GlassHouse Chief Technology Officer Lütfi Yunusoğlu spoke about the Opinnate Success Story. Yunusoğlu said:
“I can say that Opinnate is a very important business partner for us. It allowed us to grow our business without expanding our team.
GlassHouse is a service provider that has been operating in the Turkish market for over 20 years. In the last 8 years, it has focused particularly on managed cloud services. Within this scope, with nearly 200 employees, we manage the IT infrastructure of companies, work with their IT teams, and provide consulting services in every area.
What challenges did you face before starting to use Opinnate?
We were managing our firewalls using traditional access methods. When the number of firewalls and customers, and therefore the number of rules, increased, things got out of control. Problems arose such as rules that did not comply with the policies of companies and customers. We experienced all of these from time to time. We had to manually check whether the action was correct or contradicted another policy. This always involved a delay. That delay was a risk in itself.” We needed an automation solution because of problems that everyone was actually facing.
What factors led you to choose Opinnate?
When choosing the solution, we looked at the players in the market. We started working with these companies. The difference with Opinnate was that they gave us a trial opportunity from the very first meeting. They said, “It’s not just the features you saw in the presentation. Let’s do these things in your environment, and then you can make your decision.” That helped us understand better what we needed. After that, the common point from the employees running the operation, the reporting, and everyone in my team who commented on it was that we needed this solution.
How did your installation, implementation, and integration processes proceed?
We had a very quick installation. Since a trial installation of the product was already underway, our team was prepared regarding the requirements. However, since it would be a live installation, there were still some things we needed to pay attention to. But the Opinnate team, with their experience, helped us at every point, and we completed the installation in less than a month without disrupting our operations.
Which features of Opinnate helped increase your efficiency?
For us, initially, it was crucial that the rules were in line with the policies we had defined. Because many of our customers come from regulated sectors. These sectors have their own dynamics and demands in terms of security. While meeting these, we also need to show them proof that we are doing our job correctly. In the results of annual penetration tests or similar studies, firewall rules are, of course, examined. There were some comments there. We addressed these first and worked to eliminate them. We achieved approximately a 40-45% improvement. So, for example, if we have 1000 rules, Opinnate gave us the chance to clean up 400 or 450 of them. This feature alone was reason enough for us to use the product. Another point is, of course, the features in the authorization and policy implementation phase. When I write a rule, I can send it for approval to another employee who is more experienced and competent in this area. After that approval, these rules are implemented. This again eliminates human error and potential security vulnerabilities before they even occur. Opinnate is a very important business partner for us here, and it has allowed us to grow our business without expanding our team. For us, Opinnate is now a part of our operation. Therefore, when we open a new data center or expand our security infrastructure, Opinnate will be one of the first places we turn to.
Partnering with Opinnate: The Path to Success
In today’s rapidly changing business world, technology and automation solutions play a critical role in the success of businesses. In this context, business partners offering innovative solutions, such as Opinnate, have become an important resource for businesses to increase operational efficiency and gain a competitive advantage. GlassHouse, as a service provider that has been operating in the Turkish market for over 20 years, evaluates its partnership with Opinnate in this context. In this article, we will examine how the partnership with Opinnate creates value for GlassHouse and the details of this collaboration.
GlassHouse’s Technology Journey
GlassHouse, as a service provider that has been operating in the Turkish market for over 20 years, has focused particularly on managed cloud services in the last 8 years. With nearly 200 employees, as a company that manages the IT infrastructure of firms and provides consulting services in every field, their commitment to technology and their search for innovative solutions are noteworthy.
Limitations of Traditional Methods
For GlassHouse, firewall management using traditional access methods had become unmanageable over time. The increase in the number of firewalls and customers, along with the growing number of rules, led to insufficient manual controls and delays. This increased the company’s operational risks and highlighted the need for automation solutions.
Introducing and Trial Process with Opinnate
Opinnate provided GlassHouse with the opportunity to experience its solutions not only theoretically but also practically, from the very first meeting. This process helped GlassHouse better understand its needs and choose the right solution. Opinnate’s trial installation ensured the team was prepared for the requirements and resulted in a rapid installation process.
Installation and Compliance Process
The Opinnate team, with its experience, assisted GlassHouse at every stage and completed the installation process in less than a month. Initially, ensuring that the rules complied with the defined policies was of critical importance. Opinnate, through its solutions in this area, has enabled GlassHouse to meet security standards and provide proof to its customers.
Automation and Authorization
Opinnate’s automation solutions have minimized human error, eliminating security vulnerabilities proactively. During the authorization and policy implementation phases, rules submitted for approval to more experienced employees have ensured more effective management of security processes.
Future Plans with Opinnate
Opinnate has become an integral part of GlassHouse’s operations. When a new data center opens or the security infrastructure expands, Opinnate is positioned as one of the first points of contact. Thanks to its centralized solution, Opinnate offers the ability to manage the entire firewall structure through a single interface, increasing GlassHouse’s operational efficiency and strengthening the resilience of its cybersecurity ecosystem.
Conclusion
The partnership with Opinnate has provided GlassHouse with a solution that increases operational efficiency and strengthens its cybersecurity ecosystem. By pushing the boundaries of traditional methods and providing innovative solutions in automation and authorization processes, this collaboration has enabled GlassHouse to optimize its business processes. This partnership will continue to play a significant role in GlassHouse’s future growth plans.
About the Wise
