Barracuda launches unified AI platform amid security tool sprawl

Barracuda has released findings from a research study showing that a majority of organisations are struggling to manage an excess of security tools, with many finding that these tools are not integrated effectively.

The survey, conducted by research firm Vanson Bourne, found that 65% of IT and security professionals face challenges due to running too many security tools. Additionally, 53% reported that their tools were unable to be integrated, leading to fragmented security environments that are both difficult to manage and secure.

The responses came from 2,000 senior security decision-makers globally and highlight broader concerns over the operational and financial repercussions of security tool sprawl. According to the research, 80% of respondents indicated that a lack of integration between tools increased the time needed to manage their organisation's security, and 81% said this resulted in higher overall costs.

The impact on security operations was also significant, with 77% of those surveyed saying detection of threats was hindered by fragmented systems, and 78% noted difficulties in mitigating threats. Only 32% of respondents expressed full confidence in the proper configuration of their security tools, suggesting that many organisations may be vulnerable to breaches due to misconfiguration.

The research also explored the role of managed service providers (MSPs) in reducing the complexity caused by multiple security tools, as well as identifying sectors that are most affected by this issue.

Barracuda has responded to these findings by launching the BarracudaONE AI-powered cybersecurity platform, which aims to provide integrated threat protection and cyber resilience across its portfolio of products. The platform is intended for both MSPs and end users and centralises various security functions to simplify management and reduce the administrative burden.

Neal Bradbury, Chief Product Officer at Barracuda, commented on the findings: "This research serves as a stark wake-up call for organisations still relying on disconnected, siloed security tools. Managing a patchwork of solutions drives up costs and complexity while creating blind spots that attackers are quick to exploit. Security teams simply cannot afford to waste time switching between systems while critical threats go undetected."

"The path forward is clear: consolidation and integration are essential for cyber resilience. That is exactly why we built BarracudaONE – to improve security operations, reduce risk and enable teams to secure their environments faster and more effectively. We are cutting through the complexity, closing critical gaps and empowering organisations with the confidence and control they need to stay ahead of evolving threats."

The BarracudaONE platform unifies Barracuda's security solutions into a single interface, offering layered threat protection that is managed from a central dashboard. This consolidation is designed to reduce operational complexity, bolster visibility, and strengthen overall cyber resilience.

The platform incorporates advanced artificial intelligence that provides detailed threat detection and response, as well as automated intelligence capabilities. Barracuda says its AI has been refined over numerous real-world deployments and now powers robust reporting features to help security teams and partners assess the effectiveness of their threat defences, ROI, and operational impact. These insights are intended to help organisations validate their security postures and make informed decisions.

William Mann, Chief Information Security Officer at the Borough of West Chester, Pennsylvania, described his experience with the platform: "BarracudaONE is a shields-up force multiplier that helps us safeguard critical municipal services – including our police dispatcher center, police and fire departments, as well as wastewater, finance and other essential operations. The ability to manage multiple security modules through a single, centralised dashboard is transformational."

"Barracuda Email Protection's incident response capabilities are mission-critical, and with BarracudaONE, they're more accessible, faster and easier to manage. The streamlined experience of having fewer clicks and faster insights enables us to prioritise threats and respond with the speed and precision our first responders, government teams and community depend on."

Adam Butler, Principal Cyber Solutions Architect at ARO, also commented: "BarracudaONE brings all our Barracuda solutions into a unified, powerful platform – delivering centralised visibility, real-time alerts and actionable reporting. It represents a major step forward for our customers, and an even greater advantage for us as an MSP overseeing thousands of customer environments. With BarracudaONE, we can pinpoint security gaps faster, prioritise alerts with greater accuracy and generate high-value reports in seconds."

BarracudaONE is now available at no additional cost to MSPs, channel partners, and customers already using certain Barracuda products, including Email Protection, Cloud-to-Cloud Backup, and Data Inspector. The platform provides a centralised interface for management of both solutions and licences.

Barracuda's managed extended detection and response (XDR) service, which offers 24/7 expert monitoring backed by Barracuda's security operations centre, is also offered to complement the platform and further enhance security postures for MSPs, partners and end users.