AlgoSec has added new features to its flagship security management suite to help organizations leveraging next-generation firewalls.
In version 6.2, the company has introduced support for Palo Alto Networks’ next-generation firewall technology with added features for automated policy analysis and lifecycle management. While other products offer a “snapshot” analysis for Palo Alto devices, the updated AlgoSec suite focuses on workflow automation and guides users through the entire change workflow – from analyzing change requests to validating changes have occurred, AlgoSec Vice President of Business Development Nimmy Reichenberg, told SecurityWeek.
“All of this is done inside of AlgoSec FireFlow, which provides a framework of customizable, role-based workflows, a complete audit trail and SLA measurements,” he added.
In addition to the new support for Palo Alto, AlgoSec has added support for Blue Coat’s Secure Web Gateway (SWG) product. Device management consoles are typically used for provisioning devices, but managing security policy changes can be a complex and time-consuming task, Reichenberg said.
“Automated workflows provided by AlgoSec help organizations understand which changes are required, which devices and users are affected, designing changes in an optimal fashion, tracking and auditing all changes, and ensuring devices are optimally configured,” he said. “The change workflow is automated and streamlined from the start. From the Blue Coat ‘blocked’ screen, the user can click a link to open a change request ticket through AlgoSec FireFlow and ultimately into the company’s help desk ticketing system. FireFlow provides the intelligence to ensure that the policy design change is performed without causing other network availability or security issues.”
The company has also added features to enable security teams to generate maps of network firewalls and routers, as well as integrate local AlgoSec appliances with central operations and management across geographically distributed sites.
“Dealing with today’s advanced targeted threats requires both new approaches to network security and making sure that existing network security defenses are implementing the most secure policies possible,” Gartner analyst John Pescatore said in a statement. “Enterprises need to be sure they understand what their current network security posture is and make sure they have the agility to rapidly evaluate and implement necessary changes to security policies.”
