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What happens when you hand us a deployment that's stuck

Two engagements, two platforms, two lean IT teams supporting more than a thousand users each. Here is what they came to us with, what we did, and what they said afterward.

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Cisco Secure Access (SASE)

The client

IndustryPlumbing, heating, cooling, and piping distribution
Revenue$416.1 million
IT team20-plus, supporting 1,000-plus computer users
LocationsMultiple sites on the East Coast

"We had the pleasure of working with Donald at Padlock Technologies, who expertly guided our Cisco Secure Access deployment. Donald's deep technical knowledge and professionalism made the process seamless. Every challenge was met with clarity and confidence, ensuring a smooth rollout. Highly recommend Padlock's services for any network security initiative."

VP, Information TechnologyRegional distribution company

Secure remote access for 1,000-plus users, without the VPN concentrator

The situation

  • Had just bought Cisco's Secure Access platform and wanted it implemented to Cisco's best practices, not figured out on the job.
  • Wanted to use Secure Access's zero-trust network access (ZTNA) to authenticate access to private resources.
  • Wanted remote-access VPN as a service, to retire the on-premises VPN concentrator.
  • Wanted DNS-layer security and SSL decryption offloaded to Secure Access to protect remote clients wherever they were.

What we did

  • Full assessment of the client's Secure Access deployment against their requirements.
  • Deployed multiple connectivity strategies in Secure Access for access to private resources.
  • Implemented ZTNA for selected private resources, reducing the need for remote-access VPN.
  • Delivered remote-access VPN as a service (RAVPNaaS), eliminating the on-premises concentrator.
  • Deployed the Secure Access agent to more than 700 machines using a cloud deployment method.
  • Implemented DNS and web-layer security for remote users, so they are protected no matter where they work.
The resultA cloud-delivered remote access and security layer, rolled out to more than 700 machines, for a smaller investment than other IT providers had quoted.
Network securityManaged DNS and web security

Book my 30-minute intro callHave a similar situation? Thirty minutes to tell us about it is the first step.

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

The client

IndustryNon-profit (chemistry enterprise)
Revenue$528 million
IT team6, supporting 1,000-plus computer users
LocationsWashington, DC area

"Padlock Technologies recently assisted our infrastructure team with a critical Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) project. Our environment was running an older software version, which presented significant challenges for a team with limited resources and ISE expertise. Padlock Technologies' consultant quickly recognized these constraints and approached the engagement with strong technical knowledge and professionalism. This engagement significantly improved our ability to manage our enterprise network access securely and efficiently. I highly recommend Padlock Technologies for any organization seeking expert-level Cisco ISE design, optimization, and implementation services."

IT ManagerNon-profit organization

An ISE deployment stabilized, upgraded, and brought back under control

The situation

  • Experiencing issues with an existing Cisco ISE deployment and wanted it assessed against Cisco's recommended practices.
  • Needed the profiling engine optimized to strengthen device profiles.
  • Running an older ISE code version with multiple known bugs.
  • Using an outdated method for configuring 802.1X authentication across the switching environment.

What we did

  • Complete assessment of the Cisco ISE deployment, with issues remediated during the engagement.
  • Stabilized the environment by upgrading to the latest recommended code.
  • Established a standard for configuring device profiles that strengthened the security posture.
  • Upgraded switch configurations to Cisco best practices, including fail-open behavior so users keep network access in emergency scenarios when ISE is down.
  • Updated all certificates across all ISE nodes, avoiding a major outage from expiring certificates.
  • Developed a strategy for non-AD-joined machines to access the network through certificate-based authentication with Cisco ISE.
The resultA six-person IT team running enterprise network access control for 1,000-plus users, on current code, with the outage-in-waiting removed, for a lower investment than other providers had quoted.
Managed and co-managed NACGuide: Who's really on your network?

Book my 30-minute intro callHave a similar situation? Thirty minutes to tell us about it is the first step.

What these two have in common

Different industries, different platforms, same pattern. If any of this sounds like your situation, the intro call is where to start.

They already owned the platform

Neither client was buying something new from us. One had just bought Secure Access; the other had been running ISE for years. We started from what they had, not from a quote for replacement.

Lean teams, big user counts

Six people and twenty people, each supporting more than a thousand users. Enterprise platforms don't come with enterprise staffing. That gap is exactly where we work.

It started with an assessment

Both engagements began with a scoped assessment against Cisco's recommended practices. The findings drove the work, and the work was priced before it began.

You might be thinking…

"Our situation is smaller than these."

The platforms scale down further than the staffing does. A 60-person company on Meraki with one IT generalist has the same gap these clients had, just with fewer zeros. Tell us about it on the intro call and we'll say whether it's a fit.

"We don't run Cisco."

These two happen to be Cisco engagements because that's where our deepest bench is. The assessment-first approach, the staged rollout, and the certificate and upgrade discipline apply to any environment we manage.

"Can we talk to these clients?"

Ask on the intro call. Where a client has agreed to take a reference call, we'll arrange it once we've both decided there's a fit worth checking.

"What did these cost?"

Both clients told us our quote came in under what other providers had asked for the same work. Your number depends on your environment, and we'll only quote it after the intro call and a scoped assessment, in writing.

Book a call, or ask us to call you

A 30-minute intro call. We ask about your business, your network, and what prompted you to reach out, then tell you honestly whether we're the right fit. If an assessment makes sense, we scope it and price it before any work starts. If something is broken right now, call us.

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