Solution journey: your optional timeline
Choosing a new solution can seem like a daunting task — it is challenging to assess and plan as many variables influence the process. At the same time, the primary concern of the company’s management and leadership is how long the implementation will take and what steps are waiting ahead.
WHAT IS IN THIS TOOL?
Selecting the best fitting cybersecurity solution for your business
Our experience suggests that most organizational security decision-making cases roughly fall into three broad categories:
- Quick solution - when a company needs a solution as soon as possible.
- Best choice - a scenario where a company wants to review and test the solution before committing efficiently.
- Full journey - when a company wants to evaluate the solution for a complete organizational fit (reviewing competencies, resources, integrations, use-cases).
In the provided presentation, you will find three case-based scenarios for selecting and adopting the solution—the guide includes information on the essential process stages, required time estimations, and overall process timeline. Let’s take a look:
Quick solution scenario
Sometimes, business circumstances demand quick decision-making — perhaps a new client or business partner requires implementing specific measures or must put additional security policies into action due to a recent breach. We call this the “We need a solution now!” scenario.
There are only two essential steps in this process: Admin setup and User onboarding. Since companies do not need to commit to full-scale employee onboarding, the solution can be used with a small pilot team and easily scaled up later, making the demo stage entirely optional.
It is pretty standard for IT specialists and teams to assume that network access, and security solutions take a long time to implement. The total time needed to set up fully and onboard users can be as quick as 15 minutes. Of course, the exact timeline does not apply to all solutions available on the market. Some might need an upfront investment and a 1-month setup and preparation period to start using the solution.
Best choice scenario
In this scenario, the goal is to review and efficiently test the solution before committing. Shortlisting solutions and setting up a limited number of selected demo calls might require additional time. After initial shortlisted vendor product overview calls, follow the Proof of Concept (POC) or trial stage that can last 1-2 weeks, and thoroughly investigate and test the product for final evaluation and vendor selection.
The final admin setup may follow after deciding on the product that meets the selection criteria.
Full journey scenario
The whole journey title implies that this scenario involves the most robust solution assessment. There is an additional paperwork stage to meet legal requirements. Signing NDA and other legal documents might take a day or two. Alternatively, NordLayer TOS has confidentiality clauses that allow jumping to the following process immediately.
Other additional steps likely to appear in this scenario include technical assessment and integration setup. Under ordinary circumstances, completing these stages is possible in a single day.
In case of more complicated assessment conditions, the IT team should plan up to one week to complete both steps successfully. NordLayer works well with existing infrastructure, allowing the IT team to relax right away as there will be no unforeseen challenges that extend the project timeline.
The entire timeline for a scenario that involves thorough solution testing and assessment might vary from 2 to 4 weeks. NordLayer provides continuous onboarding support through a dedicated account management function after finalizing the solution adoption phase. Our support team helps resolve any additional team questions or needs and assures a smooth experience for the whole organization.
Scenario comparison
Even though completing each of the scenarios can vary from minutes to weeks, it is vital to remember that you can expedite NordLayer implementation at any point of the journey. Companies have complete flexibility to trial and test the solution with a small team and immediately scale it up to the desired scope. Situations like this give clients confidence and the necessary space to perform the best-informed decision-making.
Feel free to download the prepared presentation and contact the tech-minded salesperson for more details.
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