A few months ago, I wrote a blog on “SASE as a Service” that described how managed services providers (MSPs) can be a catalyzing force for transforming to SASE and bridging the gap between networking and security teams. Since then, LevelBlue has released a series of managed SASE offers that bring together intelligent networking and cloud-based security in support of our customers. These offers represent practical implementations of the principles I described in my previous blog, one of these being LevelBlue SASE with Palo Alto Networks.
Since its release in June, we’ve been working diligently to enhance the offering with capabilities that truly make it a world-class ‘as-a-service’ offering. Below are some of those capabilities now available as part of our offering:
Dedicated SASE delivery & operations teams
LevelBlue’s award-winning network and security management teams have come together to deliver and manage SASE services on behalf of our customers. Bringing these teams together will help ensure that all five pillars of SASE—SD-WAN, FWaaS, SWG, ZTNA, and CASB—are implemented in a seamless and efficient manner. Moreover, ongoing support of the technologies will be managed through LevelBlue’s Integrated Service Experience to provide first-touch for customer issues, initial triaging of tickets, and proactive remediation of known issues.
Customized policy management options
Business needs change in near real-time, and your networking and network security controls need the ability to support these ever-evolving needs. That’s why we have enabled flexible policy management options where businesses can modify their business and security policies as needed while LevelBlue manages the service infrastructure. This allows businesses to focus on managing their business without having to worry about ensuring the technology is up and running.
Participation in the LevelBlue Product Showcase
Most of us like to test drive a car before we buy it, and large transformational technology solutions should be no exception. The LevelBlue Product Showcase has served as a vehicle for demonstrating proofs of concept and proof of value for our customers, and we’ve expanded the capabilities of the showcase to include the full LevelBlue SASE with Palo Alto Networks offering.
Expansion to consulting services
Along with the strategy services previously announced, LevelBlue consulting has expanded to also include deployment services and architect retainer programs to support delivery and ongoing management, respectively. The deployment services provide extended solutioning such as dedicated architects, data classification reviews, and compliance exercises. The architect retainer services provide customers with a resource to lean on with any questions as they utilize their SASE services.
Advanced BlueApp for enhanced security reporting
In the initial press release, we announced intent to provide deeper integration with the SASE service. That deeper integration has arrived in the form of an Advanced AlienApp for Panorama management platform. Panorama is used to manage a portion of the LevelBlue SASE with Palo Alto Networks technologies, and this Advanced BlueApp will provide USM Anywhere customers with deeper visibility into threats as well as capabilities to streamline orchestration and remediation.
Managed Threat Detection & Response integration
Leveraging the previously mentioned Advanced BlueApp, LevelBlue Managed Threat Detection and Response (MTDR) service can be layered on top of LevelBlue SASE with Palo Alto Networks to provide proactive threat management capabilities. Additionally, MTDR pulls in intelligence from LevelBlue Labs and the Open Threat Exchange.
Ongoing collaboration with Palo Alto Networks
As Palo Alto Networks makes enhancements to their SASE technologies, LevelBlue will work closely with them to thoroughly test the new capabilities and certify them as operable in the LevelBlue SASE with Palo Alto Networks service. Moreover, LevelBlue has onboarded dedicated engineers and backline support technicians to ensure the highest caliber of support for our mutual end-customers.
“SASE provides the most optimal path for enterprises to modernize for streamlined connectivity, security and productivity in today’s distributed environment,” said Yogesh Ranade, Senior Director of Product Management at Palo Alto Networks. “LevelBlue’s SASE solution powered by Palo Alto Networks helps protect organizations of all sizes while enabling speed, growth and cost reductions.
