Overview

The Client is an Indian multinational information technology(IT) services and consulting company. It is among the top largest publicly traded companies in India, with expertise in Digital, Engineering and Cloud, they deliver solutions that fulfil the traditional and transformational needs of their clients across the globe.

They have robust procedures inplace to defend against cyber threats. Secure configurations act as the first line of defence against cyber-attacks. As part of this strategy, the network undergoes regular audits.

Challenges

They approached Velocis with a clear mission: to fortify the security configurations of network devices dispersed across multiple locations worldwide. They wanted to holistically tackle the challenges that they were facing with their current setup:

• Configuration Drifts: These inconsistencies often affected the solidity of hardening configurations, necessitating a more dynamic approach.
• Inefficient Manual Audits: With over 80% of configurations slipping through the cracks, manual auditing was proven inefficient and unreliable at this vast scale.
• Risk to Brand Integrity: The manual efforts were not just time-consuming but posed a risk of breaches, threatening brand integrity.
• Rising Cost : Upholding manual compliance comes with its fair share of challenges and a hefty price tag.
• Lack of Asset life cycle view: There's no single go-to source for tracking the life cycle stages of assets (from purchase to retirement), leading to increased security risks.
• Inadequate Monitoring of Critical Services:  Gaps in monitoring essential network services such as NTP, Syslog, and High Availability can lead to prolonged troubleshooting times and challenges in adhering to compliance standards.
• Compliance Evidence: Manual collection of compliance evidences from network is complex & requires skilled resources to execute the job.
• Outdated CMDB Information: The CMDB isn't consistently updated to match the actual network products in use, leading to outdated information and potential security and operational issues. 

Overcoming these challenges was pivotal to overhauling and uplifting their security posture.

Solution

Velocis’s Engineering Services introduced the "Compliance Engine", it has been designed with a nuanced understanding of the unique and evolving challenges faced in network security and compliance. It conducts automated regular audits, identifies non-compliant devices, and is equipped with features for auto-remediation. It is compatible with a range of network devices and OEMs, covering Cisco Network devices, and other OEM’s switching & routing, including firewalls, ensuring a comprehensive application in varied network environments:

1. Automated Audits and Compliance: The network’s configurations are systematically reviewed & remediated. Evidences are collected to align with regulatory & compliance guidelines to minimize vulnerabilities.
2. Service Synchronization: A mechanism is put in place to ensure that critical services, including NTP, Syslog and high availability are effectively monitored and function as intended
3. Minimizing IOS Security Vulnerabilities: The Engine plays a pivotal role in reducing IOS security vulnerabilities, ensuring a fortified and resilient network infrastructure.
4. ‍Comprehensive Asset lifecycle view: This involves a systematic and updated record-keeping of all network assets and appropriate Workflow triggers associated with various asset life stages to ensure proactive management and reduced security risks.
5. ‍Real-time Monitoring Dashboard: A user-friendly dashboard provides real-time insights into the network security posture , enabling swift actions and informed decisions.
6. Compatibility and Integration: Engine’s design allows for a seamless integration with existing ecosystems, enhancing control and simplicity in managing security.
7. Customized Workflows: Triggers and workflows are tailored to meet organizational needs, ensuring a responsive and adaptive security protocol.

This approach signifies a thoughtful progression towards a more secure and efficient network environment, with a focus on addressing specific, identified challenges through targeted, adaptive solutions.

‍

Business Outcomes

Initial challenges included inefficient manual audits and a lack of a unified platform for asset and lifecycle management. The Engine counteracted these issues with automated regular audits, auto remediation and an integrated asset life cycle, leading to strengthened compliance and enhanced network uptime. The once fragmented approach to network security transformed into a unified, efficient workflow, thanks to the Engine's capacity to bridge the gaps between NetOps and SecOps teams. It seamlessly integrated with existing ITSM ticketing systems and databases, introducing a holistic change management approach that was pivotal in reducing compliance costs and leakage. 

Regular workflow triggers and real-time monitoring ensured the network's resilience and adaptability, aligning with the need for continual improvements in compliance and uptime. As a result, the organization met the operational and security benchmarks, marked by reduced costs, enhanced security, and simplified compliance operations.