An International Data Corporation (IDC) survey of 1,015 IT professionals in North America recently concluded that small businesses benefit the most from simplified, consolidated security solutions.
The author, Vice President of Security and Trust Michael Suby, concluded that smaller organizations might need multiple security and endpoint management products, but they are less equipped to effectively operate separate products from multiple vendors and / or benefit from a position of strength in negotiating with multiple vendors. Because of this, they are more likely to resonate with a consolidation value proposition from endpoint security vendors.
These results align with the Acronis mission: to simplify data protection and backup and reduce needless complexity in security solutions. Small and medium businesses (SMBs) are especially guilty of overcomplexity in security, with many assuming the more vendors involved, the better — when in reality, the opposite is true.
Overcomplexity can lead to disaster
While implementing several security solutions into a company’s infrastructure might create an illusion of an impenetrable defense, it instead introduces a host of problems all associated with overcomplexity. For example, if a security solution requires frequent patching and configuration, lagging behind with this maintenance can lead to outdated vulnerabilities that are often picked up by cyberterrorists who seek to exploit such gaps. Additionally, the more solutions that are implemented, the more surface area that’s available for cyberattacks to take off, with multiple potential points of failure acting as an attractive target for attackers.
According to our own research, in 2025, SMBs are expected to spend $90 billion on cybersecurity — up from $57 billion in 2020. Overcomplexity in cybersecurity increases the risk of potential attacks and leads to overspending, draining resources and time that would otherwise be spent on building and growing a business. Small businesses especially not do have the resources to properly manage multiple vendors — contractually, administratively and operationally.
The price of cybercrime is expected to surge in the next five years, with our research concluding that by 2027, the cost will have increased by a factor of 2.8. These costs are pumped into ransomware, data recovery, finding cybersecurity talent from an already sparse talent pool, and other expenses that could all be mitigated with proper preparation and the right solutions.
Simplicity through consolidation
Fortunately, the same study we conducted also found that 26% of MSPs see collaboration software as an opportunity for new solution offerings in the coming year. This shows that MSPs are becoming increasingly aware of the issues of overcomplexity and the vulnerabilities they introduce.
Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud offers all its services in a single agent, solving overcomplexity by simplifying protection. Our solution offers disaster recovery, AI-based malware protection, remote assistance, and much more — all in one single pane of glass. Enter the next generation of cyber protection and see for yourself how simple cybersecurity can truly be. Click here to get started.
About Acronis
A Swiss company founded in Singapore in 2003, Acronis has 15 offices worldwide and employees in 50+ countries. Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud is available in 26 languages in 150 countries and is used by over 20,000 service providers to protect over 750,000 businesses.