Vertical: Utilities & Critical Infrastructure

Challenge:

The organization was looking for a new penetration testing provider, but during discovery conversations, a broader challenge emerged. The IT department consisted of a small team responsible for maintaining systems across multiple locations. Their patch management process was entirely manual, requiring staff to travel between sites to deploy updates and troubleshoot issues. This approach consumed valuable time, delayed remediation efforts, and created operational inefficiencies.

Additionally, the organization wanted greater visibility into cybersecurity risks and sensitive data throughout the environment.

Strategy: 

Rather than positioning penetration testing as a standalone engagement, Stratus ip focused on understanding the organization’s broader operational challenges. Our team demonstrated how a comprehensive cybersecurity program could address both security and efficiency concerns. While penetration testing would provide an independent assessment of vulnerabilities, managed patch management would eliminate one of the most time-consuming responsibilities facing the IT staff.

As discussions progressed, technical stakeholders became increasingly involved in the evaluation process. Recognizing the influence of the network engineering team, Stratus ip tailored demonstrations and technical conversations to address both strategic and operational concerns.

Solution:

Stratus ip implemented a comprehensive cybersecurity program consisting of penetration testing, remediation testing, patch management, risk assessment, and dark web monitoring.

Results:

• Eliminated the need for manual patch deployment across multiple locations
• Improved efficiency for a two-person IT team
• Established a new independent penetration testing program
• Increased visibility into cybersecurity risks and exposures
• Added continuous monitoring capabilities through dark web monitoring
• Created a more scalable and manageable approach to cybersecurity operations