Transforming Manual Cyber Testing Into a Scalable SaaS Platform
The Beginning — “A security product stuck in spreadsheets”
Before my redesign, the platform existed as a collection of SQL-based views and manual testing processes.
Reports were exported manually.
Admins struggled to track progress.
Clients had no real-time visibility.
And developers had to switch between tools just to manage vulnerabilities.
It was powerful, but fragmented.
It was useful, but inefficient.
The goal: turn this semi-manual security tool into a Pen-Testing-as-a-Service (PTaaS) platform with:
Real-time dashboards
Automated reporting
Role-based access control
A unified workflow from test → verify → fix → certify
And I had to design + build much of it myself due to limited resources.
The Challenge & Goals
Challenges
No centralized interface
No dashboards or visual insights
Completely manual reporting
No role-based access (RBAC)
No unified flow between testers, developers, and admins
Highly technical data that needed human-readable structure
Goals
Create an end-to-end PTaaS platform
Make vulnerability management intuitive
Introduce real-time dashboards for admins
Build RBAC for testers, devs, managers, and auditors
Enable automated test reporting
Reduce manual work & improve accuracy
KPIs
Reduction in reporting time
Faster vulnerability resolution cycles
Higher visibility for admins
Lower dependency on external tools
Increased platform adoption across the organization
My Approach — “Turning complexity into clarity”
1. Designing the full platform architecture
I mapped the entire lifecycle:
Test → Identify → Assign → Fix → Retest → Approve → Report
Each stage became its own structured interface.
2. Creating a unified dashboard
The dashboard became the home for:
Current testing cycles
Vulnerability severity counts
Pending developer actions
SLA breaches
Historical trends
Compliance readiness
With one log-in, admins could see everything.
3. Implementing Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
I designed permission layers for:
Admins
Security testers
Developers
Compliance managers
External auditors
Each role saw only what they needed — clean, predictable, secure.
4. Automating reporting
I built a reporting system where:
Vulnerabilities auto-populate
Fix verification updates dynamically
Exportable reports are generated in one click
No SQL or manual compiling needed
5. Designing with limited engineering support
Due to constraints, I developed the entire front-end using Tailwind CSS — maintaining speed, clarity, and component consistency.
The Outcome — “From manual effort to operational intelligence”
60–70% reduction in time spent creating reports
Faster vulnerability turnaround because devs now had direct visibility
Clear accountability thanks to RBAC
Better compliance tracking with automated logs
Higher adoption across security and engineering teams
Significant reduction in errors due to automated flows
The tool evolved from “a database with testers” to a full operational cyber platform.
Reflection — “Good security design removes fear, not adds to it”
Clear, predictable UI reduces the fear users feel around cybersecurity.
My goal was not to make it fancy — but to make it trustworthy, structured, and fast.
