For security vendor management, is it always best to stick with peers who operate in your own sector?

Agree with Mel Reyes and you don’t need to be sector specific. A good security vendor is a good security vendor regardless of vertical.

Don't just look at the big players. Even if you're a multi-billion dollar organization, look at the startups who are flipping the script. When I tell people that, they roll their eyes. But there are a lot of great startups out there that are making a difference. Darktrace was a startup at one point, as was SentinelOne. They're now industry leaders in a lot of different things that they do. If you get in early with them, you can help shape their product and then meet your needs while reducing your budget. I've done this now with three vendors; you build a relationship and say, “You have to help me out here. You want to do a proof of concept (POC) and I think your product might be good, but I need it at 20% of what you normally charge.”

Don't always just look to others in your sector to tell you what they're using. I have found greater value in speaking with peers in other sectors because they have a different set of priorities and consideration. They may have thought about something that I hadn't, so talking to your peers in other sectors will be a force multiplier for your own maturity growth.