Designing a Comprehensive Cyber Operations Management System
A cybersecurity firm tasked with building a Cyber Operations Management system faced challenges unifying fragmented tools, visualizing complex security workflows, and meeting tight federal timelines. We designed a cohesive UX architecture that integrated DevSecOps pipelines, compliance workflows, and analytics—reducing threat response time by 64%, accelerating ATO certification, and transforming their platform into a flagship solution praised for both usability and security depth.
The Challenge
A specialized cybersecurity firm had established itself as a provider of advanced DevSecOps and cyber operations services to government clients. Despite their technical expertise, they faced significant challenges in translating their capabilities into a comprehensive platform that would meet the stringent requirements of federal security standards.
The company had secured a major opportunity to develop a Cyber Operations Management system that would leverage open-source DevSecOps pipelines. This system needed to map to an Authority to Operate (ATO) certification and integrate with Platform One's Kubernetes offering, which utilizes secure components like Big Bang and Iron Bank along with various security scanning tools.
When we joined the project, they were struggling with several critical issues:
Their existing user interface was fragmented and didn't provide a cohesive experience across the platform's various capabilities. The management of security workflows was cumbersome, requiring users to navigate multiple disconnected systems. They lacked a clear visual language to communicate complex security concepts to users with varying levels of technical expertise. The development team had strong backend capabilities but limited experience designing intuitive interfaces for operational security tools. Most critically, their project timeline was compressed due to federal funding cycles, creating urgency to deliver a working
Adjective's Approach
We recognized that this project required more than just interface design—it needed a comprehensive solution architecture that would integrate numerous security components into a unified experience. We started by immersing ourselves in the cybersecurity domain, particularly focusing on DevSecOps concepts and the specific security requirements of federal systems.
Working closely with their development team, we mapped out all the key dependencies and components that would need to be integrated into the system, including:
Activity Management: Tracking and coordinating security operations across the organization. Activity Request Log: Maintaining detailed records of security-related requests and their resolution. Entity Management: Controlling access and permissions across different security domains. Account Management: Providing secure user authentication and authorization. Analytics: Visualizing operational metrics to identify security trends and anomalies. Cross-domain capability: Enabling secure communication between different security classifications.
We then designed a comprehensive user experience architecture that would bring these components together in a logical, intuitive flow. Using Figma, we created detailed interface designs and interactive prototypes that allowed the team to visualize the system before committing to code.
Rather than taking a conventional approach to the UI, we developed specialized visualization patterns for security operations, making complex security states more immediately comprehensible. These designs accommodated both security analysts who needed detailed technical information and executives who required high-level risk assessments.
Throughout the process, we provided daily design iterations to the development team, working in tight collaboration as they implemented the system using VueJS, Vuetify, Golang, and PostgreSQL. This rapid feedback loop allowed us to quickly adapt to emerging requirements and technical constraints.
The Results
The impact of this work extended far beyond the visual interface. By providing a coherent architecture and design system, we enabled the development team to build a sophisticated cyber operations platform in approximately half the time initially estimated.
The completed system successfully integrated all the required security components while maintaining a consistent, intuitive user experience. Security analysts reported a 64% reduction in the time required to diagnose and respond to potential threats, largely due to the streamlined workflows and improved visibility across security operations.
The platform's Authority to Operate certification process, typically a months-long endeavor, was accelerated by our careful attention to security requirements throughout the design process. By incorporating compliance considerations from the beginning, we avoided costly redesigns that often occur when security is treated as an afterthought.
Most significantly, the platform's analytics capabilities provided unprecedented visibility into the organization's security posture. Management could now track key metrics like mean time to detect (MTTD) and mean time to respond (MTTR) for security incidents, allowing for continuous improvement of security operations.
The Transformation
Beyond the immediate technical achievements, this project transformed how the organization approached the development of security tools. The design-led approach demonstrated that complex security operations could be made accessible without compromising their sophistication.
The company successfully deployed the platform for its government clients, who praised the system's usability compared to legacy security tools. What began as a technical infrastructure project evolved into a showcase of how thoughtful design could enhance security operations.
The success of this project led to follow-on contracts that expanded the platform's capabilities, including integration with additional security tools and deployment across more diverse network environments. The platform has since become a cornerstone of the organization's service offerings, positioning them as leaders in usable security operations management.
This engagement illustrates the critical role of design in specialized technical domains like cybersecurity. By bridging the gap between complex security requirements and intuitive user experiences, we helped create a platform that not only met technical specifications but actually enhanced the organization's security capabilities through improved usability and operational efficiency.