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Softcat Realizes 30% Business Growth Powered by Low-Code Security Automation (Video)

Softcat is a leading provider of IT solutions and managed services. Their success and customer-first mindset has recently earned their recognition as the Channel Reseller News (CRN) number 1 value-added reseller in the UK! From a technology perspective, automation played a big role in helping to drive their recent business growth.

As a managed service provider (MSP), Softcat is responsible for overseeing the infrastructure, and managing and responding to the alerts of multiple clients. Softcat and their analysts were not immune to the cybersecurity industry’s skills shortage or the burnout that comes from monotonous work, like triaging low-fidelity alerts.

According to Matt Helling, Head of Cyber Services at SoftCat, “As clients continue to mature their cybersecurity practice internally, they are having to adopt more platforms. To manage these platforms they need more staff. To grow their staff, they need to find and recruit qualified people and then continuously nurture and develop them.”

Softcat acknowledges how difficult this is for clients. “We built our services to try and eradicate some of those issues, to essentially take the platform problem and people problem away from our customers and take it on ourselves,” added Helling.

Watch Matthew Helling describe how Swimlane serves as a System of Record for their managed security services, helping save the organization valuable time and money.


Building a Business Case for Security Automation

Helling and the Softcat team knew that in order to scale their business they needed to hire, train, develop and retain a core group of security analysts that would support their customers. As they were evaluating solutions, the value of security automation (SOAR) was apparent. It was easy to justify because security automation allowed them to take on more clients without needing to hire additional analysts. Plus, it frees existing analysts’ time for more strategic work, which improves job satisfaction.

To select a security automation solution, Softcat first identified their priority use cases, then sent out an RFP to five SOAR vendors, then narrowed down the list to three finalists, and ultimately selected Swimlane’s low-code security automation platform.

Why Swimlane was a Stand-Out

Swimlane’s low-code security automation platform stood out because of it’s powerful automation engine. Compared to SOAR solutions, Swimlane’s engine proved to be more extensible and capable of extending automation beyond SOC use cases. The Head of Cybersecurity, Matt Helling, and his team also favored Swimlane because:

  1. Workflow and technology agnostic“with Swimlane, we didn’t have to try and fit our outcome into a preconceived box that had already been developed. Swimlane allowed us to build something that worked for us and how we operate,” said Helling.

  2. Security automation beyond the SOC – “What we like about Swimlane is the fact that it also allows our internal IT department to automate certain processes like JMLs (joiners, movers, leavers). Additionally, we have other services within the business that are interested in how they can utilize the platform.”

How Security Automation Fuels Softcat Business Growth

Softcat has been a Swimlane customer for close to two years now. During this time, they have realized many tangible results that help mature their security posture, grow their business, and retain security talent. Read the Softcat case study for all other details, but here are the highlights:

  • 30% growth in customer acquisition – Swimlane’s automation, intuitive dashboards, and reporting have helped Softcat reduce the cost of acquiring a new customer. They’ve been able to grow their business by 30% without increasing their headcount.

  • Gained a system of record for security – Swimlane has become Softcat’s primary interface to interact with all security solutions, serving as their system of record for all customers.

  • Retained and grown security talent: Swimlane enabled Softcat to invest in and promote their staff by reducing time spent on manual alert triage.

See for yourself

Learn how Swimlane can adapt to, and scale, your security automation processes schedule your own live demo at swimlane.com/demo

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Swimlane (en-US) authored by Katie Bykowski. Read the original post at: https://www.swimlane.com/blog/softcat-blog-post/