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Frameworks, core principles and top case studies for SaaS pricing, learnt and refined over 28+ years of SaaS-monetization experience.
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In today's rapidly evolving threat landscape, continuous security monitoring has become essential rather than optional. Yet one question consistently challenges both security vendors and their customers: how should continuous security tools price different scan frequencies? With organizations requiring different levels of protection based on their risk profile and budget constraints, finding the right pricing model that balances security needs with cost efficiency presents a significant challenge.
The Importance of Scan Frequency in Continuous Security
Scan frequency directly impacts both security posture and operational costs. Too infrequent, and you risk missing critical vulnerabilities during their window of exploitability. Too frequent, and costs can quickly spiral while potentially creating performance impacts on production systems.
According to a 2023 Ponemon Institute study, organizations that implemented daily or more frequent security scans experienced 76% fewer successful breaches compared to those scanning monthly or less frequently. However, these more frequent scans often came with a 3-5x cost increase depending on the pricing model used.
Current Pricing Models in the Industry
Security vendors have developed several approaches to pricing scan frequencies, each with distinct advantages and limitations:
Volume-Based Pricing
This traditional approach charges based on the number of scans performed in a given period. While straightforward, it can penalize security-conscious organizations that want to scan frequently.
Asset-Based Pricing
Pricing based on the number of assets scanned, regardless of frequency. This model allows for unlimited scans but can become expensive for larger environments.
Example: CrowdStrike's pricing structure focuses primarily on the number of endpoints rather than how frequently they're scanned, enabling continuous monitoring without scan-frequency penalties.
Risk-Based Tiered Pricing
A more sophisticated approach where pricing varies based on asset criticality and the organization's risk profile. High-value assets receive more frequent scans while less critical systems are scanned less often.
According to Gartner, risk-based approaches to security automation are gaining traction, with 65% of organizations planning to implement some form of risk-based security pricing by 2025.
The Security Automation Paradox
One interesting paradox in security pricing models relates to automation. As security automation advances, the marginal cost of additional scans decreases—yet pricing models don't always reflect this reality.
"The cost to perform a scan the 100th time is substantially lower than the first time, yet many pricing models treat each scan with the same cost basis," notes Sam Curry, former CSO at Cybereason. "This misalignment creates friction in the market."
Factors That Should Influence Scan Frequency Pricing
When developing pricing structures for scan frequencies, vendors should consider:
1. Value of Continuous Protection
Pricing should acknowledge the genuine security value that more frequent scans provide. By detecting vulnerabilities sooner, organizations can reduce their exposure window and limit potential damage.
2. Actual Resource Consumption
Modern security tools operate with dramatically different resource footprints than legacy solutions. Pricing should reflect the actual costs of increased scan frequency, not theoretical or historical costs.
3. Customer Size and Complexity
Enterprise environments have different needs than SMBs. Pricing should scale reasonably with organization size and complexity.
4. Compliance Requirements
Some industries face strict compliance requirements mandating specific scan frequencies. Pricing should accommodate these regulatory necessities without excessive penalties.
Emerging Best Practices for Pricing Scan Frequencies
Based on market research and customer feedback, several best practices are emerging for how security vendors should approach scan frequency pricing:
Subscription Tiers With Frequency Bands
Rather than charging per scan, establish subscription tiers that include different frequency bands (e.g., daily, hourly, continuous) with appropriate pricing based on the value delivered.
Rapid7, for instance, offers tiered subscription models where higher tiers include more frequent scanning capabilities without per-scan costs.
Dynamic Frequency Allocation
Some innovative vendors now allow customers to allocate different scan frequencies to different assets based on criticality, all within a fixed pricing structure.
Pay-for-Results Models
Another emerging approach focuses on outcomes rather than scan frequency. Organizations pay based on findings, remediated vulnerabilities, or maintained security posture rather than scan volume.
Finding the Balance: Recommendations for Vendors and Buyers
For Security Vendors:
Align pricing with customer outcomes: Focus pricing models on the security outcomes delivered, not just scan frequency.
Provide flexibility: Allow customers to adjust scan frequencies based on their risk profile and business needs.
Transparent pricing: Clearly communicate how increased scan frequencies affect pricing to avoid customer surprise.
Volume discounts: As scan frequencies increase, implement meaningful volume discounts that reflect the lower marginal costs of additional scans.
For Security Buyers:
Calculate your risk exposure window: Understand your organization's acceptable vulnerability exposure time to determine optimal scan frequencies.
Evaluate total cost of security: Consider the complete financial picture, including potential breach costs, not just the direct scanning costs.
Negotiate for flexibility: Seek vendors who offer dynamic scan frequency adjustments without significant pricing penalties.
The Future of Continuous Security Pricing
As security automation continues to advance, we're likely to see further evolution in how scan frequencies are priced. The most forward-thinking security vendors will move toward models that:
- Decouple scan frequency from linear cost increases
- Emphasize outcomes and protection levels rather than activity metrics
- Incorporate AI to dynamically adjust scan frequencies based on emerging threats and asset criticality
Conclusion
Finding the right balance in pricing scan frequencies represents a critical challenge for the security industry. The ideal approach will align the interests of security vendors and their customers, encouraging appropriate scan frequencies based on risk without creating artificial financial barriers to better security.
As continuous security becomes the standard rather than the exception, pricing models that encourage rather than penalize frequent scanning will likely dominate the market. The most successful security vendors will be those who recognize that their pricing models should make better security more accessible, not more expensive.
Organizations evaluating security solutions should carefully examine how scan frequency affects their total costs and seek vendors whose pricing models align with both their security needs and budget realities. The right approach will ultimately depend on each organization's specific risk profile, regulatory requirements, and security maturity.