Introducing The CrowdSec Guide to Cost-Effective Security Operations

Maintaining robust cybersecurity and tirelessly striving for a reduced attack surface and carbon footprint, all while managing escalating operational costs, is a true struggle for organizations of all sizes and industries. 

It is no secret that security operations are growing more expensive and complex every day, and organizations need solutions that strike a balance between strong defenses and financial sustainability. 

To address this, we are proud to introduce our Guide to Cost-Effective Security Operations, a resource designed to help security teams and decision-makers achieve operational excellence without breaking the budget.

This guide presents the findings of a comprehensive experiment conducted using CrowdSec’s community-powered security stack. By comparing two identical servers — one protected by CrowdSec and the other left unprotected — we gained valuable insights into how preemptive security measures can reduce costs and optimize operations.

Some key takeaways include:

• The CrowdSec-protected server saw a 78% reduction in Nginx log volume & 92% reduction in SSH log volume.
• The protected server exhibited more efficient bandwidth use, with 24% less traffic for error responses.
• Small—to mid-sized businesses could realistically save between $10,000 and $50,000 annually through reduced log storage, labor, and bandwidth costs.
• Larger enterprises or those with higher traffic and more complex security operations could save $75,000 to $200,000 or more annually.

The security challenge

Security teams are flooded with an overwhelming volume of alerts, data, and logs, making it nearly impossible to efficiently address all potential threats. Budget limitations make this issue even worse, forcing teams to prioritize while leaving critical vulnerabilities unaddressed. 

Compounding these challenges are rising data management costs, as storing and processing the massive amounts of information generated by security operations has become a significant financial burden.

The traditional reactive approach to cybersecurity is no longer enough. Organizations must embrace solutions that not only prevent attacks but also enhance operational efficiency and reduce unnecessary expenses.

Insights from the CrowdSec experiment

To explore how preemptive security measures can address these challenges, we ran a controlled, four-week experiment with two servers exposed to the internet. One server, Safe Alpaca, was equipped with CrowdSec’s active security features, while the other, Sitting Duck, was left unprotected but monitored. 

The results revealed transformative benefits in four key areas: log volume reduction, workload efficiency, server optimization, and preemptive threat intelligence.

Reducing log volumes for cost savings

One of the most striking outcomes of the experiment was the drastic reduction in log volumes on the CrowdSec-protected server. Safe Alpaca generated 78% fewer web server logs and 92% fewer SSH logs compared to Sitting Duck. These reductions represent significant cost savings, particularly for organizations that handle large volumes of data.

Log storage and analysis costs can quickly escalate, especially in industries like finance, healthcare, and ecommerce, where data retention and processing are integral to operations. By minimizing unnecessary logs, businesses can reduce storage expenses, improve data query efficiency, and save valuable processing time. For companies managing terabytes of data, these savings can add up to thousands of dollars annually per exposed workload!

Streamlining security workloads

The experiment also demonstrated the potential to alleviate alert fatigue and reduce the workload on security teams. During the test, Safe Alpaca recorded an average of only eight alarms per day, compared to Sitting Duck’s 264 daily alarms. This significant reduction means that security analysts spend less time triaging and investigating low-priority alerts, freeing them to focus on high-severity threats.

Manual alarm investigation is one of the most time-consuming tasks for security teams, with complex cases requiring hours or even days to resolve. By reducing the volume of actionable alarms, CrowdSec enables teams to respond faster and more effectively while lowering labor costs. This efficiency directly impacts an organization’s bottom line, translating to substantial savings over time.

Enhancing server efficiency

Preemptive threat blocking not only reduces security alerts but also improves server performance. Safe Alpaca handled significantly fewer malicious requests, processing 76% fewer client error responses and 75% fewer 404 errors than Sitting Duck. These errors, often caused by bots or malicious actors, consume server resources and bandwidth that could be better used to serve legitimate users.

Efficient server operations also reduce costs in cloud environments, where bandwidth usage translates directly into expenses. For example, major cloud providers charge up to $0.09 per GB of data transferred out. By minimizing unwanted traffic, organizations can reduce their egress costs while improving user experience and system reliability.

Leveraging preemptive threat intelligence

CrowdSec’s ability to block threats preemptively before they even reach a server was another key finding of the experiment. During the test, 92% of the IPs blocked by Safe Alpaca were identified by CrowdSec’s community threat intelligence network in advance. This capability shrinks the attack surface and prevents attacks that could lead to costly data breaches.

Reducing exposure to threats has both direct and indirect financial benefits. IBM’s 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report estimates the average breach cost at $4.45 million. Preventing just one breach can save an organization millions in fines, legal fees, and reputational damage. CrowdSec’s real-time threat intelligence empowers businesses to protect themselves more effectively and cost-efficiently.

Transforming security from a cost center into an investment

The CrowdSec experiment highlights the potential for cybersecurity to evolve beyond a necessary expense into a strategic asset. CrowdSec reduces log volumes, streamlines workloads, optimizes server performance, and leverages threat intelligence to transform security operations into a cost-effective, scalable solution.

This approach also aligns with sustainability goals. By minimizing data storage and processing requirements, organizations can reduce their carbon footprint and lower energy consumption, contributing to a greener digital future.

Whether you’re a security professional, financial decision-maker, or IT leader, the CrowdSec Guide to Cost-Effective Security Operations will empower you to optimize your security operations while driving down costs.

Let’s build a safer, smarter, and more sustainable digital world.

We are safer together!