Atos launches SIVO to help UK firms streamline cybersecurity spend

Atos has introduced the Security Investment Validation and Optimisation service for organisations in the United Kingdom and Ireland to help address challenges related to the management and efficiency of cybersecurity tools.

According to research cited by Atos, 74% of businesses feel that most of their cybersecurity budget is wasted, while 30% of budgeted spending on security tools is not utilised to its full capability. The report also indicates that almost a third of businesses have more than 31 to 40 different tools within their security estates, many of which could be removed due to overlapping functionalities or lack of use.

Tool sprawl

With businesses commonly adopting complex, multi-vendor security strategies, Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) are left managing numerous tools with varying scopes. The accumulation of such disparate systems often leads to difficulties in maintaining clear visibility over an organisation's overall security posture.

This lack of visibility poses significant challenges, making it harder to identify or respond to threats promptly, allocate budgets efficiently, and detect any protection gaps within the organisation. As a result, companies may concurrently overspend on security tools offering similar functions, while still leaving certain vulnerabilities unaddressed.

Consultation service

The newly launched Security Investment Validation and Optimisation (SIVO) service is designed to support CISOs in auditing their security tools and ensuring that these tools are used both efficiently and cost-effectively, without sacrificing necessary cyber defences.

One of the key challenges facing a modern CISO is that they don't have an easy way of navigating the operational and financial challenges posed by a layered, multi-vendor approach to security. They are simultaneously time-poor, tackling increasing costs that they need to justify, and under pressure to adopt new technologies to battle new threats.

To address these issues, Atos' SIVO service provides CISOs and security leaders with a rationalised, threat-led view of their security tooling landscape. The service is intended to give assurance that all deployed security tools are contributing to an efficient and cost-effective security environment, whilst also identifying areas where threat coverage may be insufficient or where consolidation of tools could offer potential savings.

Operational efficiency

Describing the anticipated benefits of SIVO, Terry Bebbington, Head of Cyber for Atos UK&I, said, "SIVO helps to remove technical security debt, unlocking additional budget and enabling CISOs to justify new spending, without risking their defences."

The SIVO service is delivered through an eight to ten-week consultation, during which Atos evaluates product, commercial, and threat data to review the full range of security tools in use. The process involves confirming coverage against the Mitre ATT@CK Framework, identifying duplicate or overlapping capabilities that can be retired, and suggesting the closure of security gaps with the introduction of new tools where necessary.

According to Atos, this structured approach allows businesses to achieve better alignment between their security investments and actual risk areas, potentially providing cost savings and improvements in cyber resilience.

Atos reports that its solutions are underpinned by a team of 6,500 cybersecurity experts and 17 Security Operations Centres worldwide, servicing over 2,000 customers globally.

The Security Investment Validation and Optimisation service is now available to customers in the UK and Ireland as part of the company's broader Security Advisory Portfolio.