ANSecurity - Experts & Thought Leaders

ANSecurity, an advanced network, and data security company, has become a Palo Alto Networks Managed Security Services Partner (MSSP). ANSecurity has delivered Palo Alto Networks security solutions for over 10 years, and as David Hood, CEO, explains, “We already work with many of our clients using Palo Alto Networks technology as part of our own co-driver managed services methodology, and this certification is a formalisation of a long-standing relationship that validates that our security teams have the skill and expertise to implement and manage the entire product portfolio in accordance with best practice.” Availability on cloud categories The new Palo Alto Networks Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) offering will also be available via the Crown Commercial Services G-Cloud 12 Framework as part of the 20 security-focused services that ANSecurity has available through G-Cloud across Cloud Hosting, Cloud Software, and Cloud Support categories. Stuart Taylor, WEUR channel director at Palo Alto Networks, said, "ANSecurity has been a trusted partner of ours for about 10 years, currently holding Platinum status. Palo Alto Networks is pleased to award them MSSP status." "We look forward to working together to help customers transition to a managed services model that offers many benefits in terms of delivering an improved security posture while overcoming the acute cybersecurity skills shortage we see in the market today.” MSSP offerings  The ANSecurity Palo Alto Networks MSSP offering includes support for Next-Generation Firewalls, Advanced Endpoint Protection, SaaS Security, and Centralised Management and is backed by a 24/7 Security Operation Centre (SOC). The services are delivered within a flexible engagement model using co-driver, a methodology that helps organisations to better tailor service levels and support to their individual needs.

Pulse Secure, the provider of software-defined Secure Access solutions, announces its new suite of secure access solutions for hybrid IT that provides organisations a simplified, modular and integrated approach to modernise access productivity, management and Zero Trust control. Pulse Access Suite Plus helps businesses of all sizes and industries consolidate disparate security access tools to gain seamless, secure access to applications and resources from any location, network and device. According to Enterprise Strategy Group, 36% of enterprises are actively integrating disparate security analytics and operations tools to form a more cohesive security software architecture. CISOs are seeking scalable, intelligent, and automated solutions that can greatly improve security efficacy, operational efficiency, and business enablement. Architectures and integrated platforms At the same time, more than half of organisations consider seamless compatibility with their on-premises infrastructure as the most important consideration within their hybrid IT strategy. As such, architectures and integrated platforms will continue to supersede best-of-breed point tools in 2020 to align with the changing security needs of hybrid IT, mobile workers, and IoT device growth. Pulse Secure’s Access Suite Plus portfolio offers a compelling package that aligns to this procurement trend" “While organisations typically model how ‘best of breed’ solutions align to their requirements, many buying decisions consider the broader value of buying complementary and integrated technologies from a reduced selection of vendors. Pulse Secure’s Access Suite Plus portfolio offers a compelling package that aligns to this procurement trend,” said Jeff Wilson, chief analyst for cybersecurity at Omdia. Enabling secure access solutions Pulse Access Suite is a secure access solution set that provides adaptive identity and device authentication, protected connectivity, extensive visibility and analytics, and threat response across mobile, network and multi-cloud environments. By consolidating disparate security access tools into an integrated platform, enterprises gain easy access for users and a single-pane-of-glass to streamline provisioning, management and scalability. Organisations can centrally orchestrate Zero Trust policy to ensure compliant access to applications, resources and services across distributed network, private cloud and public cloud environments. “Now more than ever, companies must enable Secure Access solutions that enable them to digitally transform their organisations while providing their users simple, secure, and consistent access to their applications and infrastructure regardless of where they are deployed and independent of device and location,” said Sudhakar Ramakrishna, CEO of Pulse Secure. Secure access functions “With our new Pulse Access Suite Plus, organisations gain more flexibility and capabilities to empower workforce mobility, and quickly scale secure access functions to optimise resources, support new business requirements, incorporate acquisitions, ensure business continuity and meet data protection requirements.” The Suite brings together a comprehensive secure access portfolio comprised of: Secure remote and cloud access with Zero Trust policy enforcement Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and single sign-on (SSO) Device compliance and mobile device management (MDM) Endpoint and IoT device profiler, and network access control (NAC) User and Entity Behaviour Analytics (UEBA) and anomaly detection Application delivery controller (ADC) and Web Application Firewall (WAF) Optimal Gateway Selection (OGS) High availability and business continuity options Pulse One centralised management Experience superior productivity The Pulse Access Suite Plus also adds numerous new functions into this integrated offering, including: advanced User and Entity Behaviour Analytics (UEBA), service level and high availability assurance through virtual Application Delivery Controller, and on-demand emergency capacity coverage. Cloud and security infrastructure “The Pulse Secure Access Suite, since its launch in 2017, has experienced widespread adoption by our customers representing more than 50% of our new business. The Pulse Access Suite Plus represents an acceleration of this critical initiative to deliver the capabilities and interoperability enterprises and service providers need to remain agile and experience superior productivity, visibility and compliance.” added Sudhakar. Pulse Access Suite Plus comes in essential, advanced and enterprise editions Access Suite work with an enterprise’s existing network, cloud and security infrastructure and supports physical, virtual and cloud deployment. The solution supports a broad array of applications; legacy, Cloud and SaaS. With Pulse Access Suite, enterprises realise lower total cost of ownership while attaining procurement, deployment, expansion and support advantages. Pulse Access Suite Plus comes in essential, advanced and enterprise editions – each edition extends secure access functionality to support hybrid IT access and Zero Trust control. Access Suite are available within annual subscription, licensed by concurrent or named user, with prices starting from $80.00 to $155.00 USD per user per year. Virtual and cloud configurations Pulse Secure Appliances, sold separately, are available in physical, virtual and cloud configurations. Pulse Access Suite are sold through a global network of authorised partners and managed service providers. “Pulse Secure is a dedicated and focused vendor that has listened to our needs and created a Suite that fits how we as a channel want to sell Secure Access,” said David Hood, CEO of ANSecurity. “It helps us win more deals and grow our existing customers. In the last year, we have doubled the amount of business we transact with Pulse and our pipeline is consistent. The shift towards the software suites has made it easier for us to close bigger and more profitable deals.”

ANSecurity, a specialist in advanced network and data security, announces a successful ‘always-on VPN’ security solution for The Stafford Railway Building Society that is helping to meet security, continuity and remote working requirements for the award-winning, local financial services provider. Originally championed by a small group of railway workers, The Stafford Railway Building Society was established in 1877 and is still going strong with a focus on straightforward, good value products backed by a plain-speaking, friendly service. In 2018, the society scooped the coveted ‘Best Local Building Society’ in the Mortgage Finance Gazette Awards. Automation of internal functionality The Society is firmly committed to embracing the changes and challenges of today’s society Although proud of its tradition, the Society is firmly committed to embracing the changes and challenges of today’s society. In late 2017, the Society migrated its Core IT system to Mutual Vision, a private cloud-based application. This provides the Society with improved capability to further develop both a more efficient, automated member-facing process and significant scope for the automation of internal functionality. During 2018, the Society concentrated on embedding the new core system and utilising the additional features it had to offer. The first significant enhancement being the introduction of SRBS Mortgage Hub to give Mortgage Brokers a digital connection to the Society. The IT team also began a dual-use project to implement more remote working with the aim of increasing flexibility for staff while also strengthening its business continuity planning so that it can work remotely in the event of any site impacting issues at its head office. Highest levels of security “Continuity planning and security are two major requirements for us,” explains Heather Hamilton Head of IT for Stafford Railway Building Society, “Although we have disaster recovery arrangements it would be difficult to operate our service in the event of a major outage. In terms of security, any type of remote access needs to have the highest levels of security to meet our regulatory requirements as well as industry best practice.” We wanted to make the process simple for our staff to use and the IT department to manage" “Lastly, we wanted to make the process simple for our staff to use and the IT department to manage - what we wanted was a solution that could solve all three challenges in an elegant way.” Hamilton contacted ANSecurity for advice following a recommendation from an IT contractor that had carried out an earlier project at the Society. Successful proof of concept “ANSecurity did an assessment and created a solution that would ensure that all of our access, both internally and from remote workers would be validated by an always-on VPN along with digital certificates embedded on each device,” explains Hamilton. Following a successful proof of concept, the full roll-out of the Pulse Secure VPN took place over a two-day period, including staff training. “The solution allowed us to turn off the secondary WIFI network and now everything runs over a single network and is automatically validated before the user can access any applications,” she explains. This strangely has been one of those things that we deployed, and we've actually had positive feedback" “The login is really easy to use for the staff, as all the additional checks are all happening in the background. This strangely has been one of those things that we deployed, and we've actually had positive feedback where we've had staff come to us and say... ‘oh that always-on VPN is really good,” Hamilton adds. Delivering clear return on investment The Society is now rolling out remote working to staff in stages and the initial feedback has been very positive. “It not just for home working,” she says, “We have also had positive feedback from our executives who can now quickly and securely access our key apps without any issues while away from their desks in meetings on or off site.” The solution has delivered a clear return on investment, reduced the number of calls to its IT helpdesk and proven extremely reliable. “ANSecurity has been with us every step of the way during this project,” says Hamilton, “They have been both professional and helpful and delivered a solution that easily exceeded our expectations,” Hamilton concludes.