AI is making commodity software nearly free to produce, exposing security vendors without real moats.

[lennyzeltser@infosec.exchange]

AI is making commodity software nearly free to produce, exposing security vendors without real moats. Feature lists stopped being a reliable signal of which products will hold their position as commoditization sorts the market. If you were anxious about "SaaSpocalypse," here's a practical way to understand and handle it:

A seven-dimension rubric from Ben Vierck scores software products from 1 to 3 across each dimension. Three cybersecurity-specific dynamics raise scores for products with compounding defensibility. For example, an EDR platform with a shared data layer can score 20 out of 21 because its dimensions reinforce each other. Enterprise buyers generate telemetry that sharpens detection, which strengthens the compliance posture that attracts the next buyer.

Product managers and founders can apply the rubric to their own product, while buyers can apply it to their vendor shortlist. A low score names a dimension that needs investment, or a vendor likely to be bundled, absorbed, or replaced. Running the exercise honestly identifies the gaps worth examining.

Scoring Your Security Product Strategy in the AI Era

AI has made commodity software easy to produce, leaving traditional SaaS exposed. Applied to cybersecurity, a seven-dimension rubric scores security product strategies to help leaders identify weaknesses and strengths.

Lenny Zeltser (zeltser.com)

#cybersecurity #infosec #productmanagement #AI #securityleadership