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Want Less Noise in Your AWS Security Hub Console? We’ve Got Good News!

AWS recently changed its underlying alert creation in Security Hub. If you enabled more than one control, you’re likely getting repeats of the same alert from the different controls. With AWS’s new feature, you’ll receive one standard alert—even if it violates multiple controls.

This new feature introduces a single control ID across all standards. For example, before the new feature you would get three different alerts:

  • The CIS standard will report “CIS 2.5”
  • The PCI will report “PCI.Config.1”
  • The AWS FSBP will report “Config.1”

And if you enable de-duplication, all standards will report a single consolidated finding of “Config.1”

De-duplication isn’t automatically enabled for existing implementations, and you’ll want to consider a few things before turning on the new feature. However, any new implementations will already have it enabled by default.

Here are a few things to watch out for before enabling de-duplication:

  • If you have an existing implementation and use any automation—either custom through CloudWatch or Automated Security Response— you’ll need to change your rules to reflect the new finding sID.
  • Automated Security Response doesn’t currently support the new finding IDs. Wait until it updates.
  • If you’re integrating into an SIEM, check with your SIEM team to ensure it supports the new finding IDs.

A few other things to note:

  1. If you’re running Security Hub (centralized in an organization), you’ll update it in the centralized account. It will roll out to existing accounts automatically.
  2. Creating a new account in an organization with an existing account? It will be configured the same as the master account.

AWS’s new de-duplication feature can help if you’re struggling with the number of alerts in Security Hub by reducing them and streamlining updates.

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Lightstream helps company streamline needs with significant financial savings

Customized solution was one stop shop for more holistic approach

Business Challenges

A company that delivers secure and trusted real-time data to other companies across industries needed a creative solution in a short timeframe and turned to Lightstream. It wanted all of its technical needs, including cloud access solutions and licensing agreements, to be in one dashboard. The company’s data platform delivers mission-critical, secure data at scale to create connected omnichannel experiences for customers, partners and employees.

Quick Turnaround
The company had a quick turnaround time of 45 days for a creative and customized solution that met its vast needs. Because of the nature of its business, this company could not afford to have downtime in delivery.

Holistic Approach
All of the company’s technical needs needed to be within one dashboard for a more holistic approach.

Capabilities & Customizations
The company was looking for a solution that could handle its cloud access offerings and licensing agreements and needed something with more capabilities and customizations.

The Lightstream Solution

Lightstream worked side-by-side with global technology partner to provide a deep understanding of their client’s business model and ecosystem resulting in a holistic solutions recommendation that addressed all their technical needs within one dashboard.

Rapid Response
Lightstream worked with one of our preferred partners to provide a completely customized solution in just 45 days. It met all of the company’s cloud access and licensing needs.

One Stop Shop
With Lightstream’s preferred partners working closely together, the company was offered creative solutions under one umbrella, allowing for a holistic approach. Lightstream has vast expertise in solutions offered by business partners such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Palo Alto and RELAX.

Support & Technical Experience
Lightstream provided support and technical expertise to find the best solution for this company’s cloud access and licensing agreements. Through Lightstream’s evaluation of the company’s ecosystem, it was discovered there were other opportunities for optimization. Once the company was introduced to those products, it wanted to include them in their package.

Guiding Your Team
Lightstream guided the team with information they needed to ensure our preferred partners could create a custom solution that would meet all of the company’s needs.

Business Outcomes

Streamlined Operation
Lightstream worked side-by-side with Palo Alto to provide a deep understanding of the company’s business model and ecosystem, resulting in a holistics solutions recommendation that addressed all of its technical needs within one dashboard.

Significant Cost Savings
Lightstream worked with preferred partners to create a customized solution that saved this company more than $300,000.

Minimal Downtime
The company was able to continue providing its clients with the security they need for their data with minimal downtime. Lightstream provided a solution in 45 days, meeting the company’s deadline.

Direct Access to Experts
The company had direct access to Lightstream’s tech experts to quickly receive answers about services provided by our preferred partners.

Get Started

Our elite team of tech experts can create a comprehensive solution to your technical needs and search for massive cost-saving opportunities. To discover how Lightstream can work for you, contact us today.

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Lightstream reduces company’s long-term expenses by designing customized cloud strategy

Leaning into our longstanding relationship with AWS, optimizes the environment, to secure a favorable agreement and ensure maximum cost savings

Business Challenges

For over 25 years, companies have relied on this global software development company for solutions to effectively manage quality events and processes. Users depend on them to save time, maximize efficiency, and reduce the occurrence of errors, through their Quality Management System and Manufacturing Excellence products. This organization needed an expert cloud services program perfectly tailored to fit its needs.

Overpaying for Services
Our client grew increasingly concerned it was overpaying for services under a prior agreement and missing out on strategic cost-saving opportunities.

Overwhelming Options
The company was faced with an overwhelming combination of services and applications to learn about and sort through for the best deal to fit its specific needs. It needed a plan with terms customized to its unique needs.

Need for Guidance
An expert in the space was needed to help gather data and calculate relevant and reliable forecasting models on future cloud usage needs.

The Lightstream Solution

Through Lightstream’s extensive expertise and longstanding relationship with cloud solutions partners, we were able to design our operations to better leverage AWS solutions and services, saving time and costs.

Extensive Expertise
Lightstream relied on its extensive expertise to gather data for their client. This helped the organization’s leaders, alongside Lightstream’s experts, decide on key services and terms that could optimize cloud costs. Lightstream also initiated an in-depth analysis of the company’s systems and technical operations. Data-driven figures were also used to better flesh out the essential resources, platforms and other tools it needed to efficiently operate its business.

Long-Term Projections
Lightstream prepared five-year projections, forecasting the company’s future compute and usage demands. The projections accounted for industry trends, the company’s growth plan and other variables. Lightstream processed this data and designed the most comprehensive and cost-effective plan for the company.

Reaching Full Potential
Lightstream discovered some areas of the company’s current solutions were not being used to their full potential or weren’t being used at all. Lightstream was able to better educate the team on the technology and ecosystem, which maximized future use.

Higher Discount Rate
Lightstream designed a plan with terms customized to the company’s needs, engaged available yet underutilized technology and negotiated better AWS EDP agreement terms with a higher discount rate.

Cost-Saving Consulting
The company asked Lightstream to source quotes from possible new solutions partners. Because of Lightstream’s expertise with cloud services EDPs, it confirmed the best outcome for the client’s unique circumstances would be to remain with Amazon Web Services. It encouraged the client to continue with its current ecosystem, ultimately saving time and money, had a switch occurred.

Business Outcomes

Steep Savings
Lightstream’s negotiation of more attractive EDP terms resulted in an increase in savings. This was possible because of Lightstream’s long standing relationship with AWS and their deep understanding of the client’s needs. Lightstream facilitated mutually beneficial negotiations.

Consistent Partnership
Instead of parting ways, AWS and the company entered a longer-term agreement, which in time, saves costs and increases efficiencies.

Leveraging Solutions
The company was able to design its operations to better leverage AWS solutions and services, saving time and costs.

Secure Long-Term Savings with Lightstream

If your company needs an expert to help analyze your business needs to create secure and interconnected cloud and network foundations, Lightstream is the partner of choice. With our in-depth industry expertise and longstanding relationships with some of the most innovative cloud solutions partners in the marketplace, we can make recommendations on next steps, contract terms and partnerships that save your organization time and costs. Contact us today to get started!

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Lightstream closes major security gaps and provides efficient system for benefits brokerage and HR services firm

Lightstream Cloud Checker paves the way for better customer service and alleviates strain on team

Business Challenge

A benefits brokerage and HR services firm specializing in integrated technology solutions for small businesses had two main needs: More efficient systems and closing gaps in security. The firm focuses on providing the best benefits, HR and compliance management services on the market. Its signature concept is its integrated technology solution, which can manage an organization’s HR needs from recruitment to retirement.

Massive Strain on team
The benefits brokerage and HR services firm employs 80+ people and has an annual revenue of over $17 million but their growth in the last couple of years exploded which meant its cloud infrastructure was getting more complex. This put a massive strain on the team to manage the system and it became increasingly more involved and time consuming.

Gaps in Security
The other major concern involved security. The firm needed to find any gaps that put sensitive information at risk, including individuals’ medical histories.

You need somebody looking at your security environment on an ongoing basis. Lightstream does that for hundreds of customers. We have competencies and multiple cloud platforms. That’s what we do.

— Jim Cassell, Lightstream CEO

 

The Lightstream Solution

Lightstream Cloud Checker performed a thorough review of the firm’s existing infrastructure. It found several points of vulnerability. Through our solutions, the firm’s cloud infrastructure is now layered with security.

Expert-Level Education
Lightstream was also able to educate the firm on the benefits of Amazon Web Services (AWS). Its knowledge allows for this firm to function safely and with confidence because of the AWS installation.

Consistent Checkpoints and Transparent Communication
The partnership didn’t end at installation. Lightstream and the benefits brokerage meet monthly to review data generated by Cloud Checker to identify opportunities with and threats to the firm’s security and ways to better utilize AWS.

We love working with them. They’re very sharp. Any time we have questions, [we get] immediate answers. Peace of mind. We’re not alone, we feel like we’re covered.

— Director of Software Engineering, Global HR Services Firm

 

Business Outcomes

Better Customer Service and Decreased Employee Strain
Lightstream’s Cloud Checker solution paved the way for this firm to better serve its customers because its workers are no longer strained by a cumbersome cloud infrastructure. It also helped fortify the firm’s security to protect personal information and maintain trust with their clients.

Cost Transparency and Allocation
The cost is shared across departments. Lightstream provides the firm with a financial review with tagging so it’s able to link its use of AWS to specific operations within the organization. It’s a powerful visual tool that also adds depth as an expense, because rather than seeing one large, lump single sum amount owed, the cost is broken down as it is allocated across different departments.

Cost Savings and Optimization
The solutions implemented not only save costs but ensure continued optimization. Each month, our Lightstream team provides a server usage report that allows the client to turn off any unused servers and optimize what’s in play.

Next-Level Data Protection
No business wants to be publicizing to the world that it lost customers’ data. Lightstream’s monthly, in-depth system check identifies weaknesses and vulnerabilities to ensure continued improvements to security strategies, in real-time.

What’s Next? Partner With Lightstream

Innovative companies like yours need secure and interconnected cloud and network foundations. But building those can be a complex process. That’s where Lightstream comes in. Our expert team is ready to help your organization stay at the forefront of your industry. Contact us today about Lightstream Cloud Checker and how it can tighten security and create transparency for opportunities.

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Lightstream Helps Major Software Provider Achieve Business Growth with AWS Even During Pandemic

Industry:  Technology

Cloud Managed Services Empower MasterControl through Business Optimization, Cost Control and Enhanced Security within AWS

Business Challenge

As a leading provider of Enterprise Quality Management Software (EQMS), MasterControl prides itself on maintaining the highest standards of quality and operational excellence. In fact, the organization’s cloud-based QMS system is titled MasterControl Quality Excellence™. With some of the largest regulatory agencies and life-science companies in the world depending on MasterControl to help them expedite the process of providing people with life-changing products, they can’t afford to leave quality and compliance to chance.

MasterControl is an innovator in the use of cloud technology and started down the path of public cloud with AWS in 2010. They eventually became overwhelmed with the day-to-day contractual management of AWS and sought out a technology provider that could help them streamline processes, fine-tune security and contain costs. They found that partner in Lightstream, an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner that offers a variety of services to assist organizations in assessing, designing and managing their AWS environment.

Over the years, Lightstream has helped MasterControl to find better ways to grow their business with AWS while controlling costs. Lightstream’s assistance with onboarding new accounts and achieving savings discounts has enabled the company to overcome obstacles as they bolstered software development initiatives. AWS and Lightstream supported MasterControl as the company expanded into Europe and Asia Pacific, which expansion was made much faster and more seamless due to the cloud.

As most business leaders know, this magnitude of expansion is almost always accompanied by growing pains. MasterControl’s IT team found that it was being stretched thin and no longer had time or sufficient resources for the ongoing monitoring needed to detect potential cloud security issues. They had to find ways to manage security and reduce cloud spending as they worked to establish a strong global presence. Travis Ruiz, Director of Cloud Services at MasterControl, once again collaborated with long-time partner Lightstream to come up with a solution.

Solution

Lightstream knew that its Cloud Managed Services offering could provide MasterControl with enhanced financial optimization along with the security oversight that is critical in order for the company to prosper even during times of crisis. Cloud Managed Services helps companies to improve the day-to-day administration and management of their cloud infrastructure through a flexible mix of consulting, integration and managed services. Lightstream’s gold level service package identifies changes that must be made in MasterControl’s cloud environment for security, technical and financial optimization. Lightstream then implements the changes necessary to remediate the financial aspects of those optimizations, while MasterControl’s in-house team is able to remediate any security and technical issues Lightstream detects.

Lightstream negotiated an Enterprise Discount Plan (EDP) with AWS on behalf of MasterControl in order to achieve a considerable expense reduction. Cost optimization measures have been amped up with additional savings plans and in-depth reviews and revisions to its Reserved Instances contracts. Extensive tagging features and Lightstream Connect customized reporting were established to help the company save time and gain greater visibility while analyzing expenditures and appropriately allocating costs.

Business Outcomes

Since Lightstream began providing Cloud Managed Services to the company in 2017, MasterControl has been able to meet their stringent budget constraints, even during the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic. Like most organizations, MasterControl faced many challenges in 2020 as customers weren’t as active as they once were, which was negatively impacting the company’s revenue stream.

Financial Optimization

Despite this, they’ve managed to stay on track with the help of an eight percent discount on AWS costs along with additional savings. A dedicated team at Lightstream has ongoing interaction with MasterControl’s executive officers, regularly delivering detailed reports and savings summaries that demonstrate how Lightstream is helping the company reduce expenses.

Enhanced Security

MasterControl’s internal IT team is able to focus on keeping its cloud environment safe and secure with the help of Lightstream’s ongoing monitoring, analysis and reports that give insight into potential technical and security threats and concerns that must be remediated.

Business Growth

While MasterControl’s cloud journey with AWS propelled the company’s international growth, Lightstream has ensured business optimization and significant ROI along the way. Lightstream has helped MasterControl to scale down spending without lowering their high standards for quality, compliance and security. The company has managed not only to remain viable during this tumultuous time, but it’s starting to grow again even in the face of an economic downturn.

As MasterControl continues its steady expansion, Lightstream is unwavering in its promise to add value and foster growth within the AWS cloud environment. Lightstream stands ready to support MasterControl well into the future, with ever-broadening service offerings that can continue to help it succeed in its quest to maintain the highest standards of quality, safety and operational excellence.

What MasterConrol had to say:

“We appreciate that Lightstream goes above and beyond to enrich our AWS cloud environment. Our long-term partnership with them has allowed us to keep customer success and innovation at the core of our operating philosophy without compromising on the cost and efficiency of our cloud infrastructure. We’re on track for continued growth with cloud technology firmly at the center of our product and services map.”

-Travis Ruiz, director of cloud services at MasterControl