Redesigning The Panoptica Platform
We combined two complex cloud security products into a cohesive CNAPP platform, delivering streamlined functionality and an elevated user experience tailored to modern security needs.
Organization: Cisco Role: Design Team Leader
About
Panoptica is Cisco’s cloud application security solution for code to cloud, providing seamless scalability across clusters and multi-cloud environments. It helps cloud operations specialists prioritize and remediate risks with precision.
Challenge
In 2023, Panoptica was merged with an acquisition product, Lightspin, and together Outshift created a next-generation CNAPP platform. This merger required extensive rethinking of the entire product and approach to ensure we captured the benefits of both solutions effectively in a unified platform.
Panoptica CWPP platform before acquisition and redesign
The existing platform was organized around four pillars:
- Present all artifacts of the applications and their vulnerabilities
- Control containers, images, SBOM, supply chain, serverless and APIs
- Manage the risks through a MITRE ATT&CK framework
- Define and enforce security policies and compliance for the enterprise
Process
Combining two complex cloud security solutions into a single, powerful CNAPP platform requires more than technical integration. It demands a design thinking approach. By bringing product and engineering teams together in collaborative workshops, we aligned on a shared vision, identified overlapping capabilities, and streamlined features to create a cohesive user experience.
Through iterative prototyping and user feedback, we tackled complexity head-on, ensuring the final platform not only delivered robust functionality but also simplified workflows for cloud security operations.
By conducting collaborative workshops we were able to align product and engineering on a shared vision, streamline features, and deliver a cohesive CNAPP platform that addresses complex cloud security needs while enhancing the user experience.
Outcome
The outcome of this collaborative process was a unified CNAPP platform that simplifies cloud-native application security while delivering comprehensive protection. By combining two complex solutions, we streamlined overlapping features, enhanced usability, and provided seamless integration across multi-cloud environments.
Spark Design System
Due to differences in front-end implementation between the existing platform and the acquisition, combined with the need for rapid deployment, we created the Spark design system. Spark is based on Material but with an eye toward a future transition to Cisco’s Magnetic design system.
The final platform offers robust capabilities such as workload security, API visibility, and vulnerability management, all in one intuitive interface.
Attack Path Analysis
In addition to redesigning the entire product, we paid particular attention to evolving Panoptica’s Attack Path Analysis feature, refining its visualizations and prioritization capabilities. This enhancement empowers users to quickly identify and mitigate high-risk vulnerabilities across complex cloud environments.
