Should we consolidate suppliers or retain specialists?

Consolidation can simplify meetings, billing and integration responsibility. It can also concentrate dependencies and make an exit more involved. Specialists can add depth, but the buyer must manage more interfaces.

Use an original dependency exercise: assume your primary provider is unavailable for a day. Can you access logs, revoke its credentials, contact another responder and restore a critical service? Then assume a specialist leaves: does the main provider understand the handover?

CISA's customer risk considerations are a useful foundation for these questions. Choose consolidation only after understanding data portability, subcontracting and common failure points. Do not infer that an acquisition has already unified platforms, contracts or support teams.