CarbonBlack: Security Efficacy

Driving better business decisions through metrics & data visualization.

UXUI / DEV
Cybersecurity
Business Application

Challenge

CarbonBlack is a cybersecurity firm (now a part of VMWare) that provides cloud-based endpoint detection and response (EDR), advanced threat hunting, and vulnerability management. The C-Suite was very into data-driven decision making, but there wasn’t currently a way to measure the efficacy of CB’s products, especially in a way that everyone could understand. They needed metrics that could help decide where to devote valuable development resources in addition to illustrating their value to VMWare for a possible acquisition.

Approach

After a successful engagement with CarbonBlack three years prior, we were again contacted to help solve a problem. Our discovery phase helped us to fully understand the problem.

CB liked the idea of using the MITRE ATT&CK framework, but felt it was too complicated. So, they developed their own simplified version of it. Taking this information, we made sketches and finally agreed on a solid direction to take.

During the design phase, iconography and illustrations were created which tied into CB’s hexagonal brandmark. Then a structure for navigating the various security areas was explored.

Results

This culminated in a stand-alone, interactive data visualization tool that utilized color and scale to communicate security efficacy metrics of all their products that were easily understandable from the C-Suite to engineers. In the end, this was a tool that aided their team in a successful acquisition by VMWare.

“CarbonBlack was growing fast. And the market opportunity was right in front of us, so we couldn’t slow down. But with no product designer on staff our product lacked consistency and, in general, the attention it deserved. We needed to address this need quickly to keep scaling up.

Sodium Halogen revamped the existing UI and brought order to the design system while also adding new features and applications. Working within tight deadlines and design restrictions, their team was able to excel at doing just that. Plus, their user-centered design ethos helped us take our suite to a new level. We were able to grow from 12 to 1200 customers in 12 months (12/12/12) and, just as importantly, set the foundation for further growth over time.”

Scott Lundgren, CTO
VMware Carbon Black

“CarbonBlack was growing fast. And the market opportunity was right in front of us, so we couldn’t slow down. But with no product designer on staff our product lacked consistency and, in general, the attention it deserved. We needed to address this need quickly to keep scaling up.

Sodium Halogen revamped the existing UI and brought order to the design system while also adding new features and applications. Working within tight deadlines and design restrictions, their team was able to excel at doing just that. Plus, their user-centered design ethos helped us take our suite to a new level. We were able to grow from 12 to 1200 customers in 12 months (12/12/12) and, just as importantly, set the foundation for further growth over time.”

Scott Lundgren, CTO
VMware Carbon Black

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