In today's digital landscape, where cybersecurity is paramount, the story of Lumen Technologies serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of accurate asset management. This article delves into how Lumen, a telecommunications giant, revolutionized its approach to exposure management, shedding light on a critical aspect often overlooked by enterprises.
The Challenge of Enterprise-Scale Asset Management
Lumen's journey began with a realization: their asset inventory, like many organizations, was far from accurate. With over 40 independent IT and security tools, each offering a different perspective, the true scope of their cyber assets remained elusive. This lack of clarity led to a constant state of incident response, with no clear ownership or understanding of the exposure.
Uncovering the Truth with Axonius
Enter Axonius, an asset intelligence platform that changed the game for Lumen. By consolidating data from disparate sources, Lumen's team, led by Geoff Krahn, uncovered a staggering 60 times more devices than initially thought. This revelation was a wake-up call, highlighting the vast responsibilities and potential gaps in controls.
The Power of Trusted Asset Data
With a more accurate picture, Lumen could address critical vulnerabilities swiftly. The ability to identify affected systems, confirm exposure, and establish ownership within minutes transformed their zero-day response capabilities. Additionally, Lumen gained visibility into application posture, understanding the risks beyond infrastructure, and tying cybersecurity exposure directly to revenue streams.
Moving Beyond 'Scan and Spam'
Lumen's old model, like many organizations, relied on CVSS scores, leading to a deluge of medium-severity findings. With trusted asset data, they adopted a risk-based approach, prioritizing remediations that deliver the most significant risk reduction. This shift from 'scan and spam' to intelligent risk management is a game-changer, ensuring resources are allocated effectively.
The Impact on Leadership and Decision-Making
Quantified visibility empowered Lumen's leadership to make informed decisions. The end-of-life visibility provided by Axonius led to a significant cloud migration, reducing overall risk. Moreover, the improved asset data resulted in a tenfold increase in security investment, demonstrating the value of accurate information.
A Call to Action for Enterprises
The story of Lumen serves as a cautionary tale. If an organization with dedicated security leadership found such vast discrepancies, it begs the question: How accurate is your asset data? Every exposure management program relies on the quality of its asset data. Without testing and validation, organizations risk building on assumptions, leading to potential vulnerabilities.
Final Thoughts
Accurate asset management is the foundation of effective cybersecurity. By investing in tools like Axonius, enterprises can gain the visibility needed to make informed decisions, prioritize resources, and ultimately, reduce their exposure to cyber threats. As Lumen's journey shows, the benefits of trusted asset data extend far beyond the security team, impacting the entire organization.
Personally, I believe that stories like Lumen's should serve as a catalyst for change. It's time for enterprises to reevaluate their asset management practices and embrace the power of data-driven decision-making.
