Customer
success stories

Interview details 

Interviewee: Robert Elgidge, Security Solutions Director at Natilik Company: Natilik, UK-based global managed service provider Client: Rothschild, a multinational financial services institution 

Background 

Natilik, a global managed service provider, collaborated with AlgoSec to address the complex security challenges faced by Rothschild, a financial services leader with over 60 offices in 40 countries and $2.5 billion in annual revenue. Rothschild’s operations include investment banking, asset management, and private banking, as well as advisory roles for governments. Given their critical global role, securing and streamlining their IT infrastructure was a top priority. 

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Natilik’s expertise spans five key solution areas: 

• Collaboration and modern work: enabling seamless communication and productivity across teams. 

• Customer engagement: enhancing customer experiences through tailored digital solutions. 

• Modern networks: building secure, scalable, and high-performing network infrastructures. 

• Multi-cloud and data centers: supporting hybrid and multi-cloud environments for agility and scalability. 

• Cybersecurity: providing end-to-end protection, which underpins all other solution areas. 

Cybersecurity forms the backbone of their offerings, ensuring clients like Rothschild can navigate an evolving threat landscape while maintaining compliance and operational excellence. 

Primary use case 

Rothschild’s primary challenges stemmed from fragmented security policies and inefficient manual processes. According to Robert Elgidge:

“Rothschild’s large global firewall estate led to poor visibility and cumbersome management. AlgoSec was introduced to simplify these complexities, but initially, the company struggled with change management, approvals, and deploying firewall rules. Although AlgoSec offered the technology and intelligence needed, a significant amount of manual work was required to align stakeholders and integrate workflows.” 

AlgoSec’s deployment ultimately allowed Rothschild to consolidate security policies and automate manual processes, reducing errors and freeing resources for higher-value projects. 

Most valuable features 

Robert highlighted several standout features of AlgoSec: 

“AlgoSec’s rule intelligence feature was crucial. It identified which firewall rules were essential and which could be removed, dramatically simplifying the structure. This optimization not only improved performance but also saved significant costs. Initially, Rothschild considered investing in new firewall infrastructure, but AlgoSec’s ability to streamline and prioritize existing rules negated that need. The resulting performance boost was substantial, avoiding unnecessary expenses and improving operational efficiency.”  By focusing on rule prioritization and optimization, AlgoSec enhanced Rothschild’s security posture and operational outcomes. 

Areas for improvement 

Despite AlgoSec’s benefits, Robert noted areas for potential improvement: 

“Internal challenges with workflows and approvals persisted. While AlgoSec provided the technical capabilities, a more tailored approach to building or improving management processes would have been helpful. The main difficulties lay in the bureaucratic side of things, such as aligning request and approval roles.”  These challenges highlighted the importance of aligning organizational processes with advanced security technologies. 

Usage duration 

“My experience with AlgoSec began in 2022, during its deployment at Rothschild. Shortly after, I transitioned to another organization that also used AlgoSec, which gave me further insight into its capabilities across different environments.” 

Solution stability 

Robert praised AlgoSec’s reliability: 

“There were no stability issues. Once AlgoSec was fully integrated, it became the central authority for rule management. We removed manual admin rights from the technical team, ensuring all changes went through AlgoSec. This approach eliminated human error and reinforced the solution’s effectiveness.” 

Customer service and support 

“The technical support team was highly skilled and responsive. However, in regions like Brazil, where collaboration often involves discussions and in-person meetings, a purely technical approach didn’t always fully address our needs. A more consultative support model could enhance the customer experience in these scenarios.” 

Initial setup 

“Deploying AlgoSec was challenging due to the complexity of Rothschild’s network. However, the technical support team acted quickly to address any issues, ensuring the implementation proceeded smoothly. Once the environment was stabilized, maintenance and ongoing use were straightforward.” 

Return on investment 

AlgoSec delivered a strong return on investment for Rothschild: 

“The money saved on after-hours work alone justified the tool within the first year. By optimizing firewall rules and automating workflows, we achieved significant operational savings. This freed up resources for other critical business initiatives, directly contributing to profitability.” 

Pricing, setup costs, and licensing 

“Compared to other solutions like Tufin and FireMon, AlgoSec was competitively priced and stayed within budget. There were no significant additional costs apart from standard licensing fees. While we did hire new personnel to support change management, that was more related to internal processes than the technology itself.” 

Final insights 

Robert shared his advice for organizations considering AlgoSec: 

“AlgoSec is best suited for larger enterprises with complex environments, especially those with multiple firewall vendors and over 500 rules. For smaller setups, the added complexity of a dedicated solution might not be necessary. However, for businesses dealing with significant network complexity, AlgoSec simplifies management and delivers substantial value. I’d rate it 10 out of 10 for companies with the right use case.”