Hey guys,
I recently came across this forum because I was trying to find anyone who has experience with Bluecat. They provide DNS protection services and I'm possibly looking to get it for my business. Their product listings are here
DNS, DHCP & IPAM Solutions | BlueCat
Can you guys tell me your personal experiences or do you think their services are necessary for me. I run a chain of restaurants in Toronto.
This is basically a SaaS with a primary focus on granular control of DNS. (and VDI DHCP) Unfortunately I don't have experience with this particular firm but you can find a wealth of firms offering SaaS and ITaaS types of services. I assume you are working to reduce your IT budget and are looking to retain a firm to manage such matters, is that correct? As with most corporate/enterprise, you want to avoid products/services that will increase false positives, constant warnings/popups and require intense management which will drive up your IT support costs, increase employee frustration and possibly impede productivity. There is a fine line between protecting your networks and causing too much inconveniences.
Also look into a managed services provider. (Google Managed IT Services for your city) For a small monthly fee they will remotely manage all of your IT. They can handle out of state activity with local contractors, etc. One area to touch on that is critical, your email protection. Be sure to have a centralized, managed spam/antivirus/ransomware system setup for email. Either SaaS or utilize a cloud solution like Trend HES w/Machine Learning for attachments if you have IT that can manage it. Having a robust, managed and carefully turned hosted email protection solution is absolutely critical.
Finally.. Be worried about any IT that recommends Windows Defender as a stand alone, sole protection on endpoints. Question any IT that recommends Sonicwall. We see a lot of BAD IT using Sonicwall and there is a reason for this. Sonicwall will actually program the entire UTM/NGFW for you for free. Other UTM appliance companies will not do this. So if someone gravitates toward Sonicwall, in a good number of cases they just don't know enough about corporate/enterprise gateway protection to stand on their own two feet. (not always the case, but in most of the cases I have seen - yes)
Lastly - if you are asking these questions then I would consider hiring a consultant or professional to vet solutions for you. That way you won't have as many surprises or make as many mistakes. Good luck in your ventures!
