Managed Service Providers
Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are increasingly using AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer (AFA) to meet their clients' firewall operations and security risk management needs. MSPs have various options to determine the most effective delivery mode of AFA to an MSPs' clients.
MSPs Offer AFA as a Software as a Service (SaaS)
MSPs are increasingly opting to offer AFA to their clients as a Software as a Service (SaaS). Providing AFA as a service generates new revenue for MSPs by enhancing Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
Fueled by the current down market where companies are looking to improve operational efficiency while cutting costs, the AFA delivered as a SaaS also opens new opportunities for MSPs which pay as they go, ensuring maximum revenue with zero risk.
AFA makes it possible for MSPs to easily and effectively manage multi-firewall, multi-vendor security environments and gain essential visibility to make informed decisions regarding network traffic. AFA’s intelligent algorithms and unique ability to map the network topology provides unprecedented insight, streamlines firewall change and risk management, and provides IT governance where it did not exist.
Aside from the proven benefits the SaaS model affords to end-user customers – better manageability, scalability, and value for resource-conscious organizations – MSPs delivering the AFA as a cloud-based service are reaping new benefits as well, including:
• Increased flexibility in the services you offer and greater speed in provisioning those services.
• New revenue streams by easily absorbing new clients faster and rapidly provide new services to existing customers.
• Serving multiple customers from a single platform by providing access control per customer and through unique algorithms that support parallelization.
• Web-based access and email alerts to key stakeholders at your client organizations, providing tailored visibility on-demand.
MSPs tasked with managing large numbers of firewalls will find the AFA to be the perfect solution for ensuring that regular rule changes do not introduce any new risks, and for monthly firewall audits. AFA helps MSPs offer consistently high quality with less experienced personnel. Use AFA to differentiate yourself when competing for new deals. Provide AFA as a SaaS or offer AFA as an add-on service to your existing and new clients.
MSPs Use AFA at Customer Sites
Outsourcing requirements are unique in that the MSP may utilize in-house and/or third party tools to assist in the management of the customers network. Because of this, the burden of procuring these tools may be on the MSP and profitability becomes an issue if these tools are too expensive, especially if they are used on a temporary basis. Because of this, AlgoSec's pay as you go model when MSPs use AFA as a SaaS provides peace of mind. In addition, AlgoSec has created a special pricing model for MSPs who see the value acquiring the AFA and in implementing it at their customer sites.
Another case follows the staffing model, where engineers are placed at the customer site for a period of time and, in some cases, may be treated as employees. Depending on the type of engagement, the MSP employee may have the ability to introduce new products into the enterprise environment.
In any scenario, AFA can play a central role in the regular operation and management of the customers firewall infrastructure.
Most MSPs hire talented information security experts. Nevertheless, according to surveys, every large enterprise firewall policy includes serious risks that are unknown to the MSP. The large investments in infrastructure and personnel are essential however not sufficient to bring the expected security.
AFA also generates reports which can be used to test the effectiveness of firewall related IT processes which are regulated by legislation such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Basel II Capital Accord, HIPAA, BS 7799 / ISO 17799, FISMA, Payment Card Security Standard PCI DSS, Cyber Security Standards (CIP) etc. Such compliance tests will help you address more customers.
When looking at a firewall operations and security risk management solution consider the following checklist:
- Clean existing risks and make sure that new risks are not introduced
- Execute the change process faster, and more safely
- Locate and fix human errors before damage occurs
- Make current rules safer
- Do not interfere with network operations
- Track progress
- Comply with SOX and other regulatory requirements
- Comprehensive analysis - not just a spot check
- No false positives
- Handle a large number of firewalls
- Handle multiple vendors uniformly
- Work automatically
- Get notified about new risks
- Share information with the relevant people
You can address all the above requirements and more using the AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer (AFA) .
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