{"id":718,"date":"2024-03-04T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-04T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cycognito.com\/blog\/?p=718"},"modified":"2024-08-02T14:39:28","modified_gmt":"2024-08-02T21:39:28","slug":"how-ben-bachmann-vp-of-group-information-security-at-stroer-uncovers-and-secures-hidden-digital-assets-with-cycognito","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cycognito.com\/blog\/how-ben-bachmann-vp-of-group-information-security-at-stroer-uncovers-and-secures-hidden-digital-assets-with-cycognito\/","title":{"rendered":"How Str\u00f6er, Uncovers and Secures Hidden Digital Assets with CyCognito"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When Benjamin Bachmann<\/a> became the Vice President of Group Information Security at Str\u00f6er<\/a>, two years ago, he encountered a significant challenge: the company lacked a comprehensive understanding of its external-facing assets. Str\u00f6er is a leading German media conglomerate with diverse operations spanning over 100 subsidiaries, each managing its own IT department, complicating the task of managing cybersecurity across such a diversified portfolio. This complexity posed not just an IT challenge but a strategic business concern that demanded a solution beyond traditional tools and methodologies. I recently sat down with him to learn more about the complexities of managing a sprawling digital landscape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lack of Visibility is a Hurdle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ben\u2019s main hurdle was the absence of visibility into the company’s digital assets. “When I started, no one monitored our digital assets. It was just a guesstimate,\u201d he admits. Highlighting the exposure risks this posed in leaving the company vulnerable to cyber threats. Str\u00f6er’s vast enterprise includes outdoor advertising, digital media, dialogue marketing, e-commerce, and digital as a service (DaaS), among others. This broad spectrum of operations presented unique security challenges that required a solution that could provide comprehensive visibility and vulnerability management across its expansive digital landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cCyCognito was a game-changer for us, providing the visibility we needed into our digital assets and allowing us to manage security effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benjamin Bachmann
Vice President, Group Information Security<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

CyCognito aligned perfectly with Str\u00f6er’s complex structure. Its user-friendly interface and powerful search capabilities were exactly what he needed. \u201cIt’s really nice that you have some really huge search capabilities, so you don’t have to learn any new language or click 1,000 times to navigate,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ben notes that the impact was immediate. He realized they had more assets and vulnerabilities than they initially thought, but we were able to start remediating those vulnerabilities quickly. Onboarding was quick and easy, which was critical for him to start addressing their security gaps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within a few weeks of deployment, Ben\u2019s team was able to remediate many of these vulnerabilities, significantly reducing the company’s risk exposure. \u201cWe saw immediately that we had more assets than we thought we had, and we saw a lot of vulnerabilities we needed to remediate,\u201d he states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“CyCognito was a game-changer for us.”<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

CyCognito enables his security team to uncover hidden assets and vulnerabilities that had previously gone undetected. <\/strong>“CyCognito was a game-changer for us, providing the visibility we needed into our digital assets and allowing us to manage security effectively,\u201d <\/strong>he says. The automatic discovery of assets helped Str\u00f6er avoid costly penetration tests and, more importantly, potential security threats. \u201cWe cannot afford to pen test every website we own every few weeks or months,\u201d he says. \u201cCyCognito helped us a lot because we have a really good continuous understanding of what our defense looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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