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How CyberWinter Studios Transforms Air Force Operations for Peak Efficiency
Case Study
Background
CyberWinter Studio started as a garage-based hobby focused on developing innovative solutions for the Department of Defense. It has since grown into a research and development firm known for delivering rapid returns on investment through automation and customized solutions. Their current project focuses on using automation to streamline processes and operations for a state-level unit of the Air National Guard. This project covers 27 wings, spanning diverse fields like Force Support, human resources, and inspections.
John Grigg, CyberWinter Studios’ Founder and Operations Director, has been leveraging Swimlane for the past six years. In this case study, Grigg shares his insights and tells the story of Swimlane’s impact and effective automation outcomes. He reveals how they’re saving the Air Force tens of thousands of dollars each month a HR Ticketing use case alone, in addition to automating several other workflows.
OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES FOR THE MILITARY
Time Constraints and Limited Resources
With limited resources and a constant need to accomplish more with less, the U.S. Air Force faces a significant efficiency challenge. With such a wide range of operations, a huge amount of data, and many separate systems, this complex environment urgently needed process automation, as there is “way too much to do and not enough hours to do it.” Through the AFWERX SBIR program, the Air Force partnered with CyberWinter Studios to enhance efficiency within its units. To accomplish this, CyberWinter Studios developed a proof of concept (PoC) that consolidated all disparate Air Force systems into a single data lake, and then applied process automation with Swimlane. This PoC is deeply ingrained in the Air Force. “They handed us all these disparate systems across the Air Force that held evaluations, medical, and personal records. Said, Grigg. “We unified them into a single data lake and used Swimlane to automate the processes, transforming chaos into streamlined efficiency.”
CYBERWINTER STUDIOS AUTOMATION VENDOR MUST-HAVES
A Robust and Flexible Automation Solution
CyberWinter Studios explored various automation tools, including business intelligence solutions and local agents, but these fell short as they couldn’t adapt to the specific processes. CyberWinter realized that to develop and deploy a platform customized to the Air Force’s needs, they needed an automation platform that was robust and flexible enough to build custom content that could meet the Air Force’s unique process and technical requirements. As a service provider, it was critical for CyberWinter Studios to select an automation platform that could provide the visibility needed to maintain oversight for all processes.
Modern Solution for SOAR
CyberWinter Studio evaluated several solutions, comparing open-source options, traditional SOAR platforms, and modern security automation-based SOAR alternatives. They needed a solution that could deliver three essential capabilities: visualization, a robust automation engine, and effective data management. Swimlane was the only platform that met all these requirements. Grigg adds: “For doing it all and doing it quickly, nothing beats Swimlane.”
THE SWIMLANE AUTOMATION SOLUTION
After selecting Swimlane, CyberWinter Studios quickly began deploying and implementing custom workflows. They found that several core areas of Swimlane were especially beneficial for their operations.
Ability to Integrate With Any API
CyberWinter Studios first leveraged Swimlane’s out-of-the-box integrations with systems like Microsoft and SharePoint for rapid setup. They then develop their own integrations and custom playbooks in Python to address the unique needs of the Air Force. This approach provided the perfect balance between ease of use and the flexibility needed to customize solutions for specific requirements.
The Air Force uses a business analytics platform that consolidates data from millions of databases as part of it’s core data fabric, so CyberWinter developed a custom Python integration allowing Swimlane to process all data from a single source and automate tasks. This integration ensures all units share the same data objects, giving them a common operating picture, reducing disputes. As Grigg put it, “Swimlane’s ability to ingest millions of data points has been the biggest source of ROI, as it ensures we’re all speaking the same language.”
Ultimate Flexibility and Customization
With 90 wings, each with unique processes, the Air National Guard has a highly complex environment, requiring extremely flexible automated solutions. CyberWinter Studios helped the ANG simplify and streamline this complexity using flexible and customizable automation templates within the Swimlane platform. First, CyberWinter Studios built their own automation solutions templates within Swimlane that could be reused and customized as needed. Now, CyberWinter Studios can simply customizes existing templates with detailed elements and requirements for each new Unit. This allows for quick adjustments and bypass lengthy deployment pipelines. As Grigg explained, “What we create for one unit can be used for all. Built to exact specifications, now it’s shared with every unit. We can codify tribal knowledge and ensure everyone receives the same metrics at every level: wing, unit, and beyond. With Swimlane, we just build what works.”
TOP AUTOMATION USE CASES
Ticketing Automation for Real-Time Mission Support
Mission support ensures smooth and efficient operations by providing essential services and resources. Ticketing, which tracks and resolves requests and issues, is crucial for this, and automating it accelerates response times to maintain mission readiness. Though ticketing processes may vary by business unit, the core needs remain: efficiently managing and resolving issues to ensure operational continuity and mission success. CyberWinter Studios leverages Swimlane to automate and streamline this process.
Swimlane is used to capture a Unit’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for request routing for any type of ticket that Force Support Personnel might generate. For example, if an Airman is ready for promotion, the Force Support Squadron (FSS) can generate the promotion package, then open a ticket, attach the package, and route it through the chain of command for approval. Although it may sound straightforward, the ability for a FSS to route tickets the same way, in the same format, every time makes a huge difference when it comes to running an efficient unit.
The Value of Reusable Playbook Templates
Originally implemented to streamline a single unit’s Force Support and HR ticketing processes, the automated mission support ticketing use case was expanded and adapted seamlessly to other units who voiced demand for the same content. For each new use-case, CyberWinter Studios creates and deploys a customizable, reusable automation workflow that is then tailored by each unit to meet its specific requirements.
As John Grigg notes, “Everytime we deploy a playbook, it’s based on a master template. For each unique internal use case, we have a whole set of content that we deploy out, it takes just 2 minutes, and then the unit is free to customize however they want. We don’t reinvent the wheel every time.”
Automating Readiness for Rapid Response
The idea of readiness varies by role—what readiness means for pilots differs from that of maintenance crews—but the core concept remains the same. Readiness means that each unit is prepared to perform its duties. Swimlane streamlines this process by automating and enriching over 3,000 field calculations, covering everything from annual training, manning, to other items like medical status and fitness. This gives Unit Commanders and decision-makers clear visibility into the status of each unit or wing. This information can be filtered down to the individual level, allowing leaders to easily generate reports with a single click to determine which units or wings are ready.
Unified Real-Time Readiness Dashboard
“At the end of it, the Air Force is able to just click a button and generate a report to see which unit or wing is ready or not.” Grigg notes: “What’s interesting about Swimlane is that it combines data aggregation, process automation with millions of calculations, and visualization to provide actionable intelligence. Readiness may mean different things at different levels, but Swimlane enables us to track it from HQ down to individual units and personnel, all from a single source and in a consistent format.”
CYBERWINTER STUDIO’S AUTOMATION RESULTS
8 Hours Saved per Integration Built
By integrating core components of the Air Force’s Data Fabric with Swimlane, the AF has significantly reduced the time needed to merge new data sets and share this data across the enterprise. Some processes that used to take 9 hours now only take 45 minutes, greatly speeding up the data integration process and freeing up valuable time for analysts.
Over 400K Hours Freed Up Monthly
The Air Force measures ROI primarily through efficiency and time savings. Automating processes with Swimlane has been game-changing for the Air Force’s ROI, freeing up approximately 4,500 hours per wing, each month. If scaled across the entire force, the ticketing automation for mission support use case alone translates to a ROI of 400,000 hours saved each month.
Optimized Operations for Peak Performance
Swimlane’s powerful automation platform processes millions of fields every week, dramatically streamlining workflows across all wings and ensuring data consistency and unified operations throughout the force. “We free up cycles for them to go do other things,” comments Grigg.
ADVICE TO GET STARTED WITH AUTOMATION
With his extensive experience with security automation, Grigg highlights the value of starting with a focused approach. “When starting with automation, focus on one clear task,” advises our expert Grigg. “Pick an area where you know the data input, field management, and the expected end result. Automate this task first, and then build on it gradually. Trying to tackle everything at once can be overwhelming and often leads to getting nothing done.”
Straight from the Source
I would recommend Swimlane to my peers because it’s one of those platforms you don’t realize you need until you start using it. Then you can’t get off of it, because you see what’s it’s able to provide.
John Grigg
Founder & Ops Director
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