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Partnering On Cloud Journey And Security Modernization
Technical debt from legacy equipment, complexity from multi-vendor solutions, and data center dependency. These factors can weigh down companies and spur them to modernize their systems and migrate applications to the cloud.
Case in point: A global business services provider found their multi-vendor mix of legacy network and security offerings had become a burden to their business. The company teamed with Sayers for a rapid cloud migration and a modern approach to network security.
Here’s how their cloud journey and new platform approach led to greater efficiencies, agility, and resilience.
The global business services provider sought a partner to help them with three key transitions to improve their agility, efficiency, and security posture:
● Quickly migrate from decades of physical data centers to a multi-cloud environment
● Re-architect their Wide Area Network (WAN) approach across more than 100 branch locations, shifting from WAN-as-a-service and firewall-as-a-service from their carrier
● Move from data center-dependent virtual private networks to a secure cloud-based access solution for remote and mobile users.
Following a series of architectural design discussions, Sayers recommended consolidating the company’s network security needs to a single-vendor (Palo Alto Networks) platform while migrating the customer into the cloud within an aggressive timeline.
A combination of evaluation systems and demo environments showcased the technologies for the large-scale deployment. Over a six-month timespan, Sayers built out multiple cloud regions for the customer using four cloud providers, deployed virtual next-generation firewalls, and migrated applications.
The platform-based solution included Palo Alto Networks Prisma SD-WAN and Prisma Access across the branch locations for secure access, and Panorama for centralized firewall management and unified security policies.
Ken Wisniewski, Senior Security Architect at Sayers, says:
“Exiting the data centers necessitated a change away from an incumbent VPN access solution. That was a natural addition to the overall architecture and strategy we were designing for them, which included Secure Access Service Edge at the branch and VM-series in the cloud. That teed up Prisma Access for mobile users quite nicely.”
Overall deployment took about a year, due to the time-intensive refresh of hardware at the branch locations.
After a successful implementation, Sayers engineers continue to work with the global business services provider to optimize the system for even more capabilities. Hands-on training and knowledge transfer sessions further strengthen the company’s experience with the new technologies. Wisniewski says:
“When we walk away, we want the customer to be fully enabled to manage their infrastructure. We pride ourselves on helping them reach that position where they’re able to go forward and get the most from the security platform.”
In one of several large security deployment projects Sayers has completed, this global business services provider switched from legacy architectures in multiple facets of their environment to a unified platform approach.
By shifting from physical data centers to public cloud-based deployments, the organizationnow benefits from increased agility and disaster recovery capabilities. The company plans to expand its cloud presence to include additional geographic regions and business units.
With the move to the new platform, the company can standardize its security policies across different environments. Wisniewski says:
“Whether a user is on a virtual desktop environment, in the cloud, at a physical location, or remote, they’re going to get the same experience. They will have the same security controls and capabilities applied to them – unified, consistent, and repeatable.”
What began as a goal to migrate to the cloud as quickly as possible has evolved into a broader zero-trust strategy for security policies and optimization of the network security platform. Sayers continues to engage with the company to deliver additional platform elements such as SSL, decrypt enablement, and firewall-based deployments for security at the edge.
Throughout the project, Sayers has become actively involved in the company’s technology-related decisions and roadmap planning to best achieve the organization’s objectives. Wisniewski says:
“Our customers appreciate the high level of engagement, value, and insight we’re bringing to the table, which they expect to receive from us as a trusted advisor.”
Questions? Contact us at Sayers today to discover extensive technology solutions, services, and expertise to cover all areas of your business.
