SkyShield provides comprehensive security for all infrastructure as a service, including AWS, GCP and Azure. It uses a contagion model to prioritise alerts and a graph on the back end to ensure everything is connected. SkyShield provides asset linking, auto-mitigations, malware scanning, and enforcement of best practices. It exports to Sims, integrates with teams, email, and ServiceNow, and has discoverability checks to identify potential vulnerabilities.
Tools
GitLab & MatterMost
Role
Timeframe
Client
Product Design
3 months
Usability
Problem & Solution
The Problem
Managing and securing multiple cloud services is complex and time-consuming. Organizations need a comprehensive solution for complete visibility and control over their cloud environment to prevent security breaches and financial loss. Current solutions lack the ability to prioritize alerts and provide a holistic view of the infrastructure.
The Solution
Our solution is to create a comprehensive and intelligent platform called SkyShield that simplifies the process of securing all infrastructure as a service, provides real-time monitoring, alerts and mitigation of potential issues, and ensures compliance with best practices.
Backstory
The SkyShield project was born out of the increasing complexity and challenges associated with securing and managing multiple cloud services. With the growing adoption of cloud infrastructure, organizations need a comprehensive solution that can provide complete visibility and control over their cloud environment. The SkyShield team recognized this need and set out to create a one-stop-shop product that could address all of these challenges seamlessly and efficiently. This aligns with the company's ambition of creating a new stand-alone product that can meet the evolving needs of the cloud infrastructure market.
PROCESS
As a UX designer working on the SkyShield project, I led the User Centered Design process to explore how users would want to manage their cloud infrastructure preferences. I conducted user research and used the findings to brainstorm and design various solutions. Through usability testing, I gathered feedback and insights, which I incorporated into a high-fidelity interactive prototype.
Scope
I conducted extensive secondary research on the topic of cloud security and IaaS, reading articles and literature to gain a deep understanding of the subject matter. This process led me to identify the research question of determining the best practices to secure cloud security environments, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of the current state of cloud security. To gain further insights, I then conducted user interviews as part of my research approach to analyze data and interpret the results. This process was crucial in shaping the development of the SkyShield, ensuring that it provides comprehensive security solutions that align with user needs and preferences.
User Interviews
I conducted subject matter expert (SME) interviews with cybersecurity experts to understand the current state of cloud security and to learn about the best practices for securing cloud infrastructure. These interviews helped me to determine the scope for the project and to better understand the current solutions available in the market. I learned that understanding the common threats and vulnerabilities is crucial for securing cloud infrastructure, and that there are many tools and services available to help secure cloud environments.
competitor ANALYSIS
Conducting a competitor analysis was helpful for research purposes for the project because it provided a comprehensive understanding of the current market and helped to identify potential gaps in the market that could be addressed by SkyShield's offering. Additionally, the analysis provided insights into emerging trends and technologies in the industry, which could inform SkyShield's future product development and marketing strategies.
Synthesis
At this stage, I started to synthesize my research findings to identify common themes and areas for potential opportunities. To help organize my data, I utilized an Atomic Research approach, which allowed me to break down my research into smaller, more manageable components. This approach helped me to better understand the relationships between different pieces of data and to identify patterns that emerged across multiple sources of information. By synthesizing my research in this way, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of the problem space and develop more informed design solutions.
User Journey Mapping
Creating a user journey mapping at this stage was helpful because it allowed me to understand the user's needs, expectations, and pain points throughout the entire process of using the app. By visualising the user journey, I could identify potential bottlenecks or areas for improvement, and design the app with the user's experience in mind.
User Flow
After 2 week period I created the User Flow to Illustrate the whole process, with the aim to scope the application with its problematic parts as well as possible conflicts.
-min.png)
Sketches
After creating the user flow map, I proceeded to ideate potential features and layouts for the web app.
Sketches
After creating the user flow map, I proceeded to ideate potential features and layouts for the web app.
Wireframes
A New Design Language
One of the most significant impacts of working on this project was introducing a new design language throughout the company. During the ideation phase, my designs were initially met with resistance from key stakeholders. However, once the high-fidelity designs were completed, they had a significant impact, and other products within the company adopted the UI. As a result, I was able to build a design system that could be used consistently across all products and applications.
SkyShield
Dashboard - Scans - Details View
Dashboard - Architectures View
Dashboard - Alerts View
Cloud Assets Table
Tray/Alert+Event Log
Alerts View/Teams Integration
-min.png)
Architectures Diagram
Reflections
As the project progressed, I received feedback from stakeholders and made iterations based on their suggestions. This resulted in a change in the design language across the company, with my designs being adopted by other products as well. I also developed a design system to ensure consistency in the design language and facilitate future product development.
Finally, I created a prioritization matrix to help determine which features should be implemented first, taking into account factors such as user needs and business goals. This approach allowed me to develop a comprehensive solution that addressed the needs of both users and the business, and ensured that the product was both effective and efficient.