How to buy security products: Eight steps to not losing your shirt

I get a little frustrated when I hear about organizations dropping six figures on a product they've never tested, or when they spend seven figures on a product that gathers dust on the shelf. Even in this day of multi-billion-dollar behemoths, it turns my stomach to see outrageous sums squandered because neither technologists nor business managers understand how to buy enterprise security products.

I've outlined an eight-step strategy for how to buy security products, which is designed to return control of the buying process to the security pro. Sales professionals are trained to seize control of the process and convince their prospects that they need what the vendor is selling. Reps do their best to lead the prospective customer through a structured sales cycle to achieve that goal.

Sometimes these sales cycles align with what customers want to accompli

To continue reading for free, register below or login

Requires Membership to View

To gain access to this and all member only content, please provide the following information (all fields required):

First Name:
Last Name:
Country: Select... Afghanistan Aland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, Democratic Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote D'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia, The Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, North Korea, South Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Man, Isle of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Panama Canal Zone Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Minor Outlying Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe
Email Address:

I would like to receive a FREE subscription to Information Security magazine online.
YesNo

Do you manage, evaluate, recommend, implement, support or purchase security products, software or services?
YesNo

Please estimate the yearly security budget for your entire organization including all security products and services.
Please select... Over $10 Million $5 Million-$10 Million $1 Million-$4.9 Million $500,000-$999,999 $100,000-$499,999 $50,000-$99,999 $25,000-$49,999 $10,000-$24,999 Less than $10,000 None

What is your role in purchasing IT related products and services? (Check all that apply)
Technical decision maker
Financial decision maker
Recommend/Specify
Evaluate products
Implement Products/Services
Determine Needs
Create Security Strategy
None

By joining SearchSecurity.com you agree to receive email updates from the TechTarget network of sites, including updates on new content, magazine or event notifications, new site launches and market research surveys. Please verify all information and selections above. You may unsubscribe at any time from one or more of the services you have selected by editing your profile or unsubscribing via email.

TechTarget cares about your privacy. Read our Privacy Policy

This process will not work in every case. If an organization is an early adopter type and there is only one vendor that can meet its needs, then it has no leverage. Likewise, there are times where politics trumps functionality and the best price.

But in most cases, when a security team is looking to solve a business problem in the most expedient and cost-effective way, following these eight steps can help it achieve its goals and avoid costly mistakes.

About the author:
Mike Rothman is president and principal analyst of Security Incite, an industry analyst firm in Atlanta, and the author of The Pragmatic CSO: 12 Steps to Being a Security Master. Rothman is also SearchSecurity.com's expert-in-residence on information security management. Get more information about the Pragmatic CSO at http://www.pragmaticcso.com, read his blog at http://blog.securityincite.com, or reach him via e-mail at mike.rothman (at) securityincite (dot) com.

Rate this Tip To rate tips, you must be a member of SearchSecurity.com. Register now to start rating these tips. Log in if you are already a member. BROWSE BY TAG Network Security Tactics,   Vendor Management: Negotiations, Budgeting, Mergers and Acquisitions,   Information Security Management,   Business Management: Security Support and Executive Communications,   VIEW ALL TAGS Digg This!     StumbleUpon     Del.icio.us    RELATED CONTENT Network Security Tactics Screencast: Samurai offers pen-testing nirvana Firewall rule management best practices Chained Exploits: How to prevent phishing attacks from corporate spies Rootkit Hunter demo: Detect and remove Linux rootkits Enterprise UTM security: The best threat management solution? Making the case for network security configuration management An inside look at security log management forensics investigations How to find sensitive information on the endpoint How to perform Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) scans How to spot attacks through Apache Web server log analysis Vendor Management: Negotiations, Budgeting, Mergers and Acquisitions Sophos CEO on Symantec, McAfee after Utimaco acquisition EMC adds configuration management with Configuresoft acquisition Know when you need IDS, IPS or both Symantec acquires Mi5 Networks, bolsters Web security RSA Conference 2009 shines spotlight on security vendor innovation Oracle to buy Sun Microsystems for $7.4 billion Entrust to be acquired by investment firm Enrique Salem takes charge at Symantec Countdown: Top 5 most important questions to ask endpoint security vendors Flaw disclosure debate polarizes SOURCE Boston panel Business Management: Security Support and Executive Communications RSA council addresses growing security risks in the cloud How to write a risk methodology that blends business, security needs Risk management must include physical-logical security convergence New partnerships, creative thinking help security bust recession How to align an information security framework to your business model Service-focused security offers best value to organization Cybersecurity Act of 2009: Power grab, or necessary step? Information security skills must include communication, expert says Mimic the IBM approach to security at RSA Sell the business on virtualization security RELATED GLOSSARY TERMS Terms from Whatis.com − the technology online dictionary snake oil  (SearchSecurity.com) RELATED RESOURCES 2020software.com, trial software downloads for accounting software, ERP software, CRM software and business software systems Search Bitpipe.com for the latest white papers and business webcasts Whatis.com, the online computer dictionary DISCLAIMER: Our Tips Exchange is a forum for you to share technical advice and expertise with your peers and to learn from other enterprise IT professionals. TechTarget provides the infrastructure to facilitate this sharing of information. However, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or validity of the material submitted. You agree that your use of the Ask The Expert services and your reliance on any questions, answers, information or other materials received through this Web site is at your own risk.