How many security vendors does your MSP manage? If you're like most, the answer is "more than I'd like to admit."

I've audited MSPs running 15, 20, even 25+ security tools. Each one seemed like a good idea at the time. Each one is now quietly draining profits.

The Visible Costs

Let's start with what you can see on invoices:

Average MSP security stack (10 vendors):

• EDR: $4-8/endpoint
• Email security: $3-5/user
• Backup: $5-15/endpoint
• DNS filtering: $2-4/user
• SIEM/logging: $5-15/endpoint
• Vulnerability scanning: $3-8/asset
• Password manager: $3-6/user
• Security awareness: $2-5/user
• MFA: $3-6/user
• Dark web monitoring: $2-4/user

For a 50-user client, you're looking at $2,500-5,000/month in direct costs. That's manageable, right?

But that's not the true cost.

The Hidden Costs

1. Portal Fatigue

10 vendors = 10 portals = 10 logins = 10 different UIs to learn.

Time spent per week:

• Logging into portals: 30 min
• Checking dashboards: 2 hours
• Investigating alerts across systems: 3 hours
• Correlating data manually: 2 hours
• Generating reports: 2 hours

Total: 10+ hours/week per technician

At $75/hour loaded cost, that's $39,000/year in labor—per technician.

2. Training Overhead

Every tool requires training:

• Initial certification: 8-40 hours per tool
• Ongoing updates: 2-4 hours/month per tool
• New hire onboarding: 1-2 weeks just for security tools

10 tools × 20 hours average = 200 hours of initial training per technician.

3. Integration Tax

Tools that don't talk to each other create manual work:

• Copy-paste between systems
• Manual ticket creation
• Spreadsheet reconciliation
• Custom scripting to connect data

Estimate: 5-10 hours/week in integration overhead.

4. Vendor Management

Each vendor relationship requires:

• Contract negotiations
• Renewal discussions
• Support escalations
• Roadmap reviews
• Billing reconciliation

Estimate: 2-4 hours/month per vendor = 20-40 hours/month total.

5. Alert Fatigue

10 tools generating alerts = thousands of notifications:

• Duplicate alerts for the same issue
• No correlation between related events
• Important alerts buried in noise
• Technicians ignoring or disabling alerts

Result: Slower response times and missed threats.

The Real Math

For a typical MSP with 3 technicians managing 200 endpoints across 15 clients:

Direct vendor costs	$8,000/month
Portal management labor	$4,500/month
Integration overhead	$2,500/month
Vendor management	$1,500/month
Training (amortized)	$1,000/month
True Total	$17,500/month

Your "affordable" security stack actually costs 2x what you thought.

The Consolidation Alternative

What if you could:

• Replace 10 portals with 1
• Correlate alerts automatically
• Train on one platform instead of many
• Manage one vendor relationship
• Get unified billing

The math changes dramatically:

Platform cost	$10,000/month
Management labor	$1,500/month
Training (amortized)	$300/month
True Total	$11,800/month

Savings: $5,700/month = $68,400/year

Beyond Cost: The Quality Impact

Consolidation isn't just about saving money:

• Faster response: One place to investigate, not ten
• Better detection: Correlated data catches more threats
• Consistent experience: Every client gets the same protection
• Easier scaling: Add clients without adding complexity
• Happier team: Technicians focus on security, not tool management

Making the Transition

You don't have to consolidate overnight. Start with:

1. Audit your current stack and true costs
2. Identify overlapping capabilities
3. Evaluate unified platforms
4. Pilot with 2-3 clients
5. Migrate gradually as contracts expire

The MSPs who consolidate now will have a massive competitive advantage in efficiency and margins.

See how Fortress unifies your security stack →