COUNTRY FOCUS : WEST COAST
CROWDSTRIKE PRODUCTS
• Falcon Complete Managed Detection and Response ( MDR )
• Falcon Discover IT hygiene
• Falcon Insight Endpoint Detection and Response ( EDR )
• Falcon Overwatch managed threat hunting
• Falcon Prevent next-generation antivirus
• Falcon Spotlight vulnerability management
• CrowdStrike Incident Response and Proactive Services Retainer
“ We had the perfect trifecta on some of these systems to do a meaningful three-way comparison ,” Lawson said .
Flexibility
Close collaboration and operating as a single team with the Falcon Complete MDR team has been another appealing aspect of the CrowdStrike solution .
“ CrowdStrike is there for us 24 / 7 by 365 and gives more flexibility for my team to take time off as the company really has our back . It ’ s like having a secondary SOC and indeed , many times functions as our primary operations center for endpoints ,” said Lawson .
Through the city ’ s Falcon Complete contract , Lawson has access to a large pool of highly trained security experts and continuous human threat hunting via Falcon OverWatch , something that would be impossible for most public or private entities to achieve on their own .
The CrowdStrike Incident Response Retainer also has proven invaluable .
“ We ’ ve had the retainer in place since 2019 . When the SolarWinds attack hit in late 2020 , the first thing we did was to call the CrowdStrike Incident Response Team . Because we already had the contract in place , they
CrowdStrike is there for us 24 / 7 by 365 and gives more flexibility for my team .
were immediately able to assist in determining if we ’ d been compromised . Knowing that most of the world ’ s CISOs and CSOs were scrambling to get help from their security vendors , it was just great to get priority
treatment ,” said Lawson .
Another way CrowdStrike helped the city secure itself – and accommodate the sometimes convoluted public procurement processes – was agreeing to a flexible purchasing schedule aligned with the city ’ s budgeting calendar .
The CrowdStrike solution also demonstrated its merits during the outbreak of COVID-19 .
“ We instantly had people working all over the place , but because CrowdStrike only needs an Internet connection to function , we were able to continue operating securely , even in the midst of the pandemic . We couldn ’ t do that with a lot of our other tools ,” said Lawson .
Customer relationships
Lawson noted that some vendors focus too much on the bottom line rather than customer relationships , but not so with CrowdStrike .
“ I am a CISO for a very large city and have a lot to focus on . But CrowdStrike has been one of those vendors that really is a true partner ,” he explained .
“ We have never been pressured , in any way , to buy additional products or services . The solutions work very well , there is great technical support and expertise , and the company has been with us every step of the way . I have nothing but good things to say !” p
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