Security Platformization
Security platformization is the strategic consolidation of security capabilities from multiple point products into integrated platform architectures.
Last updated Apr 11, 2026Current
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Security platformization is the strategic consolidation of security capabilities from multiple point products into integrated platform architectures.
# Security Platformization
Security platformization is the strategic consolidation of security capabilities from multiple point products into integrated platform architectures. Instead of operating 60-80 disconnected security tools (the industry average for large enterprises), organizations adopt platforms that natively integrate multiple security functions: detection, response, identity, posture management, vulnerability assessment, and governance. The goal is to reduce complexity, improve signal correlation, and eliminate the integration tax that comes from stitching together dozens of vendor-specific solutions.
Platformization manifests across several security domains:
Extended Detection and Response (XDR): Consolidates endpoint detection (EDR), network detection (NDR), and cloud detection into a single platform that correlates signals across all telemetry sources. Instead of investigating alerts in three separate consoles, analysts see a unified incident that spans endpoint, network, and cloud.
Security Service Edge (SSE)/SASE: Consolidates secure web gateway (SWG), cloud access security broker (CASB), zero trust network access (ZTNA), and firewall-as-a-service (FWaaS) into a unified cloud-delivered platform.
Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP): Consolidates cloud security posture management (CSPM), cloud workload protection (CWPP), cloud infrastructure entitlement management (CIEM), and infrastructure-as-code (IaC) scanning into a single platform.
Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR): Consolidates identity governance, privilege access management, identity threat detection, and machine identity management into a unified identity platform.
The platformization approach follows a pattern:
The security tool sprawl problem is real and measurable. Large enterprises operate 76 security tools on average (Panaseer, 2023). Each tool has its own console, alert format, data model, and integration requirements. The result:
Platformization addresses these challenges directly. Gartner, Forrester, and IDC all project that by 2027, 75% of enterprises will have consolidated their security stack to three or fewer primary platforms plus a small number of best-of-breed point solutions for niche requirements.
This does not mean best-of-breed is dead. The winning strategy is "platform-first, best-of-breed where it matters." Platforms handle the 80% of security needs that benefit from native integration. Best-of-breed tools fill the 20% of specialized needs where platform capabilities fall short.
Platformization aligns directly with CDA's Security Posture & Hygiene (SPH) domain under the Autonomous Posture Command (APC) methodology. Our position: complexity is the enemy of security. Every unnecessary tool is an attack surface, an integration risk, and a training burden. Simpler is more secure.
CDA's operational approach:
CDA itself practices platformization. Our ecosystem (C3, Nexus, Arena, Theater, and 10 other apps) is built on a unified technology stack with shared packages rather than disconnected tools. We apply the same principle to client security architectures.
CDA Theater missions that address topics covered in this article.
Written by Evan Morgan
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