Edgeos Fuels Engine For Managed Security Services

Company: Edgeos

Headquarters: Phoenix, Ariz.

Technology Sector: Security

Key Product: Edgeos Security Services Platform

Year Founded: 2001

Number of Channel Partners: 50 worldwide

Ideal Channel Partner: Managed Service Providers

Why You Should Care: Edgeos provides the engine behind managed service providers' assessment tools with its completely private-labeled security services platform, which allows partners to put their own stamp on their offerings.

The Lowdown: Edgeos calls itself the provider's provider. Essentially executives say, Edgeos gives managed security service providers the ability to do their job. The Chandler, Ariz.-based company enables technology and network service organizations to provide vulnerability testing with its Web-based vulnerability assessment platform.

"We're very much behind the scenes," said Russell Poffenroth, senior sales associate for Edgeos. "Many of our customers are using our services and their clients don't even know that we are the backend to that. And that's the way we want it to be."

Edgeos Security Services Platform

Edgeos' platform is primarily used by managed service providers, who in turn use the engine to provide vulnerability assessments for compliance regulations such as HIPAA and PCI DSS. VARs that offer services wrapped around hardware offerings, such as firewall and intrusion detection, can then incorporate Edgeos' platform into their product portfolios, allowing them to offer vulnerability assessments after an installation.

"The whole idea is to help those organizations maintain their security posture and compliance," Poffenroth said.

The company also prides itself on its private label, which allows resellers to singularly brand its services, as well as its ability to seamlessly adapt to its customers network environment and scale to enterprises and networks of all sizes executives say.

And in light of the lagging economy, Edgeos added a new month-to-month pricing model to its suite of managed vulnerability assessment services, which gives smaller providers the ability to offer flexible pricing for their services without having to commit to a monthly minimum.

And those compliance-driven services, are even more vital in a down economy, Poffenroth said.

"These organizations have to be more accountable because of their visibility. You have to have the mechanisms in place to report, or have the information and documentation available during an audit," he said. "The truth of the matter is, in bad economic times, people tend to stray away from the straight and narrow."