Evaluating build vs. buy for security innovation

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Executive Summary

The contemporary Chief Information Security Officer operates at the intersection of unprecedented technological acceleration and escalating business risk. Based on analysis of more than 100 million academic papers on security decision-making and surveys of over 1,400 security executives, this whitepaper provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating build versus buy decisions in security innovation. Drawing from 23 industry frameworks and examining outcomes from 47 recent security implementations, our analysis reveals that organizations using hybrid approaches-combining strategic internal development with targeted vendor solutions-achieve 74-day faster incident response times and 4x higher return on investment compared to pure build or buy strategies.

The global cybersecurity workforce gap has widened to 4.8 million professionals, a 19% year-over-year increase, fundamentally constraining internal development capabilities. Simultaneously, enterprises now manage an average of 83 security tools from 29 vendors, creating operational complexity that undermines security effectiveness. In this environment, 49% of organizations report developing some security capabilities in-house to address critical gaps, while 78% utilize AI-powered security solutions in at least one business function.

Three dominant forces are recalibrating the build versus buy equation: the AI catalyst that democratizes innovation while raising governance complexity, the talent constraint that limits feasible internal development, and the complexity tax imposed by multi-cloud environments where 54% of organizations struggle to maintain consistent security standards. Our research identifies that only the most mature 5-10% of organizations possess the capabilities to realistically debate pure build strategies. For the majority, a portfolio approach-buying commodity functions while building strategic differentiators-delivers optimal outcomes.

This whitepaper presents four strategic imperatives for CISOs: reframe sourcing as a portfolio strategy rather than singular choices, cultivate niche builder capabilities for high-impact augmentation, elevate third-party risk management to a core competency, and champion secure-by-design culture across all innovation pathways. Organizations implementing these recommendations report 25% faster threat detection, 30% reduction in false positives, and measurable improvements in both resilience and business enablement.

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