Mine is Bigger Than Yours!

Everybody already faced the same situation: Children like to compare with each others! Put kids in the same room and let them play. Comparisons will start soon: “My dad has a bigger car than yours“, “My plane flies better than yours“, “I can run faster than you“, etc. Sometimes, I’m feeling exactly the same during conversations about infosec products and I’m pissed of this. My opinion is that infosec people also tend to be proud of their security solutions and compare them to others. Like in a kindergarten…

It’s a fact, humans don’t like to assume their errors. It’s not easy to concede a bad choice and say that your security solution does not fullfill its job. But why pretend to have the top-notch-killer-device on the other side?  Remember, years ago, the flame war between Linux and Windows users? (Honestly, I took part of this game when I was young)

Sometimes, colleagues or customers ask me what’s the best choice between “x” or “y“. It’s always difficult for me to answer such questions in a cold start situation. First of all because most of the time, I don’t have enough background to compare them. Of course, the market is full of studies and analyses like the well-known Gartner magic-quadrant. Those can help you to make a first selection. Some vendors ask research firms to make a comparison of their product with direct competitors. If they “asked“, it means they also “paid” for these researches. In a customer – supplier relation, the customer must be happy. May we be certain that the results of the study are fully independent? I’m in doubt…

Personally, the best solution is the one which will solve YOUR issue and match YOUR requirements in terms of:

• Budget
• Features
• Integration in your environment
• Management & Support

Keep in mind that your information security is a big market place where all vendors would like their share of the cake… Select two or three solutions, ask for live demos, setup a PoC (“Proof of Concept“). This could cost time and money but you will have all keys in your hand to make the right decision. Don’t buy a brand, buy a solution!