“We're like a professional concierge that works on behalf of the customer to help them find and get fit into the right solution”

While businesses are promoting the work-from-home culture, the number of vulnerabilities is also increasing every day. To tackle these challenges, businesses are implementing a variety of cybersecurity solutions including penetration testing tools, vulnerability management systems and next generation firewalls. However, at times, the technology alone is not enough to complete the security ecosystem, the role of an expert is inevitable. This is where Alacrinet Consulting Services, an IT Security consulting firm focused on delivering best-in-class enterprise cybersecurity solutions, is creating a difference. Alacrinet not only helps businesses plan, implement, and manage a complete security approach but also provides cybersecurity staffing capability. “We have recruiters, and the perfect cybersecurity expertise that we offer to customers on a full-time basis or on a contract basis,” begins Brian Bouchard, President & CEO, Alacrinet Consulting Services.

In a nutshell, Alacrinet provides advanced solutions that detect, protect, and remediate attacks. Beyond products themselves, Alacrinet also delivers the services to show customers how to use them in the best practices based on industry guidelines, norms, and standards. As a company focused on enhancing the overall security posture of its clientele, Alacrinet offers a variety of services to its customers helping them secure themselves optimally from preventing breaches to attacks and malicious hacks. Alacrinet enables companies to secure their entire endpoint landscape and protect the business network from outside threats by identifying vulnerabilities and proactively securing the environment. “Our goal is to provide the necessary tools, and implementation of those from vendors to enterprise security. We also manage those security tools and provide the necessary training and guidelines for best practices,” adds Bouchard.

Security and Compliance Integrated
Alacrinet has a variety of offerings that are primarily focused on the compliance needs of its customers. In addition to performing the PCI compliance test for customers, the company also doespenetration tests and assessments. With Alacrinet, organizations can understand their exact compliance requirements. Whereas the penetration test provides them with a sense of how vulnerable they currently are. While penetration testing has traditionally been either Black or White, Alacrinet takes a Grey Box approach that combines Black Box and White Box tactics to give the most comprehensive pentesting. This method goes beyond scripts and automation to deliver better results that help minimize the risk profile. Utilizing this unique approach, Alacrinet provides clients a thorough analysis with automated scans to test the strength of their credentials and manual testing by an expert.

From data security to application security, Alacrinet takes care of a client’s complete security requirements. When it comes to application security, the team ensures it with static and dynamic testing across the lifecycle. They will ensure to adapt to new development methodologies and increased application complexity while rapidly testing, detecting, and remediating security vulnerabilities on the web, and in mobile and desktop applications. Alacrinet will also enable controlled access to systems across all devices, provide secure access to resources and manage identities.

In addition, the company offers managed services and expert support to its customers. Alacrinet’s managed security services are one of their kind with a highly dedicated team focused on knowing the latest threats, preventing vulnerabilities, and providing value. The company’ swide range of service options meet specific needs and address key elements of securing a client’s business environment. For some, that means full 24x7x365 monitoring, alerting, and response. For others, it’s taking care of administrative tasks and maintaining uptime.

Committed to Innovation
What makes the company stand out is its innovation lab. The main purpose of the lab is to further develop offensive security research. “Our client base is comprised mostly of the Fortune 1000 and they face unique cybersecurity concerns. Within our portfolio, there is a subset of early adopters, about 15%, who are consistently searching for innovative solutions, even if unproven in the marketplace. These CIOs and CISOs are regularly asking about new technologies and research in cybersecurity. Listening to our clients put us on the path of investing in offensive cybersecurity research and seeking innovative startups in the space to partner with,” points Bouchard.

The realization that Alacrinet can be the conduit between established businesses seeking cutting-edge cybersecurity technologies and startups looking for companies interested in testing novel solutions, has created significant value in the marketplace. “Our researchers can vet those new technologies and present them to clients seeking next-generation solutions. This is the magic behind our lab,” adds Mike Pena, VP, Penetration Testing and Research, Alacrinet Consulting Services.

In early 2021, Alacrinet Consulting Services acquired Chamber’s Key, a boutique offensive cybersecurity research firm based out of Seattle, Washington. Mike Pena, former CEO of Chamber’s Key and now Vice President of Pentesting Services at Alacrinet leads the newly established innovation lab. “The idea that Alacrinet can leverage its technical expertise and client portfolio to help cybersecurity startups go to market is a game-changer in the industry. Our clients are seeking next-generation cybersecurity solutions and we are committed to finding those emerging technologies,” adds Pena.

Mike Pena’s experience in raising venture capital and working with private investment groups has proven vital to the success of the lab. “Collaborating with researchers from the InfoSec community, and bringing their technologies to clients and investors has helped evangelize our lab’s value in the marketplace,” explains Pena.

Building An Unbreakable Armor
At Alacrinet the work culture is set by their unique and experienced leadership. The company adopts a strategy that puts the client first, no micromanaging, and trusts employees while promoting a level of seamless collaboration. It’s no wonder why Alacrinet has seen growth during the global pandemic when other organizations were forced into remote working. Moreover, the company assembles great technology to create and integrate customized solutions. Cloud, Analytics, Mobile, Social, and Portal offer key solutions for IT infrastructure. “We've put together a strong team of highly knowledgeable folks in cybersecurity who have various career paths. With ongoing training and certifications our team has extensive knowledge in areas such as Development (front end, server-side, and mobile), Administration, Project Management, and UX & UI Design,” explains Bouchard.

While some companies struggled in transitioning their workforce remotely and establishing an “online corporate culture” Alacrinet had been doing this for years. “The pandemic forced us to be a more dynamic workforce and I believe our success had everything to do with our culture.” This corporate culture is now part of the Alacrinet lab’s DNA.

“Employees who feel empowered to take ownership of their clients' needs and who want to support their respective team members will figure out solutions. Our goal is to provide world-class cybersecurity researchers and business-friendly consultants,” explains Mike Pena. “Over 68% of our clients are repeat customers and it’s because our team of security experts is business-friendly. We’re partners to our clients. We want our clients to feel comfortable with asking tough questions. Beyond the pentest, we’re teaching our clients and their blue teams, to identify potential attack paths the way a real-world threat actor would,” he concludes.