AlgoSec Security Management Solution

The Ridgefield Park, New Jersey native company boasts over 1,800 global firms as its customers, helping them secure mission-critical workloads across private and public clouds and on-site networks by combining their network security management into one comprehensive solution, the AlgoSec Security Management Solution.  

AlgoSec offers users an easy to-access-analyzer of all devices on a given network, showing a comprehensive view of data flow and routes in a network. While having large enterprises in mind, the access it provides to all aspects of a network’s security for both on-premise firewalls and cloud services would make it an ideal addition for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well.

Furthermore, AlgoSec was built with hybrid in mind, as the firm boasts its “Agility & Security” catchphrase, which encompasses complete visibility into application connectivity and security policy anywhere. App-centric risk and compliance for the network are available, with the element of automation in terms of available compliance reports. 

The official site offers a treasure trove of information on how their solution can help businesses stay safe online. These include video presentations, as well as an option to book a demo session and test-drive the solution in a personalized environment.

Plans and pricing

The average annual license starting price for one firewall cluster is $5.000, but it largely depends on the organization's size, the number of users, and the options included in the package. 

However, to find out how much exactly will this tailor-made solution cost you, your best bet is to get in touch with AlgoSec’s team and request a price quote by filling out an application form on their official site. To submit this form, you’ll have to surrender some personal information, including your full name, email, and phone number.

Moreover, the company offers a money-back guarantee with specific terms dependent on the deal size and whether the product was evaluated in the customer's lab. This provides an excellent opportunity for organizations of all sizes to test out the product and decide whether the product is the right fit for them or not for no cost.

Features and Functionality

The solution is easy to install and configure in a new environment, offering a smooth user experience when collecting traffic logs and audits. 

The functionality and features will depend on what has been bought from AlgoSec, as there is a suite of components. Still, we will cover all of them, starting with the AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer (AFA), which builds an end-to-end network model. With the detailed reports it offers, you will be able to address some potential security holes and issues. 

In essence, this module represents the solution's foundation, where settings and preferences will affect the following two components, FireFlow and AppViz.

FireFlow represents a change management and ticketing system to automate changes in security policies, ensuring their implementation as intended. Administrators receive access to a lot of customization options, which on the other hand, will require more technical knowledge to set things perfectly, thus steepening the learning curve.

AppViz focuses on application-centric security policy management to better align the network security teams with the application users. For customers with FireFlow, the AppViz comes as standard, triggering relevant change requests once the setup has been completed. Layered on AppViz is the AlgoSec AutoDiscovery module, which lets users pinpoint business flows in the installed network.  

Whether you want to utilize only AlgoSec’s firewall analyzer or other services, it will prove to be a valuable and versatile tool. For instance, you can control the firewall policy overview and optimization by rule reordering and suggestions to delete unused rules. Furthermore, it gives you complete visibility into the risk involved in firewall change requests.

Interface and ease of use

AlgoSec installation can vary based on the license bought, with AFA, FireFlow, and BusinessFlow being the more standard bundle bought by firms. AlgoSec provides customers with the following installation options: hardware appliances that come preinstalled with AlgoSec software that requires no installation of the software; virtual devices, where a pre-installed VM image is given to users to deploy on their systems; cloud deployment, software to be deployed in cloud environments such as AWS or Azure to manage devices from the cloud.

Users, given passwords from their administrators, can log in using the Security Management Suite login page, which is relatively straightforward. After logging in, AFA displays a graphical summary of risks for devices, security rating, number of rules per device, and number of changes in all firewalls, if not customized differently.

In the top left-hand corner, products can be seamlessly changed via a drop-down menu, while an administrator menu is available for users with root privileges. Many customization options offer users the ability to adjust the boxes and what is displayed at the start page to make the entire experience more informative and easier to navigate.

Customer support

AlgoSec has a rich and detailed knowledge base aimed at preventing unnecessary queries to customer support, as it covers almost every imaginable scenario. 

On the other hand, that seems odd as the pricing levels should allow users to pick up a phone and get support immediately, 24/7. There is also an option to open up a support case ticket through the AlgoSec portal, which boasts fast response times. 

For the AlgoSec hardware solution, there is dedicated technical support via phone consulting, where the response time is maxed out at 6 hours, 24/7/365, which is quite good.

Competition

Users looking for similar solutions elsewhere turn to Tufin Network Security Policy Management, possibly the first competitor that comes to mind, as it, too, can cover large networks with a lot of users. Its tool for uncovering risks in firewall configuration, SecureTrack, is unmatched, with network topology features that enable more straightforward configuration. However, updates to the software have been made much more complex and cumbersome than required.   

CloudGuard Network Security (IaaS) also competes in the arena by offering cyberattack intelligence focusing on on-premise and cloud-set databases. While expensive, CloudGuard also offers clunky policy creation and editing features which relegates it most of the time to a few spots below AlgoSec. 

Finally, Palo Alto Networks Panorama offers an intuitive GUI called Panorama, where users can easily configure everything related to firewall security and much more. High reconfigurability makes the tool versatile and, in the hands of proficient administrators, a great way to secure a business’s online presence.

Final verdict

AlgoSec represents a versatile security solution with outstanding management capabilities, from firewall configuration to automated reporting and “zero-touch” automation. Suggestions offered by the solution on preventing or treating vulnerabilities work like a charm.

In the end, the price tag and number of configuration options did not allow us to give the solution a perfect 10 out of 10, but it is mighty close.

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