The AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer was greatly used for firewall analysis, policy tuning, and optimization. The automated change management feature was very useful and integrates seamlessly into the change management process.
Works
Helps to maintain and provide regulatory compliance metrics and to optimize the overall security of the organization
Pros and Cons
- "It saves time by allowing administrators to test network traffic and pinpoint which rules are being triggered for a particular traffic flow."
- "I would like the reporting to be more customizable, as per user and auditing needs."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
This solution helps in maintaining and providing regulatory compliance metrics and to optimize the overall security of the organization. It provides great visibility into your firewall rules, thereby allowing you to eliminate redundant or overlapping rules. It saves time by allowing administrators to test network traffic and pinpoint which rules are being triggered for a particular traffic flow.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features to me were the following:
- Testing network flows and optimizing firewall policies.
- Obtaining regulatory and compliance metrics for audits.
- Visualize complex networks using the topology maps.
- Simple interface and ease of navigation.
What needs improvement?
The product has a lot of great features already. However, I would like the reporting to be more customizable, as per user and auditing needs.
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AlgoSec
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about AlgoSec. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
814,763 professionals have used our research since 2012.
For how long have I used the solution?
Less than one year.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a highly scalable solution as per my experience.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I haven't used any other solutions.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I do not have much information on the pricing, as I wasn't part of the actual procurement process. I was told that the pricing and licensing was comparatively fair.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I did a basic evaluation of FireMon, which had identical features to the AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Works at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
I like the ability to manage all network security equipments centrally
What is our primary use case?
- To manage the various network security equipment deployed
- Be able to detect unauthorized changes in those equipment.
How has it helped my organization?
It is still being deployed, but it shall enable reliance on more third parties out of the IT security team without losing the assurance that the configurations are under control.
What is most valuable?
- Ability to manage all the network security equipment centrally
- Ability to delegate to local ITs the network security equipment change requests
- Ability to decrease the necessary workload to enable network connections, troubleshoot
- Ability to detect unauthorized or non-compliant changes in the network security equipment configuration.
What needs improvement?
Ability to manage more diversity of equipment, as well as simplify the management of the various workflows.
For how long have I used the solution?
Still implementing.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
No previous solution.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Yes: Tufin.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
AlgoSec
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about AlgoSec. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
814,763 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Deputy CISO/ Security Architect at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
I have found the firewall optimisation feature to be very valuable
What is our primary use case?
I use AlgoSec for my firewall rule optimisation, compliance baseline auditing, firewall change reviews, etc.
How has it helped my organization?
AlgoSec has helped tighten the rules on my firewalls, reduce the risks or exposure, and also meet regulatory compliance.
What is most valuable?
I have found the firewall optimisation feature to be very valuable because most developers don't know the ports or services their applications are running. After running the rules on any services for a short while, AlgoSec helps get the right service ports and IP addresses.
What needs improvement?
The product or service could be improved by orchestration or automation that will help in changing the rule sets on the firewalls based on the detected used services/ports and IP addresses.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
AlgoSec has been very stable compared with its pairs.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution's scalability is impressive.
How are customer service and technical support?
Service/technical support are good at their job and responsive.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
No, I didn't.
How was the initial setup?
It is quite easy to deploy and manage.
What about the implementation team?
Implemented through a vendor and their level of expertise is high.
What was our ROI?
Worth every penny, and the value realisation is great.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
AlgoSec is worth every penny for the value or return of investment.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
No evaluations. AlgoSec was recommended, and we got a trial version for a period.
What other advice do I have?
None.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Works with 10,001+ employees
Enables us to track the complete process of the change, have it fully documented and implemented much faster than it was before
We are using AlgoSec for security policy change management.
Firewall environment in our enterprise consists of Check Point firewalls, which controls communication between a couple of our LAN areas (Office, Production, Facility, Logistic, Development...). The frequency of service requests coming to the queue can be very high and that put a lot of challenges in front of the security team. The additional challenge is that we also have an outsourcing company which implements those service request for us.
We searched for the product that would help us to deal with such challenges and after a couple of comparisons, we decided to go with AlgoSec. That was a decision we never regretted.
AlgoSec is allowing us to track the complete process of the change, have it fully documented and implemented much faster than it was before.
I can highly recommend AlgoSec, it makes everyday work easier.
What we would like to see in the future from AlgoSec, is integration with Cisco DNA Center in order to track TrustSec changes in SD-Access fabric.
Since we already see that integration with Cisco ACI is in place, I suppose that integration with another controller for Software-Defined Networking should be on the product roadmap.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
VP Global Cyber Security Operations at NTT Security
Unused rules, hidden rules, and dangerous combinations of rules are easily found and tracked
Pros and Cons
- "Unused rules, hidden rules, and dangerous combinations of rules are easily found and tracked by using AlgoSec."
- "AlgoSec is able to provide a consistent view into all of an organization's firewalls, regardless if the management is done by different companies."
- "I would like to see continued expansion to other firewall versions, platforms, and vendors."
What is our primary use case?
Since approximately 2005, I have used AlgoSec in almost all of the companies that I have worked at. AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer (AFA) continues to be my favorite product, as well as the core of other AlgoSec products. My teams use AFA to validate firewall (FW) changes, see hidden and complex rules, identify dangerous combinations of rules across many enterprise firewall situations, and enable a risk-based approach to firewall rules and associated risk management.
How has it helped my organization?
AlgoSec is able to provide a consistent view into all of an organization's firewalls, regardless if the management is done by different companies, e.g., Check Point's, Cisco's, and Palo Alto's firewall policies are presented to the security team in a consistent format. This enables risk management decisions to be made without detailed understanding or experience in various underlying firewall technologies or management systems.
What is most valuable?
AFA is the best feature. It shows consistent information regardless of the underlying platform. Unused rules, hidden rules, and dangerous combinations of rules are easily found and tracked by using AlgoSec.
What needs improvement?
- I would like to see continued expansion to other firewall versions, platforms, and vendors.
- I would also like to see continued work on the roadmap.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Software Engineer at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Able to monitor all firewalls under one umbrella. Needs better technical support.
Pros and Cons
- "Setup is easy. Just run the script and all seems fine."
- "Auditors can get PDF or CSV reports without having to give them access to firewalls."
- "To be able to monitor all firewalls under one umbrella."
- "Needs better technical support and quicker response times."
- "Having the ability to patch an issue as oppose to upgrading the entire suite."
What is our primary use case?
To be able to monitor all firewalls under one umbrella. It makes it easy for customer to get their reports.
How has it helped my organization?
- Reports run easily to my management.
- Searching on IP address to find out the firewalls.
- Streamline tickets
What is most valuable?
Reports and baseline are the most important feature for auditors. Auditors can get PDF or CSV reports without having to give them access to firewalls.
What needs improvement?
Having the ability to patch an issue as oppose to upgrading the entire suite.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Once you upgrade to latest version, it is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No issues.
How is customer service and technical support?
Needs better technical support and quicker response times.
How was the initial setup?
Setup is easy. Just run the script and all seems fine.
What about the implementation team?
In-house with some help from Professional Services, who are knowledgeable and helpful.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing is okay and the licensing can be a little tricky with the initial setup.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated other options. FireMon and Tufin were on the list but AlgoSec won out. It is better.
AlgoSec may be little pricier with its licenses, but it is probably better than any of other competitors.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Cyber Security/ Network Intelligence Professional at EliteVAD
ALGOSEC - Automate Firewall Security Policy Orchestration
What is most valuable?
- Granular visibility
- Risk rules evaluation
- Saves with manual processes and dependencies
How has it helped my organization?
- Saves person-hours
- Security tightening and optimization in minutes
- Loophole identification which helps with compliance
- Effective tracking and automation of change management
What needs improvement?
Automated policy push for the Fortinet product family. The Active Change/Automated Policy push feature is already there for all other leading devices such as Cisco, Check Point, Juniper, and Palo Alto, etc.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used it for two years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
It's not hard to deploy, and can be run on a virtual environment.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a robust easy to use platform.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It has highly scalable architecture.
How is customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
The customer service team is reliable.
Technical Support:They have time-zone matched technical/SLA support and local response team available.
How was the initial setup?
It is pretty straightforward and a piece of cake for the network engineers.
What about the implementation team?
Initial implementation is highly recommended to be done through a vendor and/or subject matter expert so you can leverage the best of the features.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
AlgoSec is a best of class solution with unique value proposition. Licensing has flexibility perpetual and subscription models, and by identifying your own real needs can achieve savings.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
As a fair evaluation, other solutions are available in the security policy cleanup area. However, AlgoSec stands apart with a visionary business centric approach – not limiting itself to a mere firewall security cleanup tool. With AlgoSec, we also get an automated security change management/compliance solution. It has the unique and powerful application connectivity auto-discovery and then translates these to firewall rules. This is useful to achieve automation during datacenter migration, etc.
What other advice do I have?
AlgoSec is a business-driven security management solution, a comprehensive and visionary solution which covers what needs to be covered in firewall security visibility, security change management, and application-security connectivity. AlgoSec as a platform fills the gaps between the otherwise disconnected teams - Security, Network and Applications - within an organization.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: We are value added distributors of the solution and are confident that we have the best choice in helping customers manage security at the speed of business.
Technical Engineer - Technical Security at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Great defined templates and complete workflow system with helpful technical documentation
Pros and Cons
- "It enhanced the complete workflow system within six months of deployment."
- "Initially, we found this as a complex deployment."
What is our primary use case?
We planned to start with AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer and later procured FireFlow as well.
We deployed Fireflow as we have been migrating the Infrastructure to SaaS, increasing in multi-vendor engagements on multiple Network and Security layers and handling requests from roaming users ends.
AlgoBot has been enabled to few users to validate their requirements and requests on their own, which has helped them to understand their current access and to create requests that are very accurate and relevant.
With respect to the environment, it's distributed with various network and security solutions, with multiple zones and a maintenance team.
How has it helped my organization?
Over the period of two years, we integrated the AlgoSec Firewall Analyzer and FireFlow on multiple solutions including next-generation firewalls, web security, proxies, and other network devices.
On the improvement part, we enabled the common set of policies across firewalls and proxies. This tool helped us eliminate the requirement to have L3 engineer in our other data centers and our Tier 1 and 2 engineers utilize the solution well from the configuration and maintenance areas.
We simply pass over three to four external agency audits on various particulars which we spent more time on before onboarding the solution.
What is most valuable?
One of the most valuable parts for us is to achieve the compliance standards without ample strain and burden. Defined templates assisted us to make effective on following the internal processes and the industry standard.
It enhanced the complete workflow system within six months of deployment. We eventually onboarded by integrating with multiple solutions.
We performed regular audits internally to standardize and to pass the external audits effortlessly.
In simple words, this process empowered us to define a metrics among our industry and set the development goals clearly.
What needs improvement?
Support tickets and engineer assignments are one of the few concerns we are facing these days. Initially, they were hard to co-ordinate with the technical support team and the AlgoSec management team helped us to follow the defined Service Level Agreements.
We needed to directly communicate with the integrated solution TAC Teams, let say of Palo Alto or Checkpoint, and we needed to co-ordinate jointly for addressing an issue.
The AlgoSec support team came on a joint call to address the issue on time without saying "this is not my cup of tea" and by then we were happy about the support. This happened during one of our major migrations.
Our management is expecting us to set up a CXO/CISO dashboard from AlgoSec. It would be great for us if the AlgoSec team could assist in setting up the new benchmark.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for more than two years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Over the period of two years, we have seen multiple enhancements being made available inside the product. One of the new requirements is on containers/Docker/Kubernetes where AlgoSec really needs to focus. I am not sure about the availability of the latest support release, however, these are booming technologies and we require solutions like AlgoSec to support them.
How are customer service and support?
Earlier it was good. Possibly due to the pandemic, we faced a couple of challenges in getting the support on time. That said, now it's getting better.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Earlier we used to manage everything with our internal and vendor team, where lots of coordination was required. It was a long time-consuming process of gathering requirements and defining the best possible solution.
Since few of the solutions were being managed by outsourced team, it was challenging to make the solutions ready to integrate with AlgoSec during the deployment phase.
Some delays happened due to the lack of support by the external party. There were some delays due to upgrading products to make everything compatible with AlgoSec Analyzer and FireFlow.
How was the initial setup?
Initially, we found this as a complex deployment. Later, it was easier than anticipated. We referred to the technical documents and AlgoPedia portal to understand more and deployed successfully within the proposed timelines.
What about the implementation team?
Our in-house team took care of almost everything and the AlgoSec team did the governance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We'd like the solution to share the complete Infrastructure details along with the business use cases with AlgoSec SE to evaluate and propose the best fit deployments and licensing.
Pricing-wise, AlgoSec still needs to support the customers.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Skybox and Tuffin as well. Our internal team showed interest in AlgoSec right away, however, Skybox was a real challenge to differentiate.
What other advice do I have?
Technical documentation and readily available solution blogs helped us to deploy the solution in a better way
AlgoPedia helped us in many ways - including sharing information on the new vulnerabilities, management of appliances, and maintaining the workflows (by providing enough insights to explore and understand).
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Updated: November 2024
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