Scaling an Internal Team for Advanced Cybersecurity Solutions
Discover how we delivered a robust cybersecurity solution with TitanHQ’s internal team.
01.
Background & need
Project background
Our client has over 20 years working in the cybersecurity sector and is based in Ireland. They work with 2,200 Managed Service Providers (MSPs) globally and provide software security services to various clients. Their systems identify over 100,000 new malware sites daily, supported by a threat intelligence database that includes data from 650 million users.
The objective was to help accelerate TitanHQ’s projects with additional staff augmentation services. While bringing in a secondary pool of resources to help them develop and test multi-product offerings. This Included products aimed at email security, web phishing, anti-spam solutions, and encryption services.
Client
Industry
- Cybersecurity
Services
Technologies
- AQA with Codeception, Docker, Go, Laravel, PHP, REST API, Vue.js
02.
The project's needs
TitanHQ was looking for specialists to help implement their time-to-market strategy, reduce technical debt, and help transition to the latest technologies. However, the project faced a few hurdles.
When looking for an outsourcing partner, TitanHQ wanted to tackle three main areas.
- The project was resource-constrained, and as a result, they needed to expand rapidly their existing team with external specialists.
- To help accelerate production, TitanHQ looked to bring in a secondary pool of resources.
- And finally, finding a team that could integrate quickly into their own in-house processes.
03.
The Challenges
The main challenge was finding the right team. The project needed a rapid assignment of high-quality resources to fill missing roles. As well as building a mutual way of working directly with TitanHQ’s in-house team. We needed to work fast to onboard the right team members.
Another challenge was merging ideas and workstyles from both Inspeerity and TitanHQ. We needed to work closely with their in-house team with both planning and execution. One obstacle was finding opportunities to share experiences to improve working styles. Here, Inspeerity worked as a key contributor to resource filling and planning along with TitanHQ’s own in-house experts.
From a technical perspective, the plan was to evolve the architecture, from a Monolith to multi-tier architecture. Key challenges included developing a Single Sign-On platform connecting all TitanHQ’s products. Along with transitioning to a microservices infrastructure, and later adopting Go technology across all products.
A specific challenge was moving away from third-party UI component libraries like Vue Bootstrap and Vuetify which limited performance and UX.
04.
How did we tackle the project’s challenges?
Key steps in the process included working with the customer’s in-house team to find ease-of-use opportunities in the UI and introducing clear standards for code. As well as the best industry-standard techniques.
The project needed an update to get the most out of the application
A significant technical task was migrating technologies to the latest versions. This wasn’t straightforward, especially from an engineering perspective. The transition didn’t start from scratch; it used the client’s existing codebase. The team helped to manage the migration while simultaneously delivering new features.
Getting to grips with the project's scope
Another crucial aspect was the implementation of Domain Driven Design (DDD). The goal here was to organize a large application in a way that made it consistent, maintainable, and well-structured to scale up with new features. This approach laid the groundwork for further growth. And enabled the work to be divided into smaller teams, each responsible for specific domains and able to work independently.
The process of transforming the project involved a collaboration between the client's in-house team and Inspeerity. We worked together to develop a team of over 30 developers to take on the project. But what did going from initial contact to project launch look like in reality?
How we built the right development team
February 13th - 2022
First contact from TitanHQ.
February 24th - 2022
First meeting after two weeks of messaging.
Provided rates, and references, and discussed the tech stack. Arranged a reference call with another UK customer.
March 7th - 2022
Presented to TitanHQ's decision committee, addressing questions and showcasing relevant case studies.
March 7th - April 12th 2022
Negotiated the contract and started the interview process.
Submitted 7 candidate profiles (3 Vue.js, 2 PHP, 2 .Net Engineers); 4 were selected for interviews.
April 12th - 2022
Agreement and Statement of Work signed.
April 25th - 2022
The first developer joined the project.
May 4th - 2022
Three additional developers joined the team.
June / July - 2022
Three more engineers joined the team. The customer’s 7-person team was completed.
2023
The team was expanded to 12 developers at its maximum
Inspeerity added: 1 Vue.js, 2 Go, 2 .Net developers. This expansion gradually increased services to scale with the business.
05.
Project Management
To stay on track with all changes within the project and guarantee TitanHQ was satisfied with our external team’s progress, Inspeerity worked to these steps:
- A key Account Manager was assigned to supervise the project.
- Our KAM and COO held weekly status meetings with TitanHQ’s management team.
- Inspeerity also organized periodic feedback exchange sessions with our customer’s team leaders.
Additionally, our team participated in several on-site sessions at TitanHQ, helping to plan the workload and develop a cooperative roadmap.
06.
The Results?
The outcome was a significant upgrade. We added a Managed Service Provider (MSP) layer and developed the frontend using the latest technologies.
The backend was built with PHP and the Laravel framework. For managing virtual machines we used Docker. And GitLab was chosen for continuous integration. This led to better code quality due to strict standards and testing. It also resulted in a flexible product framework that was used in other projects too.
07.
This is how our client benefited
There were two main areas where TitanHQ felt they benefited from our services.
1. Staff augmentation
Increased pool of quality resources
TitanHQ’s resource pool was boosted by the right team members from our side. This allowed for project acceleration across their products.
Rapid response
Our team scaled quickly to match TitanHQ’s needs, matching timelines and internal processes. With Agile we were able to build a working relationship that allowed a fast ramp-up schedule.
2. Product details
Scalable solution
The project laid a foundation for future growth and adaptation, with a strong product in place, TitanHQ can adapt the technology for additional projects.
Increased accessibility
Improvements in the UI and API code reliability made the tool more accessible and dependable. These enhancements were crucial for a smoother user experience and effective system interactions.
Updated performance
Upgrading to advanced technologies improved the product’s performance. At the same time, restructuring the codebase enhanced maintainability. These steps keep the tool up-to-date and easy to scale in the future.
08.
Summary
In our collaboration with TitanHQ, we are working closely with their in-house team, scaling up with demand, to build their cybersecurity tools. The project aimed to enhance TitanHQ’s resource pool allowing for the acceleration of projects. This project not only upgraded the user experience but also set the stage for future technological growth.
Interested in how we can tailor similar solutions to your unique challenges? Contact us to book a meeting and discover how our expertise can help your business.
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