Vulnerability Management: Hidden Costs, Confidence Shortfalls, and Siloed Processes

Let’s kick things off with a couple of questions: 

1. What hidden costs are creeping into your vulnerability management program without you realizing it?
   
2. Is compliance confidence slipping because your team is stuck managing risk with outdated, inefficient processes?

As the volume and complexity of vulnerabilities increase, many organizations find themselves trapped in a cycle of inefficiency, one that’s costing them time, money, and peace of mind. Together, these factors reveal why the traditional approach to vulnerability management is falling short, and why now is the time to embrace smarter, more connected strategies.

At Swimlane, we understand that vulnerability management isn’t just about identifying weaknesses; it’s about fixing them before they escalate into risk. But when your team is stuck in spreadsheets, spending hours manually normalizing data or navigating siloed workflows, staying ahead becomes an uphill battle. The reality is, that inefficiency isn’t just inconvenient, it’s costly, both in terms of time and risk exposure.

So, what’s holding teams back? To find out, we partnered with Sapio Research to survey 500 cybersecurity decision-makers across the U.S. and the U.K. In our latest report, “Under Pressure: Is Vulnerability Management Keeping Up?“, we uncovered the hidden costs of inefficient workflows and the growing confidence gap surrounding compliance.

In this final blog of our three-part series, we delve into the operational burdens, compliance concerns, and organizational silos that create critical gaps and explore how more innovative approaches can help close them.

Hidden Costs: When Manual Work Becomes a Liability

Manual tasks aren’t just inefficient — they’re expensive. According to the report, 57% of respondents stated that their security teams spend between 25% and 50% of their time on manual efforts related to vulnerability management. That translates to over $47,000 per employee per year in wasted effort.

Even more concerning: 55% of organizations report that their teams spend over five hours a week consolidating and normalizing vulnerability data. This work might feel necessary, but it eats away at the time that could be spent on higher-value activities — like risk analysis, patch prioritization, and proactive remediation.

And despite these hours of effort, the tools in use aren’t pulling their weight. 51% of respondents say that while their vulnerability scanners are “useful,” they require additional tools and manual processes to truly prioritize and act. That means more platforms, more workarounds, and more chances for something to fall through the cracks.

The Confidence Gap: Compliance on Shaky Ground

It’s not just operational inefficiencies that organizations are battling; it’s also regulatory pressure. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of organizations are not fully confident that their current vulnerability management program would satisfy a regulatory audit.

This lack of assurance is driving unease across the board. 73% of organizations are concerned about the potential for regulatory fines tied to inadequate vulnerability management. With stricter regulations and increased scrutiny, the stakes are high — and growing.

The truth is, compliance isn’t just a checkbox. It’s a reflection of how well your security practices are working, and if you’re struggling to maintain confidence, chances are your processes need a closer look.

Siloed Operations: The Silent Threat

Vulnerability management isn’t just a technical process, it’s a cross-functional one. 

• Yet 59% of organizations report that their efforts are siloed within specific departments, creating fragmented workflows and exposing them to greater risk.

These silos aren’t just inefficient, they’re dangerous. According to the report, respondents reported the top consequences of poor vulnerability management include:

• Reputational damage and loss of customer trust (40%)
• Business disruption and operational downtime (38%)
• Regulatory fines (29%)

These aren’t theoretical risks, they’re real outcomes that impact both the business and the brand.

It’s Time to Level Up with AI Automation

The findings are clear: the status quo is no longer sustainable. Manual-heavy processes, scattered tools, compliance uncertainty, and operational silos are holding teams back, and putting organizations at risk. But your path forward doesn’t require throwing everything out. It requires leveling up.

Adopting AI automation to reduce manual workloads, embracing integrated systems to eliminate silos, and using intelligent prioritization to focus on what matters most can transform vulnerability management from a constant struggle into a strategic advantage. This isn’t just a shift in tools, it’s also a shift in mindset. One that gives security teams the visibility, agility, and confidence they need to manage vulnerabilities proactively, not reactively. 

Are you ready to break through vulnerability management chaos? Swimlane helps security teams eliminate inefficiencies, improve compliance posture, and centralize vulnerability management.