The majority of companies (78%) surveyed in South Africa and in the Middle East, Turkiye, and Africa (META) region rely on multi-vendor ecosystems – despite such fragmented security solutions leading to operational and financial strains, according to research from Kaspersky.
The new study – Improving resilience: Cybersecurity through system immunity – examined how organisations manage cybersecurity today, focusing on vendor fragmentation, operational inefficiencies, and future consolidation plans. The survey was conducted across the META region, as well as in Europe, Russia, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region.
The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state of cybersecurity management across organisations highlighting significant challenges associated with multi-vendor security environments.
The findings reveal that nearly half of security professionals (44%) surveyed in the META region find their security stacks to be overly complex and time-consuming to maintain, which hampers their ability to respond swiftly to emerging threats. This complexity often results from the use of multiple security solutions from different vendors – each with its own management interface and operational requirements.
Furthermore, 49% of those surveyed in the META region experience budget overruns attributable to overlapping solutions. These redundancies not only inflate costs, but also complicate resource allocation and strategic planning.
Compatibility issues exacerbate these difficulties as 43% of respondents indicate that they cannot automate security processes effectively because their tools lack proper integration, leading to manual interventions and increased chances of human error. Additionally, 39% struggle with inconsistent threat visibility as data collected from various vendors often fails to correlate seamlessly, creating blind spots and reducing overall situational awareness.
Despite these persistent challenges, the majority of organisations continue to operate within multi-vendor environments – 78% in the META region and in South Africa currently manage security across multiple providers. Interestingly, 43% in META and in South Africa believe that a single cybersecurity provider could sufficiently meet all their needs, suggesting a recognition of the potential benefits of consolidation. However, only 22% in the META region and 23% in South Africa have adopted a single-vendor approach in practice, reflecting a cautious approach driven by concerns over over-reliance on one supplier or the perceived risks associated with vendor lock-in.
The landscape is rapidly shifting toward consolidation: an overwhelming 88% of firms in the META region and 84% in South Africa are actively moving in this direction; over a third (34% in META and 39% in South Africa) have already begun merging their security tools into unified platforms; while an additional 55% in META and 45% in South Africa plan to do so within the next two years.
This trend underscores a strategic shift toward simplifying cybersecurity operations, reducing costs, and achieving more effective threat management through integrated solutions. As organisations increasingly recognise the advantages of streamlined security architectures, the move toward vendor consolidation is poised to reshape the cybersecurity landscape in the near future.
“The data from our research indicates that many organisations rely on multiple vendors by default rather than through deliberate strategic planning,” says Ilya Markelov, head of Unified Platform product line at Kaspersky. “While diversification of security solutions can offer certain benefits such as risk mitigation and coverage breadth, an unchecked increase in complexity often leads to significant resource drain and operational inefficiencies.
“Moreover, this complexity can create critical blind spots making it harder to maintain comprehensive threat visibility and respond effectively to emerging risks,” Markelov adds. “The emerging trend toward consolidation reflects a maturation in cybersecurity strategies and emphasises the adoption of integrated platforms that streamline management, reduce manual effort, and enhance overall visibility into the security posture.”