Listen to this podcast discussion on new security categories

In a recent Defense in Depth podcast for CISOseries.com titled “Gartner Created Product Categories,” host David Spark and guest Steve Zalewski discuss a LinkedIn post by Caleb Sima, who questions “the need for creating a new Gartner quadrant for every unique angle or take on a security solution.”

The dynamic podcast discussion addressing Sima’s remarks revolves around the idea that, while new categories of security products may help us understand the other vectors we need to protect, they can also overcomplicate the space and make it difficult for security practitioners to keep up.

Adrian Sanabria responds to Sima on LinkedIn:

“On one hand, we’ve got to have an easy way to communicate what we’re talking about. Naming a technology makes communication easier.

Where all this falls apart, IMO, is when marketing is given the job of differentiating the product in their messaging. Often, they differentiate by creating a new acronym or category, whether it’s justified or not[…]”

Guest Corey Elinburg also joins the conversation and talks about the role of Gartner conferences and the importance of thought leadership. The podcast ends with the host asking the guests about their favorite quotes from the discussion.

My Take

This is a conversation that speaks to me, as Runecast was built by Admins for Admins, and so we have weekly (if not daily) discussions around how to simplify everything we do — for our customers and ourselves.

The podcast is full of great points for and against the seemingly constant emergence of new security categories and acronyms, highlighting a lot of grey area around the topic.

I don’t want to repeat all of it here; I recommend that you listen to the podcast and read along with the transcript here: https://cisoseries.com/gartner-created-product-categories