Last updated at Mon, 06 May 2019 12:59:00 GMT
Being recognized as one of the “14 providers that matter most” in the global cybersecurity consulting market by Forrester Research is an incredible honor. Our Services business has been designated a Strong Performer, and we could not be more elated to have debuted here in our first year participating.
The Forrester Wave™: Global Cybersecurity Consulting Providers, Q2 2019 is a highly respected independent assessment of today’s cybersecurity consulting market, and provides an in-depth evaluation of the top 14 consulting providers across 23 criteria. Vendors are scored based on the competency of their current offering, strategy, and market presence. Rapid7 received the highest possible score (5.0) in the following five criteria:
- Client satisfaction and ongoing relationship
- Technical consulting and assessment capabilities
- Security team engagement
- Cybersecurity focus
- Corporate vision
The outcome we’re most proud of, though, is the feedback Forrester received when they spoke with our customers:
“Reference clients mention technical expertise and competitive pricing as strengths for Rapid7. The firm’s reference customers were the most enthusiastic of any that we interviewed; their chief complaint was that Rapid7 needed to better integrate its consulting portfolio and platforms. Indeed, these clients wished that Rapid7 would do a better job of evangelizing the services that the firm provides, because they were actively looking for ways to spend more money with Rapid7. That’s a standout result among Wave participants.”
In the Wave, Forrester highlights three capabilities customers should be looking for in a provider:
- Innovate with asset-based consulting capabilities
- Provide ample flexibility for clients in their pricing and distribution models
- Understand the specific value chain and business model of their clients.
As a team that puts practitioners first, we could not agree more with these focus areas. Our offerings range from those that allow customers to better use our technology, to those that help customers better quantify their risk, to those based on tactical and offensive security, but our model of service delivery is always unique in that it is extensively customizable and oriented to the needs of the customer. That said, we also aim to challenge their established norms with the goal of advancing their program.
As we review the numerical scores, it is validating for us to see our highest possible scores in the criteria of client satisfaction and ongoing relationship, security team engagement, technical consulting and assessment capabilities, cybersecurity focus, and corporate vision. In our view, these scores show we are actually delivering on the solutions our customers ask us to provide.
One of the biggest challenges security teams have today is focusing on the right risks and expressing them in terms the business can understand. We spend a lot of time working with teams to truly understand their culture and the obstacles they have internally that prevent effective, risk-based decision making. To guide us in that journey, we never compare one company to another, as every company has a different appetite for risk. Instead, we focus on the core areas of cybersecurity strength, identify where staff and process have bolstered those capabilities, then establish direction to enable the communication of weaknesses. This model allows practitioners to safely acknowledge risk areas and create risk stakeholders within the business; through this, the conversation refocuses from one on cybersecurity alone to one that truly reflects the business, avoids impact, and accepts risk where necessary.
Participating in the Forrester Wave has been extremely gratifying; we strive to meet the needs and expectations of our customers, and we believe the results of the Wave further validate those efforts. It has also allowed us to reflect on areas where we can improve to further refine our offerings and help our customers advance their cybersecurity programs. I’d like to personally thank our customers who agreed to participate in this for us—your feedback is truly welcomed, and we are all very appreciative for the partnerships we have formed with you!
