AlgoSec is used for firewall change requests, utilizing FireFlow and the application wizard to onboard applications. FireFlow is used extensively throughout the organization. Using AlgoSec for firewall change requests and onboarding applications has significantly improved daily workflow. Previously, if a user had a connectivity requirement within the bank, they would raise it manually via email, requiring the operation team to record the information and deploy the policy on the firewall. After implementing AlgoSec FireFlow, users now have an interface to provide basic information and submit requests, allowing the operation team to handle deployments more efficiently with the help of ActiveChange. This process flow eases both users and firewall engineers while expediting the deployment process for the bank.
AlgoSec has significantly increased our deployment speed and reduced the time required for our engineers to process firewall changes. It streamlines our overall workflow, ensuring that connectivity requests are completed much faster and consistently within our defined SLAs.
AppViz was recently adopted and represents another level from FireFlow because it provides more insights to both the application perspective and the firewall team perspective. Currently, many rules lack ownership clarity, but since using AppViz, awareness has increased regarding firewall requests coming from specific applications and the reasons for each rule's existence. This enables application owners to see all their firewall rules in one place, which is especially useful when replacing staff in case an application owner moves departments or organizations.
AppViz is valuable due to its ease of use for application owners, enabling them to see existing policies. If they need to test new connectivity, they can do so without contacting the firewall team; they can test connectivity themselves and raise requests only if blocked. Previously, they would contact the firewall team for permission, consuming both their time and the operation team's time. With AppViz, the process is much easier.
The best features AlgoSec offers include AppViz, which is still in its early stage but provides better visibility and insight.
Application owners can now clearly see which rules exist across the infrastructure. Before implementing AlgoSec, they had zero visibility into existing connectivity policies, but now they can answer those questions directly.
AlgoSec has greatly improved visibility by providing application owners with a single interface to view existing firewall policies. They can now check and test connectivity on their own before reaching out to the security team or raising a new change request.
AlgoSec has improved collaboration substantially. Having all rules and requests in a single, centralized view reduces friction between teams because both the application owners and security engineers are looking at the exact same network policies.
Application context is extremely important to us. Having that context allows our security team—especially during security incidents or audits—to quickly pinpoint why a specific firewall rule exists and map it directly to the responsible application owner.
AlgoSec has made managing application connectivity significantly easier. Centralizing all relevant information onto a single platform gives our application teams direct, clear visibility and removes the guesswork from understanding our network environment.
AppViz needs to add more capabilities, specifically for object flow modification because it is still in the early stage for this feature, and any improvements in object modification would be beneficial. AppViz should include more features and flexibility in terms of objects. For complex deployments within the network infrastructure, considerable custom configurations are required. If AlgoSec anticipates these needs with more use cases, it would be advantageous.
Currently, reporting features are lacking, and more insight would be desired in reports.
AlgoSec has been used for more than eight years in the bank, and all products within AlgoSec are utilized.
AlgoSec is stable with multiple instances running smoothly without frequent downtimes, making it stable and reliable.
AlgoSec's scalability is impressive. Since everything is VM-based, if utilization increases, the hardware can simply be enhanced as needed. It works well in terms of scalability.
Customer support is generally better, though there are complex cases that understandably take time, especially if fixes need to be tested on their end. Bug fixes require time to complete.
No other technologies were used before switching to AlgoSec.
The process of calculating ROI is underway with the help of ART, but it is certain that the time savings in deployment is significant.
The reason for selecting a rating of eight is because AlgoSec is easier to use and has a lot of depth in certain aspects. The deployment is easier than with competing technologies, and the support is generally very good in resolving tickets, though there are cases that take longer due to the need for fixes. I would advise others considering using AlgoSec to note that it features multiple suites, covering various technologies, and it is easy to use. I would rate this product an 8 out of 10.