purchasing the #1 tool in its class, which ensures they are getting the performance they need.
Leverage
Having options is not a bad thing at all. Competition has always been good for consumers, and the same thing applies when picking IT solutions. Being willing to pick the best product may not always get you the cheapest price, but it can earn you a better discount on that product.
Platform Consolidation Approach
Easier Vendor Management
If you are handling renewals or constantly on the phone with technical support, my heart goes out to you. From the spreadsheets with different SKUs and serial numbers to various expiration dates, managing multiple contracts can be a pain.
However, having a lower number of vendors to manage can serve as a small remedy. With this approach, you can have one vendor rep, one renewal contract, and one technical support number to call.
Unified Platform/Management
Today's mega IT vendors are in an interesting position to possess various pieces of the IT puzzle. Additionally, there is a demand to put these pieces together to make things more manageable. And so, a lot of vendors are creating unified platforms that either have native integrations or a unified dashboard.
Now this can mean a lot of different things depending on the company. For instance, one company may allow you to manage every piece of their portfolio in one view, others may simply have a centralized portal to access all their different tools to reduce login friction, and there are even some that will just have native integrations that ensure all the solutions talk to each other. Regardless, this can ease the operational burden on IT teams.
Another point is that the age of AI is bringing about the focus on AI agents and data lakes. This means richer data and insights to help you troubleshoot and make decisions. Theoretically, the more context you can add to a solution, the more value you may be able to extract out of it using agents and chatbots. But this also benefits total cost of ownership (TCO) as well since first-party data ingestion is typically either free or discounted versus third-party data ingestion.
Reduced Vendor Sprawl
How many vendors are too many? While there are no hard limits, it's probably safe to say you will know when you can't describe what benefit a vendor/solution is currently providing for you. Vendor sprawl can cause various issues, whether it's difficulty keeping track of the various solutions or staying upskilled on all of them, but the biggest point is focused on security.
A consolidation approach can help reduce your attack surface due to the increased visibility, consistent configuration/policy enforcement, and easier patch/CVE management.
Cost Considerations
This is one of the biggest considerations when it comes to picking a solution and is often the most challenging. A lot of organizations fail to look at the true total cost of owning a solution. They choose to focus on the numbers that can be observed on the actual quote versus the hidden numbers that are associated with the effort around supporting the solution.
While point or best of breed solutions have the potential to land you a cheaper quote and provide more features, it also can create more operational headaches — headaches that involve more hours spent on tool integration and training.
On the other hand, the platform/consolidation solutions may be more expensive but the integration is already present or at least it's easier to accomplish.
When Does It Make Sense to Consider Either?
At the end of the day, nothing is more important than making sure the solution solves the business's problem. However, another consideration is the overall team's size and expertise.
Unfortunately, we live in a world where organizations are constantly looking to do more with less. Yes, that means both less budget and even fewer people. Silos between different teams such as a dedicated networking and security team or even a dedicated wireless and WAN team may not exist. One small team may need to cover multiple areas of focus for an organization.
This is when the platform approach comes in handy. Otherwise, for larger businesses with big IT teams, you have much more flexibility and can pick either approach.
Wrap Up
Regardless, keep in mind there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Every organization must analyze its current stack, business, and future goals to decide on the right approach. In fact, it is very rare to see organizations go 100% with one vendor for everything possible.
The general approach is for orgs to do what makes sense for them, and if consolidation looks appealing, do it by sector (e.g., Microsoft for Workspace, Cisco for Networking, and Fortinet for Security).
It's uncommon for companies to be great at everything, as they normally have a handful of great solutions that integrate well together. However, as more tools are needed to empower organizations and more security attacks are occurring with the help of AI, vendor sprawl is becoming an even bigger issue than before.
This is why a thoughtful balance is needed. Consider these things when you are picking your next solution or reevaluating your current stack. Lastly, make sure to reach out to Cypress if you need both honest and seasoned expertise.
