Marc Scibelli
Marc Scibelli

Redefining Cloud Security: Unifying Solutions to Build Panoptica (redesign)

We combined two complex cloud security products into a cohesive CNAPP platform, delivering streamlined functionality and an elevated user experience tailored to modern security needs.

About

About

About

About

About

About

Panoptica is Cisco’s cloud application security solution for code to cloud, providing seamless scalability across clusters and multi-cloud environments. It helps cloud ops specialists prioritize and remediate risks with precision.

Organization

Cisco

Role

Design Team Leader

How do we design human-agent interfaces that are consistent, comprehensible and scalable across products?

Approach

Approach

Challenge

Challenge

In 2023 Panoptica was merged with an acquisition product, Lightspin, and together Outshift created a next-generation CNAPP platform. This merger required extensive rethinking of the entire product and approach to ensure we captured the benefits of both solutions effectively in a unified platform.

Panoptica CWPP platform before acquisition and redesign

Present

all artifacts of the applications and its vulnerabilities

Control

Container, images, SBOM, supply chain, serverless and APls

Manage

The risks through a MITRE ATT&CK framework

Define

and enforce security policies and compliance for the enterprise

Process

Process

Combining two complex cloud security solutions into a single, powerful CNAPP platform requires more than technical integration— it demands a design thinking approach. By bringing product and engineering teams together in collaborative workshops, we aligned on a shared vision, identified overlapping capabilities, and streamlined features to create a cohesive user experience.

Through iterative prototyping and user feedback, we tackled complexity head-on, ensuring the final platform not only delivered robust functionality but also simplified workflows for cloud security operations.

By conducting collaborative workshops we were able to align product and engineering on a shared vision, streamline features, and deliver a cohesive CNAPP platform that addresses complex cloud security needs while enhancing user experience.


Outcome

Outcome

The outcome of this collaborative process was a unified CNAPP platform that simplifies cloud-native application security while delivering comprehensive protection.

By combining two complex solutions, we streamlined overlapping features, enhanced usability, and provided seamless integration across multi-cloud environments.

Due to differences in front-end implementation between the existing platform and acquisition combined with the need for rapid deployment, we created the Spark design system. Spark is based on Material but with an eye to a future transition to Cisco's Magnetic design system. The final platform offers robust capabilities such as workload security, API visibility, and vulnerability management—all in one intuitive interface.

An End-to-End Redesign Centered Around Attack Path Analysis

An End-to-End Redesign Centered Around Attack Path Analysis

An End-to-End Redesign Centered Around Attack Path Analysis

An End-to-End Redesign Centered Around Attack Path Analysis

In addition to redesigning the entire product, we paid particular attention to evolve Panoptica's Attack Path Analysis feature, refining its visualizations and prioritization capabilities. This enhancement empowers users to quickly identify and mitigate high-risk vulnerabilities across complex cloud environments.

In addition to redesigning the entire product, we paid particular attention to evolve Panoptica's Attack Path Analysis feature, refining its visualizations and prioritization capabilities. This enhancement empowers users to quickly identify and mitigate high-risk vulnerabilities across complex cloud environments.

The HAX Framework

The design principles gave us a foundation, but teams still needed a way to apply them consistently in real products. We set out to create a system that connects those principles to the tools, components, and checks developers use every day. That effort became HAX—a unified framework for designing, building, and governing meaningful human agent collaboration.

HAX
Principles:

Design for collaboration

Five research based, human-centered rules: Clarity, Control, Recovery, Collaboration, and Traceability that define trustworthy agent behavior.

HAX
SDK:

Build with
consistency

Toolkit that turns those principles into schemas, components, and checks so agents act and explain predictably.

Custom Repositories:

Reusable Explainability:

Behavior layer that travels with the agent. The same evidence, reasoning, and actions appear across any product or surface.

Portable Explainability:

Consistency Everywhere:

Behavior layer that travels with the agent. The same evidence, reasoning, and actions appear across any product or surface.

The HAX Framework

The design principles gave us a foundation, but teams still needed a way to apply them consistently in real products. We set out to create a system that connects those principles to the tools, components, and checks developers use every day. That effort became HAX—a unified framework for designing, building, and governing meaningful human agent collaboration.

The design principles gave us a foundation, but teams still needed a way to apply them consistently in real products. We set out to create a system that connects those principles to the tools, components, and checks developers use every day. That effort became HAX—a unified framework for designing, building, and governing meaningful human agent collaboration.

HAX
Principles:

Design for collaboration

Five research based, human-centered rules: Clarity, Control, Recovery, Collaboration, and Traceability that define trustworthy agent behavior.

HAX
SDK:

Build with
consistency

Toolkit that turns those principles into schemas, components, and checks so agents act and explain predictably.

Custom Repositories:

Reusable Explainability:

Behavior layer that travels with the agent. The same evidence, reasoning, and actions appear across any product or surface.

Portable Explainability:

Consistency Everywhere:

Behavior layer that travels with the agent. The same evidence, reasoning, and actions appear across any product or surface.

We initiated a design discovery process which enabled a systematic exploration and validation of ideas, ensuring each phase, from discovery to release, was grounded in evidence and iterative improvement.