How Octus Turned IT Security Into a Customer Benefit and a Strategic Asset

Octus runs a complex multi-cloud environment spanning AWS, Azure, GCP, and Snowflake, which raises the potential for security blind spots. Most security breaches (82% according to Octus internal data) involving cloud data stem from exactly this problem: Organizations don’t know what they have, so they can’t protect it effectively.

Octus takes an active security risk management approach, deploying comprehensive cloud security posture management across every environment. Each asset, configuration, and potential vulnerability is visible in real-time. This “staying-ahead-of-risk” approach prevents the common pattern of accumulating security debt that eventually leads to breaches.

When Octus acquired Sky Road and their Galaxy product in June 2025, this comprehensive visibility enabled rapid integration. While most acquisitions create security blind spots that persist for months or years, the Octus security team had complete transparency into the new environment within weeks of the acquisition. This was an important objective to ensure the appropriate handling of sensitive customer data. The cloud security pillar combines continuous monitoring with proactive threat detection. Cloud-native threat intelligence provides real-time monitoring, while web application firewalls protect customer-facing services from malicious traffic. Infrastructure-as-code practices embed security requirements into technology deployments, preventing misconfigurations at the source rather than discovering them later.

Traditional application security waits until testing or even production to find vulnerabilities. By then, fixes are expensive and risky. Octus takes a proactive approach, “shifting security left,” directly into the development workflow, which can surface issues when they’re cheapest to address.

Automated security scanning happens with every code commit. Developers receive immediate feedback about vulnerabilities in their code or open-source libraries before anything reaches production. It works like spellcheck for security, guiding developers without requiring them to be security experts.

The results are striking: 95% of critical vulnerabilities are caught and fixed before production deployment, based on Octus internal data. This both improves security and accelerates development. Teams ship features faster because they’re built correctly from the start, with no last-minute security scrambles or emergency patches disrupting customers.

Beyond automated scanning, Octus conducts continuous security testing and periodic penetration testing through independent third-party security experts. This outside perspective validates that defenses work against real-world attack techniques, not just theoretical threats.

The vulnerability management program provides systematic tracking of every security issue from identification through remediation. Nothing falls through the cracks. Security improvements are managed systematically (versus ad hoc) with clear accountability and timelines.

The traditional security perimeter (firewalls protecting an internal network) no longer exists. Employees work from coffee shops, home offices, and hotel rooms. Applications live across multiple clouds. The only reliable perimeter is identity combined with continuous monitoring. A cloud access security broker creates this modern perimeter by connecting identity verification with real-time visibility and control over all cloud and web access. It also creates secure pathways to internal applications, replacing traditional VPN access with identity-verified connections that never expose internal systems directly to the internet.

Building this identity-first security model starts with centralized access control. Octus connected over 180 business applications to enterprise single sign-on. Employees authenticate once and get seamless access to everything they need; nothing more, nothing less.

This centralization enables instant access revocation and facilitates a streamlined access review process. When someone leaves the company, their access disappears through one automated action. No more chasing down permissions across dozens of systems. No more discovering that a former employee still has database access six months after departure.

Universal multi-factor authentication (MFA) protects each system. Passwords alone aren’t enough when credential theft drives the majority of attacks in financial services. MFA adds a critical second barrier that prevents most credential-based attacks from succeeding.

Identity management extends beyond employees, as well. Octus invested in secure customer authentication infrastructure, ensuring the thousands of financial professionals accessing the platform daily benefit from the same security rigor. Customer data is only as secure as customer access; both sides require equal attention.

The integration between HR systems, identity platforms, and cloud services automates the entire identity lifecycle. New hires get appropriate access immediately. Role changes trigger automatic access adjustments. Departures initiate instant revocation. Manual processes are error-prone, while automation ensures consistency and speed.

Even sophisticated security architecture can’t prevent every mistake. Humans may occasionally click suspicious links, use weak passwords, or fall for social engineering. Rather than accepting this as inevitable, Octus invested heavily in making mistakes harder and less consequential.

Every corporate device is standardized, encrypted, and centrally managed. Industry-leading endpoint protection provides advanced threat detection and response capabilities. If a device is lost or stolen, remote wipe capabilities ensure data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

But the real innovation is in email security. AI-powered protection doesn’t just look for known phishing templates, it understands communication patterns and spots anomalies. An email that looks legitimate to traditional filters might trigger alerts because the AI recognizes subtle inconsistencies.

The numbers tell the story here: Octus blocked over 7,400 email attacks last quarter. That’s 7,400 times an employee didn’t have to make a split-second decision under pressure. In this instance, an ounce of prevention went a long way.

Beyond technology, Octus implemented comprehensive security awareness training for all employees. The Octus security team believes when individuals understand why security matters and how threats work, they make better decisions; they become part of the defense rather than the weakest link.

Furthermore, Octus’ Developer and DevOps teams understand secure coding practices and security tool usage. The security team reviews designs and works with each team, providing peer support and security advocacy. This distributes security expertise throughout the organization rather than concentrating it in a single team.

Strong preventive measures complement our detection and response processes. This ensures that when attacks occur we detect them in time.

Industry statistics in this area are sobering: the average organization takes 204 days to identify a data breach.(3) By then, attackers have had months to move laterally, exfiltrate data, or establish persistent access. Detection time is critical.

Octus has partnered with a premier security operations service provider for 24/7 monitoring capabilities. Expert security analysts monitor the environment continuously, looking for subtle indicators of compromise that automated tools might miss. Building this capability in-house would require hiring dozens of security analysts, which, for an 850-person company, wouldn’t be practical.

The SOC integrates with all security tools, including cloud platforms, identity systems, endpoint protection, and email security, providing comprehensive visibility. Individual tools generate alerts. The SOC connects the dots, seeing patterns that might indicate sophisticated attacks.

When suspicious activity is detected, regardless of day or time, response happens immediately. Within minutes, the incident is contained, evidence is collected, and detailed reporting is ready. This around-the-clock coverage prevents small issues from becoming major breaches.

3 IBM Security, “Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024”

The Octus security and compliance teams work collaboratively to ensure maximum adherence to standards. With this approach, compliance provides independent validation that security controls exist and operate effectively.

The foundation starts with proven frameworks. Octus adopted the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) and NIST Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) to structure the security program. These frameworks aren’t just documentation exercises. They provide measurable maturity models across critical security functions.

The CSF guides assessment across five core functions:

1. Govern
2. Identify
3. Protect
4. Detect
5. Respond
6. Recover

The SSDF ensures security is embedded throughout the software development lifecycle, from preparing the organization to responding to vulnerabilities. Quarterly assessments against these frameworks track progress and identify areas for continued investment, ensuring balanced advancement across all security domains.

These frameworks translate technical security work into business language that executives, boards, and customers understand. Rather than discussing individual tools or controls, conversations focus on maturity levels and systematic risk management, concepts that resonate with business stakeholders.

SOC 2 Type II certification for FinDox™ and the CreditAI by Octus™ platforms demonstrate that controls are both documented and operating effectively. Independent auditors validate that Octus does what it claims. This certification continues to expand across all products, driving consistent security standards everywhere.

For customers conducting vendor due diligence, these certifications dramatically accelerate the process. A SOC 2 report addresses most security questions upfront, reducing enterprise sales cycles and building confidence. What used to take months now takes weeks.

Beyond certifications, Octus implemented rigorous vendor risk management. Every third-party provider undergoes a security and compliance assessment. Supply chain risk is critical: 97% of major U.S. banks recently experienced breaches linked to third-party vendors.(4) Every vendor represents an extension of the security program and must meet appropriate standards.

Comprehensive security policies govern everything from access control to incident response. Our policies are living documents that guide daily operations. Regular training ensures employees understand policies and their rationale.

Privacy compliance programs address GDPR, CCPA, and other regulations globally. Data subject rights procedures, breach notification processes, and privacy-by-design principles protect customer information while meeting regulatory requirements. A dedicated Data Privacy Officer oversees the program.

4 SecurityScorecard, “Threat Intelligence Report” (December 2024)