Security teams are drowning in tools, so Barracuda Networks threw them a lifeline. The company’s new AI-powered platform, BarracudaONE, is built to simplify security operations and sharpen threat response for MSPs, channel partners, and end users.
BarracudaONE is introduced amid rising concerns about “tool sprawl,” the overwhelming proliferation of disparate cybersecurity products that don’t work well together. According to a new study conducted by Vanson Bourne and commissioned by Barracuda, 65% of IT and security professionals said they’re managing too many security tools. Plus, more than half have reported integration gaps that hinder their ability to respond to threats effectively.
“This research serves as a stark wake-up call for organizations still relying on disconnected, siloed security tools,” said Barracuda Chief Product Officer Neal Bradbury in a prepared statement. “The path forward is clear: Consolidation and integration are essential for cyber resilience. That is exactly why we built BarracudaONE.”
The newly announced platform consolidates Barracuda’s existing suite of security tools into a centralized interface, which offers real-time threat alerts, actionable reporting, and visibility across configurations. With this unified approach, Barracuda aims to reduce complexity, eliminate misconfigurations, and help partners prove ROI to their clients.
A Strategic Response to Market Pain
Brian Downey, Barracuda vice president of product management, told ChannelPro that both the BarracudaONE platform and the Vanson Bourne survey findings stem from a single reality: the problem isn’t deploying security tools — it’s managing too many of them.
“As they’re adding more tools, they’re having challenges with the effectiveness of the tools,” Downey said in an interview with ChannelPro. “Over 70% said that the number of tools is actually hindering their ability to find and mitigate threats.”
Only a third of respondents in the study felt confident their tools were configured correctly. That’s an alarming stat, considering that misconfigurations are behind a significant portion of modern security breaches.
Downey told ChannelPro that BarracudaONE aims to address this with three core capabilities:
- A centralized alert view to streamline prioritization
- Value reports to demonstrate impact and justify spending
- Configuration visibility to catch deployment gaps before they become vulnerabilities
“It gives a central view of all the configurations of all the tools,” Downey explained. “So they can understand if there’s a client they onboarded and they didn’t fully deploy their security architecture, or if they didn’t configure it correctly — they can quickly see that.”
Brian Downey of Barracuda
Built for MSPs, with MSPs in Mind
BarracudaONE represents a major evolution of Barracuda’s existing platform approach. It offers a consistent user experience, shared AI models across tools, and streamlined workflows designed for the day-to-day needs of MSPs.
It’s not just another tool, according to Tyler Bracken, director of network operations at OpX Networks, a Barracuda customer. “It’s a strategic differentiator for our business,” Bracken said in a prepared statement. “Its rich telemetry and real-time insights enable us to show exactly what threats we’re neutralizing.”
The launch also aligns with a broader shift in the market. “What’s exciting is we’re seeing a real evolution,” Downey told ChannelPro. “It’s no longer about convincing MSPs they need security. Now, it’s about managing complexity and unlocking value from what they’ve already deployed.”
AI as the Foundation, Not a Feature
Downey also urged MSPs to not think of AI as a value-add. Rather, it should be a foundational element of their cybersecurity strategy. “When it comes to security, AI capabilities have to be there,” he said. “It’s not optional anymore.”
Barracuda has been leveraging machine learning in products like its email security tools for years. It is now extending those capabilities throughout the BarracudaONE platform. “We’re seeing massive acceleration in the way we can defend against attacks with AI,” Downey revealed.
Still, advanced capabilities mean nothing if MSPs can’t effectively manage them, he cautioned. “It’s really easy to look at a new solution and think it can do amazing things. The question is, can you actually get the value out of it?”
BarracudaONE at a Glance
Barracuda One is now available at no extra cost to customers using Barracuda Email Protection, Cloud-to-Cloud Backup, or Data Inspector. The platform is designed to give MSPs smarter security — not just more tools. It also integrates with Barracuda Managed XDR for 24/7 threat detection backed by a SOC team. It’s key benefits include:
- Unified Security Control: One interface for alerts, configurations, and reporting across Barracuda tools
- AI-driven Threat Detection: Real-time threat analysis powered by mature machine learning models
- Built-in Value Reporting: Clear reports MSPs can use to show threat coverage and ROI to clients
- Consistent User Experience: Shared UI across tools with single sign-on and fast navigation
- Misconfiguration Visibility: Instantly spot setup issues before they lead to vulnerabilities
Featured image: DALL-E
