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David Groot founded Windstar Technologies Inc. in 2004 to provide complete support for clients looking to outsource their IT needs. Windstar services small businesses, including medical, legal and nonprofit organizations, that want to eliminate the headache of managing and resolving computer and network issues. From data backup and cloud solutions to managed IT and network security solutions, Windstar provides all things IT-related that a small business owner needs.
Groot had originally been using WatchGuard to fulfill their firewall router needs. However, he found the experience to be difficult, often struggling through their policy configuration and setup process, leading to the frustration of not being able to accurately generate reports for clients. Groot became aware of Untangle in 2008 when he attended a third-party webinar. “With the free trial, I was able to test out the product, NG Firewall, in our office first,” said Groot. “I was pleasantly surprised at how extremely robust, yet manageable, the product is.” After learning the many features his clients could benefit from, Groot began implementing NG Firewall Complete at Windstar’s client locations.
Because Untangle provides perimeter security, Windstar can add their other solutions, like proxy and DNS servers, to create a network environment that fits each of their clients’ needs. “We rely on many of the apps in NG Firewall Complete to provide a network security and threat management solution for our clients,” said Groot. ”Virus Blocker, Spam Blocker, Web Filter, and Application Control are just some of the apps that protect and filter network traffic, stopping malware, hacking and phishing attempts before they reach users.”
The Directory Connector application helps Windstar’s clients utilize their existing Microsoft Active Directory, RADIUS or local directory, so usernames and groups are automatically authenticated and logged. “Our clients love all the reports we can generate within NG Firewall,” said Groot. “Because the Reports app allows us to drill down into any aspect of the traffic on the network, we are able to give specific and detailed reports to our clients.” The Reports app runs within NG Firewall, eliminating the need for additional hardware, and provides fully dynamic, interactive and customizable reports. With Reports, Groot is also able to set up alert rules so if any condition is met, for instance an authorized user trying to access the network, he and his staff are immediately notified so they can take swift action.
“We also utilize the IPsec VPN application to provide secure site-to-site tunnels for clients who have remote users and locations,” said Groot. IPsec VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between locations, enabling them to function as a single virtual network. This eliminates the need to have firewalls at each location, saving money and resources. “For some of our customers, we run NG Firewall in the public cloud”, said Groot, “which allows us to simplify security policy configuration by deploying in a central location and routing traffic dynamically.” Untangle NG Firewall can be run in the public cloud to provide secure connectivity to business-critical applications while minimizing confguration and management overhead.
Untangle’s products are easy to set up, with an interface that is intuitive and responsive, without compromising security.
In order to easily manage their multiple clients, Windstar relies on Untangle’s centralized management solution, Command Center. With Command Center, Groot can quickly and easily manage all their NG Firewall deployments from any browser. “We use Command Center to manage the day-to-day activities of each site,” said Groot. “Our remote help desk uses it to access sites, and our field technicians can log in from their tablets to view and resolve any issues sites are having.” Command Center integrates seamlessly with NG Firewall to provide global insights, alerting, management, remote login and reporting.
With Untangle NG Firewall and Command Center in their portfolio of products, Windstar is set up for success as they bring on new clients. “The product is invaluable to us,” said Groot. “Security products often vary, from easy to extreme, in their level of difficulty to implement and manage. Untangle’s products are easy to set up, with an interface that is intuitive and responsive, without compromising security. We are able to customize each of our clients’ sites based on their requirement, ensuring each network is proactively managed and secure.”
We rely on many of the apps in NG Firewall Complete to provide a network security and threat management solution for our clients.
Untangle’s NG Firewall platform combines Unified Threat Management—to address all the key network threats—with policy management tools that enable you to define access and control by individuals, groups or company-wide. NG Firewall enables you to quickly and easily create the network policies that deliver the perfect balance between security and productivity.
Untangle Command Center provides a cloud-based centralized management platform for all NG Firewall deployments. Command Center allows administrators to quickly and simply control Untangle NG Firewall deployments from any browser—without the costly purchase and maintenance headache of an on-premise solution. Command Center integrates seamlessly with NG Firewall to provide global insights, alerting, management, remote login and reporting, ideal for managed services providers (MSPs) and distributed enterprises.
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