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Cybersecurity Platform Engineering

How we helped a global cybersec provider build a deception platform from the ground up, scale it through multiple investment rounds, and bring it to global enterprise adoption.

Services

Product development

Security platform development

License management implementation

Industry

Security

Client & Product

Our client is a cybersecurity solution provider who developed a unique product: an enterprise network deception platform that detects, tracks, and stops threats before they can cause harm.

Unlike traditional perimeter defense tools like firewalls and antivirus software, this solution detected threats inside corporate networks. If an attacker got in through a compromised endpoint, a malicious insider, or existing malware, the system detected them. It sets traps throughout the network, exposes attackers, and provides SOC teams with information to investigate incidents.

What our client developed back then, Gartner now calls this approach preemptive cybersecurity. This unique product put the client ahead in a new market category and helped them win customers in enterprise, financial services, defense, and government. Achieving this success took more than just a strong product. The client also needed reliable partners, and we’ve fulfilled this role for more than 12 years.

Business Challenges

At the time, deception technology was still a niche concept and genuine know-how that put the client ahead of the industry. The platform focused on threats like lateral movement and insider attacks within corporate networks, which the market did not address well.

The client started from scratch. They had a clear vision and a defined plan but needed a development partner to execute it. SmartTek had deep technical proficiency in the required stack. Later, the engagement became a turning point. Delivering the solution meant growing into the domain and left both teams with hard-won expertise they lacked before.

The system had to be built almost entirely from the ground up. It needed a secure multi-tenant architecture, integration with existing network intelligence tools, and a user interface for professional security analysts.

Our Cooperation

What started as a fixed-price MVP project grew into a partnership, lasting more than a decade.

Our architects and engineers turned client’s requirements into technical solutions, refined the scope, and estimated the work.
We always planned strategically so the platform’s architecture could support easy addition of planned features during the next product versions.
The client’s in-house team worked with world security leaders on the deception engine, network intelligence, and malware analysis. With our expertise, they also developed a threat intelligence solution.
Our team handled most of the customer-facing work: design, development, and maintenance of the platform.
The team conducted regular internal and external audits, ran penetration testing, and followed strict security standards throughout the entire development process.

At its largest, the team included up to 16 specialists: backend engineers, frontend developers, QA & AQA engineers, a system architect, project manager, and DevOps experts.

Project Stages

MVP for Network Traffic Analysis and Threat Detection

The first version of the platform focused on network traffic analysis. It monitored all activity inside the corporate network and flagged suspicious behavior. Using an open-source network intelligence sensor, the platform collected raw events, matched them up, and checked if any machines were interacting with known malicious servers, botnets, or trojans.

We delivered this MVP in 3 months. Within nine months, the client’s sales team reached a large share of new customers. About 60% of early customers signed before the platform got its first investment.

Round A Investments for a Deception Grid

After the MVP and first investment, the platform moved into its most important phase. The client’s engineering team created a deception grid – an automated system that sets traps and lures throughout the corporate network to catch attackers and malware before they could reach real assets.

We managed everything around its user-facing components: system architecture design, product ownership, full-cycle engineering, database optimization, system layer engineering, deployment, and QA.

We reduced downtime during updates and upgrades from hours in the early versions to just one minute by automating processes and using a CI/CD pipeline. The system ran with 99.99% of reliability, with 24/7 support team. By the end of this phase, security-focused organizations around the world were using the platform in their daily operations.

Scaling to Enterprise Level

A few years ago, our platform became part of the larger enterprise data protection ecosystem. We continued to support it throughout the transition. From the start, Smarttek worked closely with the client’s team, meeting every goal and often exceeding expectations. Our team maintained an efficient codebase, created architecture documentation, and helped move the platform forward during the acquisition.

Solutions

Deception Grid Management Console

We designed and built the management layer that lets businesses set up deception grids, monitor network activity, view analytics about events and attackers, and manage deployments across their corporate environments.

Multi-Tenant Database Architecture

Our team used stored procedures, triggers, functions, events, and transactions to get the most out of the database. This helped us keep the platform secure, fast, and reliable.

Licensing Solution

Licensing was a key part of the solution. SmartTek built and managed a licensing manager that let customers access the platform. It handled product activations, customer entitlements, kept vendor environments separate, and showed the client how deployments were going.

System Services and Orchestration Layer

We designed the solution to use virtualization and orchestration, making it easy to deploy. This way, it works for both on-premises and SaaS setups, depending on what each customer needs.

Results

The platform started as a three-month MVP with no outside investment and grew into an enterprise security product used by organizations worldwide. Here are some key milestones from the project:

3 months of MVP, on time and on budget
60% of early customers closed before Series A investments
400+ customers across governments & enterprises
Global coverage, presence on all continents
System update downtime dropped from hours to under a minute, with the next milestone set at just a few seconds.
15+ major and minor releases in 10 years
Operational reliability of 99%, 24/7
Acquisition by a Fortune 1000 enterprise software company

Most importantly, we built a partnership that lasted 12 years and continues even after the project ended. Together, we created and scaled a unique technology with no direct competitors.

Core Tech Stack

PHP

Python

JavaScript

MySQL

Linux

Bash

VMware

Cisco

McAfee

Syslog

SSO (SAML2.0)

PingFederate

Check Point

Carbon Black

STIX

Forescout

DXL

Cuckoo

Palo Alto

DevOps

Hear From Our Clients

They’ve provided great communication and support throughout our R&D process. SmartTek has been communicated well throughout the project. They’re great partners and they continue to support the project.

John Whalan

CEO, Black Ice, LLC

Their team has been accommodating with everything from meeting times to budget needs. They’re genuine AR experts and it’s reflected in how well they were able to push the existing limits of AR technology to develop the app.

Jennifer Kapsch

Founder, United Spirit Games

SmartTek Solutions consistently meets the requirements and delivers high-quality work. They’ve improved the client’s day-to-day operations by customizing effective, time-saving solutions. Despite challenging circumstances, they continue to dedicate a timely, reliable team.

Systems & IT Manager

Bluesky Solutions Ltd

Smart Tek SaS, LLC has provided us with an awesome experience, so far. The responsive team keeps to its timelines and deliverables. They’re eager to serve our needs and the functionality that they build works.

Daniel Langsten

CEO, Wholesale Cabinets

The product impressed users and was delivered in time for the neighborhood launch party. The team overcame last-minute issues to meet the timeline, problem-solving and working late nights. They made use of emerging technology platforms like GET Lab to ensure smooth project management.

Joshua Young

CEO, Reflective Brands

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Andrew Sydoruk

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