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

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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.

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