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The Customer
MAIRE is a global leader in technology and engineering, specifically providing integrated E&C solutions for the downstream market and sustainable technology solutions. Their operations are diverse, focusing on three core business lines: Sustainable Fertilizers, Low-Carbon Energy Vectors, and Circular Solutions.
Operating across 50 countries with more than 10,200 professionals, MAIRE manages a high-stakes industrial environment where operational continuity is not just a goal, but a requirement. Given the complexity of their IT and OT landscape, they recognized that traditional security maturity required something more than just adding layers of defense—it required concrete proof of effectiveness.
The Challenges
The Gap Between "Paper" Security and Reality
In their industrial context, the primary issue was not a lack of technology, but a lack of strategic visibility and measurable control over cyber risk. Even with a mature Cyber Fusion Center and an extensive toolset, the security team had no consistent method to measure how their defenses would actually perform under real-world attack conditions. This created a reliance on theoretical risk scores and maturity guesses that did not reflect the true performance of their security controls.
For MAIRE, traditional security snapshots like penetration tests and vulnerability scans were insufficient because they provided only point-in-time feedback. These methods failed to uncover hidden misconfigurations or deliver the real-time feedback necessary for constant improvement. This led to a "paper vs. reality" problem, where tools and settings that appeared to be properly configured on paper proved ineffective when tested against actual, modern adversary techniques. Furthermore, internal silos were slowing response times and hindering accountability across the organization.
The Solution
Validating the Attack Surface and Paths
Rather than simply expanding their security stack with another prevention tool, MAIRE Group chose the Picus Security Validation Platform to continuously test and strengthen their existing defenses. They began by implementing Security Control Validation (SCV) to establish a baseline of defense. This allowed them to test their environment against a constantly updated threat library, exposing gaps in controls that seemed properly configured but were ultimately ineffective.
To gain deeper visibility, MAIRE expanded its strategy into Attack Path Validation (APV). By simulating attacker movement, credential compromise, and data exfiltration, the team could visualize and prioritize the most dangerous internal attack paths and critical chokepoints. This multi-layered approach provided the team with MITRE ATT&CK mappings and tailored remediation guidance, allowing them to act quickly and confidently to close blind spots. This transformation allowed every simulation to become a deliberate act of growth, where the team learned from threats to become stronger.
Andrea Licciardi
Senior Cybersecurity Manager | MAIRE
“It helps you shift from perception to validation, from reaction to evolution. Every simulation is an opportunity to learn, adapt, and improve.”
The Outcome
From Reactive Measures to Strategic Excellence
By integrating Picus into their Cyber Risk Operation Center (CROC), MAIRE Group shifted from a reactive posture to a data-driven model of cybersecurity maturity. This transition allowed them to replace theoretical risk scores with validated evidence, enabling them to fix hidden weaknesses missed by traditional tools and reduce false confidence through continuous validation. The results were measurable: they boosted collaboration across security, IT, and business units using shared metrics and maximized their ROI by optimizing existing tools.
Beyond technical metrics, the mindset at MAIRE underwent a significant shift, where security became a strategic enabler that unlocked value through trust and operational excellence. Their defenses now align with global frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK and ISO/IEC 27001, providing boards and auditors with the evidence of security effectiveness they require. As Senior Cybersecurity Manager Andrea Licciardi noted, the platform helped the team shift from perception to validation and from reaction to evolution, turning every simulation into an opportunity to adapt and improve.
