From Manual to Managed: Scaling Securely with WatchGuard Cloud
Challenge
To support their evolution from a hardware-focused model to a fully managed service offering, MME Consulting, Inc. migrated to WatchGuard Cloud. This move empowered them to manage devices remotely and securely, offering centralized visibility and control across their entire deployment.
Managing devices locally worked well for MME Consulting for many years, but as their client base expanded, the manual nature of the process became more time-consuming.
“The biggest problem was managing and troubleshooting locally, which created an overwhelming call volume,” said Mike Ricks, Senior Network Engineer. “Every day, we’d get requests for simple tasks, but they still took up a lot of time. Clients needed to make changes, and we were doing all of that manually.”
Streamlining Management with WatchGuard Cloud
MME decided to move to WatchGuard Cloud as part of their evolution toward more scalable, centralized operations. The shift also supported their transition from selling stand-alone devices with licensing to offering fully managed services to clients. WatchGuard Cloud enabled remote management of Firebox devices, giving the team the ability to oversee and update hundreds of devices from anywhere.
“It’s a game-changer. Now, I can make changes across hundreds of devices in minutes instead of hours, and I don’t need to be physically present with the equipment,” Mike explained. “The ability to manage devices remotely and securely from any location was crucial to improving our service offering.”
Router replacements, once a lengthy process, became quicker and simpler. By utilizing WatchGuard Cloud’s one-to-many functionality, Mike emphasized, Router replacements now take less than 10 minutes. I can simply copy the configuration from an old router to a new one. Now, we can scale quickly and seamlessly. This reduced the burden on MME’s technicians and allowed them to complete rollouts more efficiently, providing faster service to their clients.
The Impact: Boosting Efficiency, Reducing Calls, and Enhancing Security
Since migrating to WatchGuard Cloud, MME has experienced significant operational improvements, leading to both time and cost savings. One of the most impactful benefits has been the reduction in the volume of support calls. As a result of the simplified management system, MME no longer needs to handle the day-to-day troubleshooting tasks that were once a regular part of their support load. This has freed up valuable time and allowed the team to focus on higher-level strategic activities, which has led to increased client satisfaction.
“The number of calls has dropped drastically. I used to get calls for simple tasks like whitelisting websites; now, I barely get these types of calls,” Mike explained. “It’s not just about saving time, but also about providing better service to our clients. The Cloud solution has drastically improved the efficiency of our operations.”
MME has also benefitted from enhanced security management through WatchGuard Cloud. With centralized policy management, MME’s team can ensure that all Firebox devices are configured according to best practices, reducing the risk of security vulnerabilities. The ability to push updates and manage settings remotely has also allowed MME to maintain a high level of security across all client networks, without the need for on-site visits.
“We’ve been able to improve security practices across all of our clients. Now, we can ensure that each device is compliant with best practices without having to physically touch each device,” Mike concluded. “The visibility we now have into our clients’ devices and networks is invaluable.”