The Challenge of Managing Cybersecurity Across Numerous Tools and Disparate Data Sources

Managing cybersecurity across multiple tools and services can be a daunting task. For many organizations, the challenge lies not only in monitoring and securing their environments but also in consolidating disparate data sources into meaningful insights. 

Before integrating Onyxia, Silverstein Properties faced significant hurdles in cybersecurity measurement. With many tools generating diverse metrics, there was a lack of unified visibility into their overall cybersecurity posture. Silverstein Properties’ Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Yael Urman, shared: “The metrics of all these tools and how we combine them into one dashboard was far from obvious. Each one of the tools and managed services we use has their own KPIs and they are not ones that we’ve defined ourselves.”

Before Onyxia, Yael’s team worked on creating their own dashboard for cyber but the result was not ideal: “I would get different numbers for different things and we knew that what we saw only represented part of the story, not the entire story.” She and her team were concerned about potentially overlooking critical security areas due to disparate metrics and the absence of unified benchmarks.

Adopting Onyxia: Data Consolidation and a Unified Cybersecurity Dashboard

Recognizing the need for a centralized solution, Silverstein Properties adopted Onyxia’s Cybersecurity Management Platform. This decision was driven by the platform's capability to aggregate data from various cybersecurity tools into a single dashboard. By adopting Onyxia’s Cybersecurity Management Platform, Silverstein Properties has gained clarity on essential Cyber Performance Indicators (CPIs) and Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) crucial for their cybersecurity strategy.

The CPI Library, the cornerstone for Onyxia’s security data fabric, has enabled Silverstein Properties’ security team to validate data and ensure alignment with their cybersecurity objectives. By delving into the CPI library, they can refine their understanding of cybersecurity metrics and derive actionable insights that drive continuous improvement.

They also have a clear picture of where they are overperforming (achieving more than 100% of their target SLA) and this enables them to make informed decisions about their program resources and investments. “It’s very interesting to see the numbers,” Yael shared. “For example, we saw that we are more than 100% in Training & Awareness. Some may say compared to our peers that we invest too much in training but I want to be over 100% in this domain. For us, Training & Awareness is extremely important.”

Seamless Integration and Increased Security Stack Efficiency

With a simple and straightforward integration process, Silverstein Properties’ security team has already integrated 90% of their security stack tools, including Microsoft Intune and Tenable, with Onyxia’s Cybersecurity Management platform and is quickly moving toward integrating their entire security stack with the platform: “The idea is that everything, all our tools, will flow to Onyxia,” Yael shared, “And Onyxia will be our complete cyber measurement tool – our cyber dashboard.”

Silverstein Properties’ security team has especially gained value from Onyxia’s Security Stack Map which has proven to be a valuable tool for visualizing resource allocation against compliance frameworks and identifying areas with potential gaps. This visual representation not only simplifies complex data but also serves as a catalyst for strategic decisions regarding tool deployment and coverage expansion. 

Brian Loper, Silverstein Properties’ Director of Cybersecurity explained: “It’s one of the first things that just really makes that conversation easy and succinct. It's visual, so it’s very easy for a layman to understand, and it clearly shows where we have a lot of our efforts and more importantly, where we don't. And that, I believe, is going to drive change in what we do and even the tools that we deploy, as well as our areas of coverage for the upcoming year.”

Achieving Compliance and Regulatory Requirements

As a portion of Silverstein properties is publicly traded in the Israeli bond market, compliance with Israeli SOC regulations and IT general controls was paramount for Silverstein’s security team. Onyxia facilitated adherence to these standards by providing comprehensive visibility and aiding in audits, both internal and external. This capability ensured that Silverstein Properties met regulatory requirements efficiently, positioning them well during audits, especially concerning cybersecurity aspects.

Beyond internal use, the company leveraged Onyxia's capabilities to respond to cybersecurity questionnaires from clients and insurers. This not only streamlined the process but also enhanced credibility and trust with external stakeholders.

Facilitating Executive-Level Conversations

For Yael and her team, Onyxia has become indispensable in communicating cybersecurity insights to executive leadership. By generating concise and visually compelling board reports, Onyxia facilitates discussions that are crucial for aligning security strategies with organizational goals. This capability not only enhances transparency but also underscores the value of cybersecurity initiatives within the broader business context.

Brian shared: “With Onyxia it’s so much easier to start having conversations with executive leadership because for me to try and aggregate and pull all this data and display it in a way that would make sense to them without really diving into all the technical nuances of everything alone, without a platform would be near possible – unless I dedicated 70% of my time to just that one thing. If you need to have high-level conversations with executives, this brings that conversation to the table.”

Increasing Operational Efficiency

One of the most significant benefits noted was the time saved by consolidating multiple security tools into a centralized platform. Previously, Brian estimated spending up to 20-30% of his time on a weekly basis aggregating data from disparate sources — a task that has now been streamlined by Onyxia. This efficiency gain allows him to focus more on proactive security measures and strategic planning, rather than on data compilation. This is further supported by the exemplary experience with Onyxia’s customer success and account management team: “The team is always incredibly responsive to new ideas, the different solutions that we use, why we care about the data in those solutions,” said Brian. Speaking on new integrations and features, he shared: “From the time we start talking about it to the time it’s developed, it’s really, really quick.”

From Yael’s standpoint, the deployment of Onyxia was straightforward and less cumbersome compared to other solutions, contributing to its overall value: “Onyxia has simple deployment and minimal cost of ownership. As a CTO I’m often focused not only on the cost of the tool but also the overhead and so I appreciate how straightforward our experience with Onyxia has been and how it provides us with real insights into where we stand.”

Strategic Benefits and Future Outlook

In conclusion, Onyxia has proven to be a pivotal tool in addressing Silverstein Properties’ cybersecurity program management challenge. Through Onyxia, Silverstein Properties achieved substantial benefits, including improved cybersecurity program visibility, streamlined compliance processes, and enhanced operational efficiency. The platform's low total cost of ownership and its ability to provide actionable insights have been crucial for Silverstein Properties in maintaining a robust cybersecurity posture amidst evolving threats.