CASE STUDY
Improved Detection Coverage Measurement Efficiency by 10X
CHALLENGES:
Lack of Visibility & Prioritization
Inefficient Detection Development
Resource Constraints & ROI Concerns
TIDAL CYBER SOLUTION:
Detection Engineering Prioritization
OUTCOMES
10X
Increase in Analyst Productivity
$500
Reclaimed Efficiency Per TTP
INCREASED ROI
Of the Detection Engineering Team
INDUSTRY
U.S.-Based Financial Services Company
ANNUAL REVENUE
$42 Million
EMPLOYEES
66,000
LOCATIONS
Throughout U.S.
THE CHALLENGE
A financial services firm struggled to write detections efficiently, raising concerns about the return on investment (ROI) of its detection engineering team.
Without a structured approach to assessing ATT&CK coverage, managing detection overlap with vendors, or prioritizing new detections, the team faced inefficiencies that hampered resource allocation and security coverage.
Compounding the issue, the firm lack ed visibility into its detection landscape. Engineers had difficulty evaluating their strengths, identifying gaps, and minimizing redundant efforts. Researching threats was time-consuming, and prioritizing which detections to build next was a constant challenge. Many custom detection rules overlapped with vendor-provided rules, leading to wasted effort without enhancing the firm’s overall resilience.
The absence of an organized detection engineering strategy resulted in slower response times, inefficiencies in leveraging vendor solutions, and a suboptimal security posture. The firm needed a way to streamline detection development, eliminate redundancies, and maximize the effectiveness of its security investments.
THE SOLUTION
Tidal Cyber provided a centralized system to streamline detection engineering, enabling end-to-end visibility from initial concept to implementation. Its product registry allowed detection engineers to overlay vendor-provided detections with their own, eliminating redundancy and maximizing efficiency. By integrating open-source and community-driven detections, the platform accelerated development and leveraged collective intelligence for stronger security outcomes.
By automating detection prioritization and mapping sector-specific threat profiles against the firm’s security stack, Tidal Cyber optimized workflows. Engineers could quickly identify and address coverage gaps, validate detection effectiveness using breach and attack simulation (BAS) tools, and focus on security enhancements that mattered most.
This automation-driven approach reduced redundant work, empowered engineers to make faster, more informed decisions, and ensured the firm maximized the value of its vendor and custom detections.
THE OUTCOME
To measure the impact of Tidal Cyber’s Detection Engineering Prioritization, the financial services firm conducted a side-by-side comparison of its efficiency gains: A junior analyst using Tidal Cyber assessed the organization’s TTP (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures) coverage in under 30 minutes, completing a comprehensive analysis and using the remaining time to refine recommendations The junior analyst implemented 11 new detections and enhanced two existing capabilities within the allocated time Meanwhile, a senior detection engineer, working manually without Tidal Cyber, spent nearly the entire six-hour window just compiling an inventory of existing detections producing only one new detection.
By reducing analysis time per TTP from six hours to just 30 minutes, Tidal Cyber delivered $500 in savings per TTP, and further enabled:
- A 10x increase in detection engineering productivity – Junior analysts delivered results previously limited to senior-level expertise, acting as a force multiplier that scaled impact without additional headcount. Senior engineers were freed to focus on strategic security initiatives rather than manual detection tasks.
- Stronger threat coverage and faster response – Real-time visibility into detection gaps enabled the security team to prioritize and address the most critical threats, significantly reducing risks without increasing costs.
- Optimized resource utilization and assured ROI – Eliminated redundant detection efforts, maximized the value of vendor-provided capabilities, and allowed engineers to focus on higher-value security improvements.
By empowering the detection engineering team with automation, real-time prioritization, and visibility, Tidal Cyber helped transform the financial service organization’s security approach, making high-impact detection development more scalable, efficient and far-more effective.
