Attack IQ | Case Study
Attack IQ
Web App
Attack IQ
Attack IQ had a vision for a new web-based learning platform to generate new leads. They hired Pristine Tech to make it happen.
The Situation
AttackIQ is the industry-leading provider of breach and attack simulation products for security control validation. They help businesses understand and improve their security performance with data-driven insights and actionable advice for improved tactics, techniques, and procedures.
As a member of the informed Defender Community, AttackIQ hosted AttackIQ Academy, an online resource dedicated “To accelerate the practice of threat-informed defense (TID) across the industry”. This was a free resource, provided certifications to industry professionals, and served as a valuable lead pipeline for their business.
As successful as this system was, it wasn’t achieving its goals. It didn’t have the features they needed and it would be improved by performing more like an app than a website. They wanted to build a custom system that would enable an engaging and rewarding experience for their users while also providing an easy-to-manage tool for administrators. Attack IQ saw an opportunity to take the academy to the next level, and needed a dedicated team to help make it happen.
The Goal
There were three main goals for advancing the Academy Web app. AttackIQ wanted to offer a stronger learning experience for their students including clearer progress tracking, certifications, score calculations, and everything a world-class LMS needed. They also needed the system to support easy administration and management of content, because new materials were always being developed, and the cybersecurity industry was constantly evolving. Finally, it needed to continue to support the lead and sales pipelines. There was potential for improved integrations into existing workflows, and the web app would need to connect to a whole suite of other services.
Technically, that meant a platform that tracked progress with quick loading times incorporating various media types that created a smooth experience for students. Administrators would need a rich back-end that made it easy to track student progress, view overall metrics, and easily manage and update course content with a variety of media types. It would also need to quickly and constantly share data with other internal systems to make sure user and lead data was up to date and enabling quick sales and support processes.
How We Did It
AttackIQ wanted to use a WordPress backend because they were experienced at using WordPress systems. With our deep expertise in WordPress, we planned a way to achieve the back-end they needed paired with a React front-end to provide the best UX. The WordPress extension Learndash had a restful integration that would work with React, but it had limitations. “The major concern was that the LearnDash REST API does not cover every feature that they provide. It covers mostly GET requests.” said Lorik, lead developer on the project. “To compensate for that, we developed a custom plugin that extended the Learn Dash plugin and enabled all of their best features for online learning like quizzes, courses, lesson completions, score calculations, and more.”
To achieve AttackIQ’s goals for the user experience and learning process, we used React and Next.js to create a smooth interface including snap page changes, quicker reloads, and overall improved performance. Additionally, this front-end would meet the client’s SEO needs, as strong SEO performance would be critical to the platform's usefulness.
The integrations with AttackIQs various back-end systems required several custom plugins that required extensive testing. Every user had multiple data points that needed to be tracked and updated constantly, and that information needed to flow smoothly through Salesforce via Leandata, a revenue orchestration tool, and Marketo, a marketing automation platform. This system was constantly being used by sales and marketing teams to drive growth, so close collaboration with the client was required to build and refine this system until it worked perfectly.
The Result
AttackIQ Academy continues to support thousands of learners every week in improving their cyber security expertise. AttackIQ has a web app that provides a rich experience backed by strong integrations with backend systems to build relationships with users, partners, and businesses. The previous version of the platform had been a principled statement about raising the level of understanding in their industry. The new version is a world-class learning platform and a growth engine.