• Background
• Service Details
• Initial Setup and Configuration
• Pricing Overview
• Sample Network Diagrams
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Comparison Chart

Initial Setup and Configuration

Whether you are purchasing or renting the firewall from Primus, Primus will complete all hardware setup, installation, and configuration steps.

Primus’ Managed Firewall service provides the following initial setup features:

1.  
   1. A meeting between you and a Primus firewall technician. During the meeting, you and the Primus technician will perform a "needs analysis" to figure out what your firewall requirements are. The analysis will take into account your existing server/office environment and your future growth requirements.
   2. If you already have a configured, working firewall, Primus will still meet with you to review the existing configuration. Primus may recommend changes and/or a Cisco security appliance operating system upgrade to ensure the firewall can be properly supported by Primus.
2. During the meeting Primus and you will identify all inbound-traffic firewall rules required to provide external access to your internal servers. (by default, no inbound traffic is allowed)
3. During the meeting, Primus and you will identify whether any outbound-traffic restrictions are required (by default, no outbound traffic is blocked).
4. After the configuration and rule set has been determined, Primus will configure and install the firewall within an agreed upon time period (usually two business days).

Ongoing Support

Once the firewall is installed and operational, Primus will provide ongoing maintenance, reporting, and incident response services for the duration of the support contract.

Firewall Maintenance

1. Primus will apply rule changes as requested by you. Once the allowed number of rule changes per month has been exceeded all additional rule change requests will result in extra fees. All rule change requests should be submitted through Primus’ customer service portal (myaccount.primus.ca)
2. When the firewall is first deployed, Primus will ensure that the latest, stable operating system release is installed on the firewall device. During the contract period, Primus will upgrade the operating system or apply security patches/fixes to the device if such work is required to ensure the safety and performance of the customer's network and firewall device. Primus may choose not to apply an upgrade to the firewall if the upgrade does not provide any benefit to you.

Reporting

1. Primus will provide you with access to real-time graphs showing active "session" counts on the firewall. These graphs are provided through Primus’ customer service portal. (myaccount.primus.ca)
2. Primus will log all blocked intrusion attempts (traffic blocked by the firewall rules).
3. Primus will provide you with monthly reports summarizing all blocked intrusion attempts. These reports are provided through Primus’ customer service portal (myaccount.primus.ca)
4. Primus will provide you with the "raw" firewall logs upon request. You would only need a copy of these logs if you want to do your own analysis on them.

Incident Response

1. Primus will monitor the firewall 24/7 to ensure service availability.
2. In the event of hardware failure, Primus will contact Cisco on your behalf to request hardware replacements, etc. (Requires a valid Smartnet support contract with Cisco).
3. In the event of a network attack which results in performance problems on the firewall device or your network, Primus will work with you to determine the best course of action to resolve the problem.

Supported Firewall Devices

Primus currently supports the Cisco security appliance firewall devices. As listed below, there are several different models of the Cisco security appliance which provide varying levels of performance and features. Primus may support other types of firewalls in the future. If you have an existing firewall which is not a Cisco security appliance or you are interested in such a device, please contact Primus’ Sales Department to find out if Primus can support that firewall platform.