Shauli Zacks
Published on: May 15, 2024
In a recent interview with SafetyDetectives, Raine Chang, Marketing Manager at Kobalt.io, shared insights into the company’s mission to provide enterprise-grade cybersecurity solutions to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). With a focus on education and thought leadership, Chang discusses how Kobalt.io leverages advanced frameworks and technologies to make comprehensive security accessible to resource-constrained teams. She also highlights the company’s flagship services, key challenges in the cybersecurity landscape, and emerging trends that SMBs should be aware of.
Could you introduce yourself and share a bit about your role at Kobalt.io?
I am the Marketing Manager of Kobalt.io. My role at Kobalt.io encompasses many aspects, including branding, design, content, event, digital, social media marketing, and more. One of my key focuses is on educating our target audience about the latest cybersecurity trends and best practices through engaging content and thought leadership initiatives. I work closely with our technical teams to translate complex cybersecurity concepts into accessible and compelling messages that resonate with our clients and prospects. We understand that the market’s problem was that SMBs were underserved. They lack the tools needed to protect their business activities. As a result, Kobalt.io was founded to provide SMBs and other resource-constrained teams with big budget security. If you are interested, feel free to follow us on LinkedIn to chat about all things cybersecurity.
What are Kobalt.io’s flagship services and who is your ideal client base?
Kobalt.io is a rapidly growing company that manages all aspects of cybersecurity programs for small and medium-sized, cloud-native businesses. So far, we have served over 500 businesses globally, spanning diverse industries and varying stages of security maturity. Our team acts as an extension of our clients, considering their unique limitations and needs and supporting them with services ranging from security program-as-a-service to privacy management and 24/7 monitoring. Ensuring our client’s security and helping drive their business growth are our top priorities.
With security being such a significant and layered operation for businesses, often small and medium businesses have been left out. This is why Kobalt.io seeks to provide solutions to these businesses, making big budget security accessible to smaller organizations. Kobalt.io clients are mostly tech-based. They come from many sectors such as Healthtech, Greentech, FinTech, and many more.
Our Managed Threat Detection as well as Compliance Readiness Program have been very popular among our customers. SMBs need a partner to help detect security attacks and risks to allow them to focus on what they do best and stay focused on key deliverables. Oftentimes, internal IT teams have a primary focus on IT operations, not cybersecurity and the cost of setting up and operating an inhouse SOC team is expensive. By working with us, they gain access to our round the clock monitoring at a fraction of the cost, without the need to buy a new technology and hire and train the people.
Compliance is crucial to business, big or small, but it can be very overwhelming. Kobalt.io works with our clients starting from choosing a standard to supporting them every step of their way to getting their certification. We match our clients with a vCISO who is aligned to their needs – technical, governance, industry vertical (health, finance, B2B, security, greentech, AI/ML, etc), providing a more complete solution in a more cost effective package. Our breadth of experience means we have solved problems for similar clients and seen best practices executed again and again.
What are some of the world-class frameworks and toolsets that Kobalt.io builds upon?
Kobalt.io leverages Sumo Logic to deliver a comprehensive monitoring solution. Sumo Logic is the first enterprise-grade cloud-based service that collects, manages, and analyzes all of your log data. Their unique processing and analytics capabilities give you real-time operational and security insights across all of your applications and infrastructure, on-premise or in the cloud. Combined with Kobalt.io’s expert team, our customers will get deep analytics into how their applications behave, and 24/7 monitoring that gives them continuous security to thwart modern threats across an ever-changing digital landscape.
Vanta is the leading trust management platform that helps over 5000 companies simplify and centralize security. Kobalt.io leverages Vanta as a foundational tool for compliance and security frameworks, helping our clients establish more effective information security programs and simplifying compliance, and providing value beyond compliance.
What are the key steps to assess and detect cyber risks?
Assessing and detecting cyber risks involves several key steps. Firstly, understanding the organization’s assets, including data, systems, and networks, is crucial. Conducting a thorough gap assessment involves identifying potential vulnerabilities and threats that could exploit these assets. Next, analyzing past incidents and trends can provide valuable insights into recurring vulnerabilities and emerging threats. Implementing robust security controls, such as firewalls, encryption, and access controls, helps mitigate identified risks. Regular monitoring and testing of systems for vulnerabilities and anomalies are essential to detect potential breaches or unauthorized access. Additionally, staying informed about the latest cyber threats and evolving technologies is crucial for maintaining effective risk management strategies. Finally, establishing incident response plans and protocols ensures a swift and coordinated response in the event of a cyber incident, minimizing its impact on the organization.
The Kobalt.io Security Gap Assessment is part of our 90 Days to Better Security Program. Based on the findings in the report and executive review, Kobalt.io will propose a tailored security program to help address prioritized risks.
Can you describe a typical incident response scenario and how Kobalt.io supports organizations during such events?
In a typical cyber incident response scenario, the process begins with the detection of suspicious activity, prompting the incident response team to swiftly investigate and ascertain the incident’s nature and scope. Following identification, containment measures are deployed, while communication channels are established to inform stakeholders. Subsequently, efforts focus on eradicating the threat, recovering affected systems, and preserving evidence for forensic analysis and legal purposes. A post-incident review is then conducted to assess the response effectiveness and identify areas for improvement, facilitating ongoing refinement of the organization’s cybersecurity posture.
Kobalt.io’s monitoring service provides real-time alerts for security incidents detected within your environment. These alerts are prioritized based on severity and relevance, allowing your IT team to promptly respond to potential threats and vulnerabilities before they escalate into major security incidents. When a security threat is detected, our team of analysts immediately initiates an incident response process. This involves gathering additional information about the threat, assessing its severity and potential impact, and informing the organization so they can take appropriate actions to contain, mitigate, and remediate the threat. We maintain clear communication with the affected organization throughout the incident response process to ensure transparency and collaboration.
What are some emerging trends in cybersecurity that small to medium enterprises should be aware of?
Endpoint security is paramount for small to medium business as the diversity of devices accessing corporate networks increases, compounded by the challenges of remote work and BYOD policies. SMBs should adopt a Zero Trust architecture, employing solutions like endpoint protection to detect and respond to threats in real-time, alongside user awareness training to mitigate risks associated with phishing and other social engineering attacks. Regular patch management and automated backup and recovery procedures are essential for addressing vulnerabilities and ensuring business continuity in the event of a cyber incident.
