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The Edge DR Tech Sections Close Back Sections Featured Sections The Edge Dark Reading Technology Attacks / Breaches Cloud ICS/OT Remote Workforce Perimeter Analytics Security Monitoring Security Monitoring App Sec Database Security Database Security Risk Compliance Compliance Threat Intelligence Endpoint AuthenticationMobile SecurityPrivacy AuthenticationMobile SecurityPrivacy Vulnerabilities / Threats Advanced ThreatsInsider ThreatsVulnerability Management Advanced ThreatsInsider ThreatsVulnerability Management Operations Identity & Access ManagementCareers & People Identity & Access ManagementCareers & People Physical Security IoT DR Global Middle East & Africa Middle East & Africa Black Hat news Omdia Research Security Now Events Close Back Events Events * SecTor - Canada's IT Security Conference Oct 23-26 - Learn More * Anatomy of a Data Breach - A Dark Reading June 22 Event Webinars * Next-Generation Supply Chain Security Jun 07, 2023 * Here's What Zero Trust Really Means Jun 13, 2023 Resources Close Back Resources Dark Reading Library > Webinars > Reports > Slideshows > White Papers > Partner Perspectives: Microsoft Tech Library > Newsletter Sign-Up The Edge DR Tech Sections Close Back Sections Featured Sections The Edge Dark Reading Technology Attacks / Breaches Cloud ICS/OT Remote Workforce Perimeter Analytics Security Monitoring Security Monitoring App Sec Database Security Database Security Risk Compliance Compliance Threat Intelligence Endpoint AuthenticationMobile SecurityPrivacy AuthenticationMobile SecurityPrivacy Vulnerabilities / Threats Advanced ThreatsInsider ThreatsVulnerability Management Advanced ThreatsInsider ThreatsVulnerability Management Operations Identity & Access ManagementCareers & People Identity & Access ManagementCareers & People Physical Security IoT DR Global Middle East & Africa Middle East & Africa Black Hat news Omdia Research Security Now Events Close Back Events Events * SecTor - Canada's IT Security Conference Oct 23-26 - Learn More * Anatomy of a Data Breach - A Dark Reading June 22 Event Webinars * Next-Generation Supply Chain Security Jun 07, 2023 * Here's What Zero Trust Really Means Jun 13, 2023 Resources Close Back Resources Dark Reading Library > Webinars > Reports > Slideshows > White Papers > Partner Perspectives: Microsoft Tech Library > The Edge DR Tech Sections Close Back Sections Featured Sections The Edge Dark Reading Technology Attacks / Breaches Cloud ICS/OT Remote Workforce Perimeter Analytics Security Monitoring Security Monitoring App Sec Database Security Database Security Risk Compliance Compliance Threat Intelligence Endpoint AuthenticationMobile SecurityPrivacy AuthenticationMobile SecurityPrivacy Vulnerabilities / Threats Advanced ThreatsInsider ThreatsVulnerability Management Advanced ThreatsInsider ThreatsVulnerability Management Operations Identity & Access ManagementCareers & People Identity & Access ManagementCareers & People Physical Security IoT DR Global Middle East & Africa Middle East & Africa Black Hat news Omdia Research Security Now Events Close Back Events Events * SecTor - Canada's IT Security Conference Oct 23-26 - Learn More * Anatomy of a Data Breach - A Dark Reading June 22 Event Webinars * Next-Generation Supply Chain Security Jun 07, 2023 * Here's What Zero Trust Really Means Jun 13, 2023 Resources Close Back Resources Dark Reading Library > Webinars > Reports > Slideshows > White Papers > Partner Perspectives: Microsoft Tech Library > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter Sign-Up SEARCH A minimum of 3 characters are required to be typed in the search bar in order to perform a search. Announcements 1. 2. 3. Event How to Launch a Threat Hunting Program | Webinar <REGISTER> Event How to Accelerate XDR Outcomes: Bridging the Gap Between Network and Endpoint | Webinar <REGISTER> Report Black Hat USA 2022 Attendee Report | Supply Chain & Cloud Security Risks Are Top of Mind | <READ IT NOW> PreviousNext Vulnerabilities/Threats 4 MIN READ Commentary THE INDUSTRYWIDE CONSEQUENCES OF MAKING SECURITY PRODUCTS INACCESSIBLE Accessibility won't solve all of the industry's problems, but it can help tackle a few. Ross Haleliuk Product Leader and Head of Product, LimaCharlie May 10, 2023 Source: Risto Hunt via Alamy Stock Photo PDF When you look at the cybersecurity vendor market, it's hard not to notice that most vendors don't make their products easy to access, requiring prospects to attend a series of demos, signs multiyear contracts, and commit to a minimum spend, a minimum number of endpoints, or some combination of these. This behavior of cybersecurity companies has several far-reaching consequences. GATED SECURITY PRODUCTS PERPETUATE THE SECURITY TALENT SHORTAGE The sales model in the cybersecurity industry that forces practitioners to "qualify" by meeting the minimum spend requirements and signing long-term contracts is perpetuating the talent shortage. Entry-level professionals are effectively denied the opportunity to learn to use tools they for them to get a job, such as endpoint detection and response, identity management, asset management, security automation, orchestration, and others that have become ubiquitous across the industry. This creates a vicious catch-22: Unless you have experience using product X, you can't get hired, and you can't get experience with the tool unless you're already in the industry. Today, eager young people can start a career in offensive security by watching videos on YouTube, participating in one of the thousands of capture-the-flag (CTF) competitions, or taking part in bug bounty contests. However, to accumulate the skills needed for them to get hired on a blue team, they require access to tooling that is not by any means accessible. GATING SECURITY PRODUCTS LEADS TO EXCLUSION AND HARMS DIVERSITY EFFORTS Restricting access to security products creates situations where people from underrepresented groups are not able to easily catch up with their more fortunate peers who are already employed by enterprises with access to the latest tooling. In other words, companies publicly championing their efforts to increase diversity and get more people from underrepresented groups in the industry are actually making it harder for the same people to get into cybersecurity. It's not uncommon to see motivated and driven people from underrepresented backgrounds spend their free time studying and trying to level up their skills so they can move up the career ladder. While scholarships and grants are certainly helpful, what can be even more impactful is giving them access to tools they need to learn to develop new skills, build résumés, and get hired or promoted. INACCESSIBLE SECURITY PRODUCTS MAKE IT HARD TO DEFEND SMALL BUSINESSES I have met many security professionals who are interested in starting their own services business — be it an incident response firm or a managed security service provider (MSSP). The problem is that for an aspiring entrepreneur, getting started is hard: Not only is the market incredibly competitive, but it's difficult to access the tools needed to get everything set up. We like to talk about the fact that small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) become victims of cybercrime because they don't know much about cybersecurity and where to get started with hardening their security posture. Large security firms typically ignore SMBs, as they are, by definition, small, and not as attractive as a business opportunity: They need a lot, but pay a little. This is where SMB-focused service providers can come in. There are many security professionals with a strong desire to do their own thing and an ability to help companies in their area. The problem is that to access an endpoint detection and response (EDR), asset management, or cloud security posture management solution, they are required to sign multiyear agreements and predict and even commit to minimum spending. For obvious reasons, asking someone who hasn't even proven they can make the model work for a multiyear commitment is not reasonable. Unless the people trying to get started have enough knowledge to leverage open source, they are typically out of luck and have to give up their ideas before even trying. LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE We have seen a lot of progress in the past few years to promote cyber defense: There are more communities for security practitioners, more blue-team-focused events, and more defense-centric capture the flags. We are also seeing the rise of open source in the industry, and a growing number of security vendors starting to open up access to their products. We refer to this approach as product-led growth. These changes are great, and we need more of them. It seems like most security vendors today create thought leadership content about how bad the talent shortage is for the industry, yet few are making it easy for people to become job ready by learning how to use their tools. The real-life impact of gated products on the careers of aspiring security professionals is significant. The same is true about the problem of securing SMBs. Making cybersecurity products more accessible won't solve all problems in the industry, but it will help us tackle a few of them, and hence, it is well worth doing. OperationsCareers & People Keep up with the latest cybersecurity threats, newly-discovered vulnerabilities, data breach information, and emerging trends. Delivered daily or weekly right to your email inbox. Subscribe More Insights White Papers * Top 5 Reasons to Prioritize Privileged Access Management * The Big Business Of Cybercrime: A Deep Dive Guide More White Papers Webinars * Next-Generation Supply Chain Security * Here's What Zero Trust Really Means More Webinars Reports * Securing the Remote Worker: How to Mitigate Off-Site Cyberattacks * How Enterprises Are Managing Application Security Risks in a Heightened Threat Environment More Reports Editors' Choice Russia's War in Ukraine Shows Cyberattacks Can Be War Crimes Andrada Fiscutean, Contributing Writer, Dark Reading 'Volt Typhoon' China-Backed APT Infiltrates US Critical Infrastructure Orgs Tara Seals, Managing Editor, News, Dark Reading CISO Criminalization, Vague Cyber Disclosure Rules Create Angst for Security Teams Becky Bracken, Editor, Dark Reading Bridgestone CISO: Lessons From Ransomware Attack Include Acting, Not Thinking Jai Vijayan, Contributing Writer, Dark Reading Webinars * Next-Generation Supply Chain Security * Here's What Zero Trust Really Means * Mastering Endpoint Security: The Power of Least Privilege * The Future is CNAPP: Cloud Security From Prevention To Threat Detection * Secrets to a Successful Managed Security Service Provider Relationship More Webinars Reports * Securing the Remote Worker: How to Mitigate Off-Site Cyberattacks * How Enterprises Are Managing Application Security Risks in a Heightened Threat Environment * Successfully Managing Identity in Modern Cloud and Hybrid Environments * Shoring Up the Software Supply Chain Across Enterprise Applications * The Promise and Reality of Cloud Security More Reports White Papers * Top 5 Reasons to Prioritize Privileged Access Management * The Big Business Of Cybercrime: A Deep Dive Guide * Understanding Vulnerability Prioritization Technologies - From Generic VM to VPT * Cymulate Named Innovation Leader, Frost & Sullivan's - Frost Radar BAS, 2022 * Cybersecurity in a post pandemic world: A focus on financial services More White Papers Events * SecTor - Canada's IT Security Conference Oct 23-26 - Learn More * Anatomy of a Data Breach - A Dark Reading June 22 Event * Black Hat USA - August 5-10 - Learn More More Events More Insights White Papers * Top 5 Reasons to Prioritize Privileged Access Management * The Big Business Of Cybercrime: A Deep Dive Guide More White Papers Webinars * Next-Generation Supply Chain Security * Here's What Zero Trust Really Means More Webinars Reports * Securing the Remote Worker: How to Mitigate Off-Site Cyberattacks * How Enterprises Are Managing Application Security Risks in a Heightened Threat Environment More Reports DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH * Interop * InformationWeek * Network Computing * ITPro Today * Data Center Knowledge * Black Hat * Omdia WORKING WITH US * About Us * Advertise * Reprints FOLLOW DARK READING ON SOCIAL * * * * * * * Home * Cookies * Privacy * Terms Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC Informa UK Limited is a company registered in England and Wales with company number 1072954 whose registered office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG. 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