ManageEngine Adds Cloud Control to Firewall Analytics Software to Curb Shadow IT

39261, March 24, 2015 (Newswire.com) - ManageEngine, the real-time IT management company, today announced cloud control capability for Firewall Analyzer, its security log analysis and firewall device management software. Using this new feature, security professionals can identify the shadow IT operating beyond the administrators' control. The cloud control capability includes new reports that empower security administrators to monitor beyond network app usage and bandwidth consumed and to exercise control over shadow IT.

With the advent of cloud, mobile apps, and BYOD, IT infrastructure is getting complex and becoming increasingly difficult to manage when compared to the relative simplicity of managing the legacy client-server architecture. Where as the cloud, app, and user owned devices increases the complexity.  An application that can be accessed via multitude of devices paves the way for shadow IT. The shadow IT does not come within the domain of the security/network administrators. This leads to compromise of network security.

"When security monitoring expands up to the cloud, which has no clear boundary demarcation, Firewall Analyzer has to brace up to meet the challange. The overall shift in IT demands intelligent monitoring and reporting of security events. We foresaw this and strengthened Firewall Analyzer with new dimension reports to monitor mobile and cloud apps, app categories, and app usage by users. With these reports, the security administrator can find out what is happening beyond the network but is still having an impact on the network.."

Pravinkumar, product manager for Firewall Analyzer, ManageEngine

A classic case of shadow IT is international telecom operators do not allow forwarding the calls from offshore to inland local number. But this security and government regulation is circumvent by one of the mobile apps provided by the same company. The intention of the mobile app is to give a better user experience, but it bypassed the security restriction of the telecom application which could result in a breach. The telecom application has its own checks and balances in place to secure the network. But, the cloud and the mobile apps security needs to be strengthened. Security monitoring needs to shift the focus on cloud and shadow IT.

“When security monitoring expands up to the cloud, which has no clear boundary demarcation, Firewall Analyzer has to brace up to meet the challange” said Pravinkumar,  product manager for Firewall Analyzer, ManageEngine. “The overall shift in IT  demands intelligent monitoring and reporting of security events. We foresaw this and strengthened Firewall Analyzer with new dimension reports to monitor mobile and cloud apps, app categories, and app usage by users. With these reports, the security administrator can find out what is happening beyond the network but is still having an impact on the network." 

ManageEngine provides the solution to control the cloud and thereby prevent event shadow IT. With the new cloud control feature, Firewall Analyzer provides the following reports:

●     Specific app- and app category-based bandwidth consumption

●     Specific app- and app category-based events occurred

●     App usage statistics per user