The Security Adoption Crisis: Why Cybersecurity Tools Fail Without Digital Customer Success

At EverAfter, we’ve seen it time and time again—cybersecurity companies invest heavily in building cutting-edge tools, only to watch those tools fall short because customers aren’t fully adopting them. It’s not just frustrating; it’s risky. When your customers don’t understand how to use your product effectively, they’re not just missing out on value—they’re leaving themselves vulnerable to threats your solution was designed to prevent.

Why does this happen? The problem isn’t the technology; it’s the strategy. Without a robust digital customer success approach, customers often struggle to engage with your product, leading to underutilized features, stalled renewals, and even increased churn. But we believe there’s a better way.

By embracing a proactive, education-first digital customer success strategy, cybersecurity companies can bridge the adoption gap, drive deeper engagement, and ensure their customers are fully protected. In this blog, we’ll share what we’ve learned about how digital CS can help you maximize the impact of your tools while building stronger, more loyal customer relationships.

The Hidden Crisis in Cybersecurity

Organizations are pouring resources into advanced cybersecurity tools, but here’s the problem: too many of these tools are being underused or misunderstood. A recent analysis revealed that 75% of security decision-makers find it increasingly difficult to assess how effective their solutions actually are. This lack of clarity creates a perfect storm—critical features are overlooked, budgets are wasted, and organizations are left more vulnerable than they realize.

Why Technical Excellence Alone Isn’t Enough

Even the most sophisticated security tools won’t protect your customers if they don’t know how to use them effectively. Cyber threats evolve fast, and staying ahead requires more than just having the best technology. Teams need continuous training, clear workflows, and seamless coordination to truly benefit from their tools. Without these, overlapping features, poor adoption, and operational silos prevent organizations from maximizing their defenses.

The True Cost of Poor Security Adoption

Failing to adopt cybersecurity tools comprehensively isn’t just a missed opportunity—it’s a serious risk. Between 2022 and 2023, cyber incidents surged by 76% on specific leak sites. Each breach goes beyond IT headaches—it erodes customer trust, inflates costs, and disrupts operations. Companies that don’t prioritize full adoption face hefty recovery bills, damaged reputations, and slowed growth.

Bridging the Security Tool Adoption Divide

To ensure cybersecurity tools deliver their maximum value, companies must go beyond just selling great products—they must actively support and empower their customers throughout the adoption journey. Here’s how:

1. Focus on Value: Prioritize features that address real-world risks, and clearly communicate their importance to customers. Demonstrating how these features mitigate specific threats builds confidence and urgency.
2. Empower Teams: Offer ongoing training, knowledge-sharing resources, and opportunities for cross-functional collaboration. This ensures teams not only understand the tools but also integrate them seamlessly into their workflows.
3. Adopt a Digital Customer Success Strategy: By embedding digital customer success into your approach, you can empower customers to be more creative and take meaningful action within their product journey. Self-service hubs, interactive tutorials, and personalized onboarding pathways can inspire confidence and foster engagement. This approach turns customers into proactive partners in their own security strategy.
4. Measure Outcomes: Regularly track feature adoption, identify underused capabilities, and work with customers to remove barriers to usage. A data-driven approach ensures you’re continuously improving customer outcomes and product alignment.

By connecting technology to practical, actionable support through strategies like digital customer success, cybersecurity companies can help customers unlock the full potential of their tools—building trust, lowering risks, and creating stronger, more resilient partnerships.

{{master-customer-engagement}}

Why Technical Training Alone Falls Short

Relying solely on written instructions or quick video tutorials often misses the mark when it comes to cybersecurity adoption. A Kaspersky Lab study found that 44% of employees don’t properly follow security policies, underscoring the limitations of traditional training methods. Instead, companies must adopt more engaging, practical approaches, such as:

• Scenario-based simulations: Help employees practice responding to real-world threats in a controlled environment.
• Ongoing feedback loops: Create opportunities for employees to ask questions, share experiences, and continuously improve their skills.
• Role-specific training sessions: Tailor training to address the unique challenges and responsibilities of different teams.

The Human Factor in Security Tool Adoption

Even the most advanced cybersecurity tools can’t compensate for a single human error. Employees often feel overwhelmed, underprepared, or disengaged—skipping updates they don’t understand or unknowingly creating vulnerabilities. A blog post from Check Point highlights that cybersecurity is primarily about people, not just tools.

Key Insights on the Human Factor

• 52% of organizations identify employees as their biggest security risk.
• 30% of security incidents are caused by malicious insider actions.
• 40% of employees admit to hiding security incidents, fearing repercussions.

Building a culture of accountability, awareness, and empowerment is critical to addressing these risks. Employees need to feel capable and confident in their ability to protect the organization. By fostering open communication, offering accessible resources, and emphasizing shared responsibility, cybersecurity companies can transform the human factor from a vulnerability into a key strength in their security strategy.

Real Costs of Underutilized Security Investments

Underutilized cybersecurity tools don’t just sit idle—they actively drain resources while leaving customers exposed. A recent study highlights that full adoption requires strong management support and organizational flexibility. Without these, companies end up paying for tools that fail to deliver value, even as threats continue to escalate.

The Risks of Poor Adoption

When cybersecurity tools aren’t fully adopted, organizations face serious consequences, including:

• Data breaches that erode customer trust: Unused or misunderstood features can leave critical vulnerabilities unaddressed.
• Fines from compliance failures: Gaps in security implementation can result in violations of regulatory requirements.
• Lower productivity: Teams often avoid tools that are poorly integrated or too complicated, creating inefficiencies and bottlenecks.

Turning Investments Into Impact

To avoid these pitfalls, cybersecurity companies must balance technology with user engagement. This means focusing on tools that are easy to adopt and embedding proactive digital customer success strategies. By providing ongoing guidance and fostering active engagement, you can help customers fully leverage their security investments—delivering measurable value and stronger protection against rising threats.

The Customer Success Security Matrix

Moving Beyond the Technical Handover

Often, once cybersecurity tools are technically set up, the process ends. A continuous approach, however, is needed for strong adoption over time. According to training techniques for cybersecurity customer success managers, ongoing education and support reduce risks, build trust, and stop products from going unused.

Mapping Security Features to Business Outcomes

Many customers struggle to see how specific tool features relate to real business goals. A single breach can cost up to 66% of a company’s clients, noted in data protection tips. By linking tools like encryption and multi-factor authentication to objectives (brand reputation, compliance, etc.), CSMs show the direct benefits of each solution and how security boosts both risk reduction and growth.

Building Adoption Frameworks That Work

A great adoption strategy doesn’t stop at onboarding—it progresses through measurable milestones that reinforce security success. Key tactics include:

• Regular reviews: Analyze security metrics and align them with customers’ strategic targets.
• Customized training: Tailor sessions to the skills, needs, and industry context of each customer.
• Proactive communication: Share updates on industry trends, emerging threats, and best practices to keep customers engaged and prepared.
• Interactive digital customer hubs: Offer resources like on-demand training, guided walkthroughs, and usage dashboards to empower customers to take action and stay on track.

Measuring Security Engagement

It’s not enough to deploy defenses—you need to measure how effectively they’re used. Tracking the right metrics helps demonstrate the value of customer success efforts while identifying areas for improvement. Useful metrics include:

• Feature adoption rates: How many customers use advanced capabilities like threat detection or automated response.
• Training participation: The number of trained users per department or team.
• Support trends: Frequency and type of support requests, highlighting potential knowledge gaps.
• Risk reduction metrics: Changes in threat response times or the frequency of incidents.

These numbers reveal if customer success efforts are boosting security tool adoption. Armed with strong engagement, customers see fewer attacks, better satisfaction, and stronger loyalty.

Breaking the Technical Support Trap

Relying solely on reactive technical support is no longer enough in a world where cyberattacks happen every 39 seconds—more than 2,200 times a day. Waiting for problems to occur limits your ability to protect customers and erodes trust. Instead, a proactive approach is key. By forecasting potential threats and addressing vulnerabilities early, companies can not only prevent costly incidents but also build deeper, more secure customer relationships.

Proactive teams mirror the principles of customer success, focusing on long-term engagement rather than quick fixes. For example, early detection of vulnerabilities or impersonation attempts, as highlighted by CSO Online, is more effective and reassuring than damage control after an attack. Customers feel supported when you’re actively protecting them, not just responding when things go wrong.

This shift from reactive support to proactive engagement requires translating security efforts into terms that resonate with all stakeholders. Rather than focusing solely on technical metrics, tie your efforts to business outcomes. Show customers how avoiding breaches protects revenue, minimizes compliance costs, and strengthens their reputation. Highlight tangible benefits like reduced downtime, increased customer loyalty, or even improved investor confidence. When employees understand how security safeguards the company’s success, they’re more likely to participate actively.

But even the best technology and metrics aren’t enough to change behavior on their own. This is where cultivating security champions becomes essential. By recruiting advocates from different departments, you can turn cybersecurity into a shared responsibility. Leaders can drive this effort by:

• Rewarding employees who identify and report phishing attempts.
• Setting up peer coaching programs where experienced users mentor beginners.
• Hosting interactive drills and sharing lessons learned to maintain vigilance.

Security champions help make cybersecurity personal and relatable, spreading awareness and engagement across the organization.

{{cta-demo2}}

Finally, sustainable behavior is crucial for long-term protection. With cyberattacks growing in scale—and damages predicted to reach $10.5 trillion by 2025—it’s clear that proactive investment in security pays off. Regular training, tied to real business goals, shifts cybersecurity from a burdensome task to a seamless, well-maintained system. Forbes notes that aligning security with broader objectives not only reduces risk but also fosters customer trust and employee ownership.

By proactively engaging customers, translating metrics into business value, and empowering employees as security advocates, companies can build a culture of resilience—where cybersecurity is woven into every level of the organization.

The New Security Success Playbook

A modern approach to cybersecurity success goes beyond simply deploying tools—it ensures they’re continuously optimized and actively used. By aligning customer success strategies with real-world threats, companies can create a more resilient and engaged customer base.

Identifying Adoption Gaps with Early Warning Systems

Early warning systems can pinpoint adoption issues before they escalate into security threats. For example, in a recent South Korean VPN supply chain breach, attackers exploited gaps in updates and monitoring. Tracking user engagement with your tools is essential to prevent similar vulnerabilities. If you notice dips in feature usage or ignored updates, these could signal potential risks. Addressing these gaps proactively helps stop small adoption issues from becoming major security threats.

Using Security-Specific Health Scores

Basic metrics like login rates or session times don’t paint the full picture of security readiness. To ensure your tools are fully adopted and actively protecting customers, you need to track security-specific metrics such as:

• Patch application speed: How quickly users apply updates and fixes.
• Vulnerability scans: The frequency of scans to detect weaknesses.
• Privileged account security: How well administrative accounts are secured.
• Incident response updates: Regular testing and revision of response plans.

These metrics offer a real-time view of defensive readiness, directly linking adoption to reduced risks and stronger protections.

Driving Success Through Compliance Metrics

Compliance doesn’t just help companies meet regulatory requirements—it sets the foundation for stronger security practices. With an 80% rise in resilience-building assessments among critical infrastructure providers (per CISA), compliance-driven benchmarks are becoming essential. Companies can track actions like:

• Data encryption practices to protect sensitive information.
• Third-party security validation to address supply chain vulnerabilities.

These benchmarks not only reduce security risks but also boost customer trust and brand credibility. Customers are more likely to adopt tools when they see a clear connection to compliance and long-term success.

Crisis Prevention Through Proactive Engagement

True security success lies in stopping problems before they arise. Campaigns like CISA’s “Shields Up” and “Shields Ready” show the value of proactive engagement, and cybersecurity providers can adopt similar strategies by:

• Leading live cyber drills with key customer teams to simulate threat scenarios.
• Offering specialized training for high-risk users, such as executives or IT administrators.
• Scheduling routine check-ins to ensure critical tasks, like patch management and access reviews, are on track.

Proactive steps like these not only reduce the odds of a breach but also inspire customer confidence. By pairing regular engagement with actionable insights from security-specific metrics, customer success strategies ensure that tools are fully adopted, consistently used, and providing the protection they’re designed for.

Field-Tested Transformation Stories

1. Gains From Real-World Deployments: Organizations that focus on adopting security tools effectively see big improvements. One multinational healthcare provider cut its Security Operations Center workload by 45% and detection time for advanced threats by 35% with an AI-driven solution, according to case studies in AI-driven cybersecurity success. Automation reduced overhead and turned reactive firefighting into proactive defense.
2. Crisis Recovery in Action: Quick action can spell the difference between a short disruption and lasting damage. BlackBerry success stories note how Cozad Community Health System used managed detection and response to stop ransomware and maintain patient trust. The American Red Cross also improved crisis communications, proving that when technology is paired with customer success strategies, small problems don’t become full-blown catastrophes.
3. ROI Through Streamlined Security: A European software firm using FortiSASE cut total cost of ownership by 50% while serving both remote and on-site systems in one framework. Read more in Fortinet’s SASE customer stories. Many organizations follow this path, using user-focused design, engaged customer support, and quick rollouts to ensure solid return on security spending.

Lessons From Misalignment

Even the best tools can fail if users aren’t trained or motivated. Large retailers sometimes install new security platforms but see little adoption due to confusion or lack of guidance. Without a digital customer success approach, budgets are wasted, incidents grow, and frustration spreads. The takeaway: make sure your team understands each tool’s purpose and daily benefits.

These examples show that combining security tool adoption with customer success strategies leads to better outcomes. Align technology with practical needs, measure performance often, and always consider the human aspect.

Building Your Security Success Strategy

Building a robust cybersecurity success strategy is about more than just deploying the latest tools—it’s about aligning resources, priorities, and frameworks to deliver real protection and value. With cyber threats continuing to evolve, organizations must balance proactive measures with reactive capabilities to build resilience and inspire confidence.

Set the Foundation with Resource Allocation

Cybersecurity success starts with smart resource allocation. With one in 40 organizations facing ransomware attacks in 2021, and threats growing each year, a clear plan is critical. While many companies allocate about 21% of their IT budgets to cybersecurity, spreading these funds too thin across tools and initiatives can weaken overall defenses.

To create a solid foundation, balance spending across prevention, detection, training, and rapid response. It’s not just about having the tools; it’s about ensuring your teams and customers know how to use them effectively.

Budget Priorities That Drive Results

• Invest in prevention tools first: Stop attacks early with essentials like firewalls, endpoint protection, and access controls.
• Allocate funds for detection and response: Ensure you’re prepared for incidents with solutions for forensic analysis, backups, and recovery.
• Meet compliance goals: Align your spending with regulatory standards like HIPAA, PCI DSS, or ISO 27001. Strong compliance not only reduces risks but also builds trust and credibility with stakeholders.

Align with Proven Security Frameworks

• Leverage Defense-in-Depth: Implement multiple layers of protection to ensure no single failure compromises your system. This includes network segmentation, encryption, and access management.
• Adopt Zero Trust principles: Validate every user, device, and access request to prevent unauthorized activity.
• Stay informed on emerging threats: Continuously adapt your strategy to evolving risks by referencing industry reports, like the 2024 Cyber Security Report.

Define Your Team Structure

Security success isn’t just about tools—it’s about people. The right team structure ensures accountability, aligns with customer success principles, and positions your organization to respond effectively to evolving threats. A strong governance framework clarifies roles and responsibilities, creating a foundation for both security and long-term customer trust.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Appoint a dedicated CISO: Separate this role from daily IT operations to maintain a clear focus on security strategy and oversight.
• Establish a security steering committee: Include representatives from operations, legal, finance, and customer success to ensure a holistic approach to security and compliance.
• Build specialized teams for emerging areas: Address new challenges, like AI-driven threats, by empowering dedicated experts to stay ahead of attack methods and vulnerabilities.

Bridging Skill Gaps

Cybersecurity threats evolve quickly, making continuous learning essential. To ensure your team is always prepared:

• Invest in ongoing training: Regularly update current staff on the latest cybersecurity practices and tools.
• Encourage cross-training: Tie security efforts to customer success by training teams to understand how security impacts adoption and trust.
• Bring in external expertise when needed: For complex areas like AI adoption, hiring specialists ensures you’re leveraging cutting-edge strategies. For more insights, check out resources on steps to successful AI adoption in cybersecurity.

Track the Right Metrics

Tracking the right metrics is essential to showing how your cybersecurity efforts support broader business goals and drive value. By aligning your measurements with a strong digital adoption strategy, you can ensure that security tools are not just implemented but actively embraced, empowering teams to maximize their potential.

Measure Impact, Not Outputs

Metrics should reflect how effectively your security solutions are being adopted and utilized—not just the number of threats blocked. By tying adoption success to measurable outcomes, you can demonstrate real impact:

• Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) and Mean Time to Respond (MTTR): Faster detection and response times show the value of tools in action and the training provided to use them effectively.
• Feature adoption rates: Identify which tools and features are actively used and address gaps to ensure full engagement.
• System uptime and reliability: Highlight how security tools contribute to operational continuity, boosting trust and satisfaction.
• Incidence rates: Monitor reductions in ransomware, phishing, and other threats as adoption of protective features improves.

Metrics like these emphasize how a well-executed digital adoption strategy strengthens security, ensuring tools are not just deployed but deeply integrated into workflows.

Plan Your Implementation Timeline

A phased rollout strategy, integrated with digital adoption initiatives, ensures that security tools are introduced in a way that promotes engagement, learning, and continuous improvement. With threats like ransomware increasing 59% in a single year, this structured approach helps organizations deploy defenses effectively without overwhelming teams.

Phased Rollout for Success

1. Phase 1: Risk Assessments and Critical Fixes: Conduct assessments to identify high-risk areas, and prioritize addressing those vulnerabilities. Ensure that adoption resources, such as tutorials and usage guides, are immediately available to customers and teams.
2. Phase 2: Deploy Foundational Tools: Roll out core defenses like firewalls, endpoint protection, and basic AI-driven threat detection. Pair deployment with interactive training sessions and user-friendly onboarding resources.
3. Phase 3: Pilot, Train, and Share Wins: Test tools in real scenarios, providing hands-on training and celebrating early successes with users. Use dashboards or adoption metrics to show progress and drive continued engagement.
4. Phase 4: Expand Automation and Proactive Measures: Integrate AI tools with existing systems for proactive threat hunting. Continue promoting advanced features through self-service hubs, webinars, and performance reviews to sustain adoption momentum.

Linking Security to Digital Adoption

A strong digital adoption strategy ensures your security tools are actively embraced, rather than sitting idle. By:

• Offering interactive onboarding experiences that guide users through key features.
• Providing continuous learning opportunities like webinars, in-app tips, and success stories to keep engagement high.
• Leveraging usage data to identify underutilized features and provide targeted support.

You can turn security from a checkbox into a seamless, integrated part of your organization’s workflow. When adoption drives engagement, your tools become more effective, risks are minimized, and the full value of your investment is realized.

From Crisis to Opportunity

Cyber threats today are unrelenting, with ransomware attacks rising 13% in 2022 and 83% of firms reporting multiple data breaches. But these challenges also present an opportunity to transform security into a proactive, value-driven advantage. By merging security strategies with customer success principles, organizations can turn reactive responses into long-term resilience.

Immediate Wins

To make a fast impact, start by integrating customer-centric practices into your security efforts:

• Conduct a risk assessment: Identify and prioritize key vulnerabilities that pose the greatest risk.
• Assign accountability: Use organized task management tools to ensure each security task has a clear owner.
• Simplify user access to security features: Leverage no-code interface builders to create intuitive portals that make it easier for users to engage with security tools, boosting adoption and effectiveness.

Long-Term Strategy

Cybersecurity is no longer just an IT concern—it’s a core business function that requires sustained focus and innovation. To build lasting defenses:

• Maintain real-time data visibility: Invest in robust data collection and analysis tools to detect anomalies and respond swiftly.
• Embed security in every process: Incorporate protection into product development, workflows, and customer interactions so that it becomes second nature.
• Strengthen partnerships: With 65% of companies struggling to manage third-party risks, ensure your supply chain is built on trusted, resilient partnerships.

Driving Ongoing Transformation

True resilience isn’t a one-time effort; it’s a continuous journey. To stay ahead of ever-evolving cyber challenges:

• Track meaningful metrics: Monitor improvements like a reduction in breaches, better incident response times, and increased user readiness.
• Foster a culture of learning: Use tools like GPT for Customer Success to create tailored training materials, issue alerts, and guide teams through real-time challenges.
• Celebrate milestones: Recognize achievements, such as thwarted threats or reduced incident impacts, to maintain leadership support and inspire team motivation.

The Path Forward

Cyber challenges will continue to grow in complexity, but by integrating customer success methods with security expertise, you can move from managing crises to building a strong, adaptive defense. Aligning teams around common goals, clarifying responsibilities, and leveraging the right digital platforms ensures security becomes a steady, scalable stronghold.

This shift isn’t just about reducing risk—it’s about creating an environment where both your organization and your customers can thrive with confidence.