Vixxo

Vixxo’s lean security team is always strengthening its cyber security posture. It searched for a tool that could increase visibility into its digital landscape, keep pace with attackers as they turn more to automation, and provide the most capabilities in return for the investment. To achieve these goals, Vixxo chose Darktrace.

“Like every organization, Vixxo is under attack on a continuous basis,” said Klint Price, the Vice President of IT Operations and Cyber Security at Vixxo. “Whether it’s an intentional act by an attacker or an automated script that’s running on the internet, Darktrace allows us to see what is happening in our ecosystem and takes appropriate action when necessary.” 

As Darktrace’s unique Self-Learning AI learns the company’s normal business operations, it can detect any abnormal activity that indicates a cyber-attack, including novel threats. When an attack does occur, Darktrace RESPOND^TM makes micro-decisions, taking precise and targeted action to enforce “normal” to contain an attack without disrupting business. Darktrace also uses natural language processing and Explainable AI to communicate its findings and actions to the security team. 

The team were initially cautious about enabling autonomous actions and therefore set RESPOND in Human Confirmation mode. One Saturday, they received an alert of what could have been a serious incident. By luck, an engineer happened to be at his computer, so he was able to stop the breach. But this incident prompted Vixxo to switch to Autonomous Response mode, so the next time this happens, the threat is instantly neutralized.

While Darktrace DETECT^TM + RESPOND help Vixxo react to attacks, the company wanted to take proactive action. The security team saw the value in using the time they weren’t under attack to harden their digital infrastructure, so Vixxo became an early adopter of Darktrace PREVENT^TM. 

This product family uses AI to “think like an attacker” to predict and pre-empt attacks. PREVENT brings together many previously siloed security tools and processes to reduce risk while helping the security team to prioritize its time and resources.  

PREVENT は、特に経年変化を比較する際、リスクを理解するのに非常に役立つ方法です。脆弱性を理解することは1つの側面ですが、実際にそれを咀嚼し、優先順位をつけることができれば、さらに良いことです。施設管理会社 Vixxo 社のテクノロジーおよびサイバーセキュリティ責任者である Klint Price 氏はこのように述べています。 

PREVENT/Attack Surface Management^TM looks at the company’s digital footprint from the outside, as a hacker would, to see vulnerable areas of entry. PREVENT/End-to-End^TM uses the AI’s understanding of internal systems to identify attack pathways and prioritize high-value targets.  

“Darktrace PREVENT is a product that’s giving us better visibility into external threats and external attack surfaces that we may or may not have known about without the product,” said Eric Burt, the Senior Manager of IT Operations and Cyber Security at Vixxo.  

PREVENT feeds back insights into Darktrace DETECT + RESPOND to harden defenses around critical assets and attack paths. This forms the Cyber AI Loop, an always-on feedback cycle consisting of different AI engines working together to continuously improve an organization’s cyber security.  

“At Vixxo, the Darktrace ecosystem provides a true feedback loop between the different components we are using,” Price said. “For example, by introducing PREVENT into our ecosystem, it’s allowed us to identify assets that we previously thought business units had retired. PREVENT allows me to go home at the end of the day knowing my network, my users, the identity of my users, and my ecosystem are in good hands.”

Darktrace’s value extends beyond protecting Vixxo’s digital landscape and has saved the company money on cyber insurance. While most companies are facing rising costs for cyber insurance, Vixxo’s insurance broker found lower rates with carriers that recognize Darktrace as a preferred partner. 

“Our broker interviewed numerous carriers, and many were interested in doing business with Vixxo,” Price said. “However, when these carriers found out that we had Darktrace in our environment and could demonstrate a level of maturity with how RESPOND was configured, we were able to see significant cost savings, whereas other companies are seeing massive increases.” 

Darktrace has also allowed Vixxo to reorganize its IT budget. With product families that not only bring together various security tools but also power each other across the Cyber AI Loop, Darktrace offers continuous, high-value protection. 

“Darktrace has impacted our budgets in a very positive manner,” Price said. “It’s allowed us to consolidate toolsets and pick strategic partners with whom we want to have long-lasting relationships due to the relationship and capabilities which they provide. These cost savings have allowed Vixxo to divert funds to other cyber security initiatives and IT transformational objectives.”