Case study

Sutter Health’s Continuous Security Validation With Picus

Number of Employees: 50,000 - 75,000
Products: Security Control Validation (SCV)
Picus integrations with SIEM, EDR and threat intelligence platforms
About Sutter Health: Sutter Health strengthened cybersecurity by moving from manual testing to continuous, automated validation with Picus. Real-world attack simulations and SIEM/EDR integration cut validation from weeks to under an hour, improved team collaboration, provided real-time control visibility, and supported faster remediation, executive reporting, and HIPAA compliance.

We had the right tools and the right people,ˮ said Jaime Rodriguez, Manager of the Red Team, “but running tests, waiting for results, and revalidating could stretch over multiple weeks. We needed a faster and more consistent way to confirm that our defenses worked as intended.

Challenges & Results

Challenge: Manual testing slowed detection and response

Result: Shorter validation cycles, cut from weeks to under an hour
Challenge: Limited visibility reduced insight into control effectiveness

Result: Real-time visibility into which controls work, which fail, and why
Challenge: Limited ability to prioritize vulnerabilities and remediation

Result: Improved collaboration between Red Team and Detection Engineering
Challenge: Validation required significant manual effort, creating delays and siloed teams

Result: Faster remediation and clearer executive reporting
Challenge: Rapidly evolving threats increased the scope and complexity of compliance obligations

Result: Continuous simulations supporting HIPAA compliance

The Challenge

Before adopting Picus, Sutter Health relied heavily on manual testing and validation processes. The red team often spent days or even weeks running simulations, while Detection Engineering had to wait for results before tuning alerts. Although the process was functional, it was slow, resource-intensive, and created operational bottlenecks. Given Sutter Health’s large, highly distributed network, extensive partner ecosystem, and broad attack surface, cybersecurity is an enterprise-level priority that requires both technological rigor and measurable assurance.

The lack of real-time visibility into control effectiveness made it difficult to determine whether security controls were performing as intended. This limited visibility also hindered the organization’s ability to prioritize vulnerabilities, focus remediation efforts, and clearly demonstrate continuous improvement to leadership. As a result, manual validation efforts slowed detection and response, reduced insight into security posture, and contributed to siloed operations. At the same time, an evolving threat landscape and increasing compliance demands further amplified the need for more efficient, scalable, and measurable security validation capabilities.

The Solution

To address these challenges, Sutter Health adopted Picus Security Control Validation (SCV) to automate security testing and improve collaboration across its cybersecurity functions. Automated, real-world attack simulations replaced manual testing, reducing validation cycles from weeks to under an hour. By integrating live threat intelligence feeds directly into Picus, the team was able to design simulations that closely mirrored active adversary behavior, enabling more accurate and timely assessments of control effectiveness.

Picus provided real-time visibility into which security controls were working, which were failing, and why, allowing teams to focus first on the highest-impact gaps. Actionable, data-driven results enabled faster prioritization and remediation, while integrations with Sutter Health’s SIEM, EDR, and web application monitoring solutions eliminated redundant testing and reduced the need for manual coordination and re-testing. This automation freed up security teams to collaborate more effectively and update detection rules almost immediately. Continuous simulations, supported by up-to-date threat intelligence, strengthened Sutter Health’s proactive defense posture, supported HIPAA reporting requirements, and delivered executive-ready, quantifiable metrics that could be shared in monthly operations reviews and leadership briefings.

The Outcome

As a result of implementing Picus, Sutter Health achieved significant improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of its security validation program. Validation cycles were reduced from weeks to under an hour, enabling near real-time insight into which security controls were working, which were failing, and why. This increased visibility strengthened collaboration between the red team and Detection Engineering, allowing issues to be identified and resolved more quickly. Faster remediation, combined with clear, data-driven reporting, made it easier to communicate security posture and progress to executive leadership. Additionally, continuous, automated simulations supported ongoing HIPAA compliance efforts, helping Sutter Health maintain a strong and measurable cybersecurity posture in an evolving threat landscape.

Instead of sending a manual request to our red team and waiting for results,ˮ Rodriguez explained, “I can enter the indicators into Picus, launch a simulation, and have a full report in about an hour."

What Our Customers Say

It is no different from a Magician. Ever since we took Picus into our inventory, it has helped significantly to increase our maturity level.

IT Security and Risk Management- Energy and Utilities Industry
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Picus completes the task it is required to do perfect as a BAS solution. Threat database is up to date & updated frequently after a new malware or campaign.

IT Security Engineer - Banking
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Using Picus, we can conduct risk analysis about possible attacks for their impact on people, processes and technology layers.

IT Manager - Healthcare and Biotech Industry
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A very successful platform where we can test the accuracy of our security investments and see their scores.

Manager, IT Security and Risk Management - Manufacturing
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Picus is very good attack simulation tool in overall. It shows all security vulnerabilities and guides..

Sr. Information Security & Risk Officer - Banking
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There is a very nice team from which I can get quick support. The application provides us with great convenience and confidence in our work.

Information Security Specialist - Transportation
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We've been using product for seven years. It's very useful and easily integrated with the network environment and security products.

System Engineer - IT Services
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If you have a complex environment and not enough human resource, Picus will help you to prioritize your tasks with its extended detection capabilities.

IT Specialist - Insurance
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We have been using Picus more than 1,5 years, we can truly say this product gives us every aspect of our protection. Its suggestions save our times and show us how we are ready for upcoming threats.

CIO - Banking
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It helped us a lot in detecting faulty configurations and troubleshooting. It also gave us an idea about the investments we are planning to make.

IT Security and Risk Management - Retail
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Sutter Health’s Continuous Security Validation With Picus

Challenges & Results

The Challenge

The Solution

The Outcome

What Our Customers Say

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How a K-12 School District Gained Visibility into Attacks Its Defenses Missed

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Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (ISG) Transforms Critical Infrastructure Security with Picus

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