We’ve put together the following responses to a few frequently asked questions about the implementation of automated documentation with Liongard. If you have unaddressed questions, please reach out to us at [email protected] or 1-800-541-0450.
Q: What is Automated Documentation?
A: Automated Documentation means using a tool that will capture system configuration information across cloud services, network devices and other on-premises systems near real-time and synchronize that documentation with our internal documentation tool.
Q: I thought you were already documenting our environment. How is this different?
A: We make painstaking efforts to document your systems, update documentation when there are changes and keep our documentation up to date. Our process is a manual one, and once the documentation is in our system, it is static. It is nearly impossible to keep documentation up to date and accurate without ongoing and consistent manual effort. Liongard will automate this process and automatically update information dynamically.
Q: What systems does it document?
A: Active Directory, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, Cisco, Duo, FortiGate firewalls, HP ProCurve switches, KnowBe4, Microsoft 365, Microsoft SQL Server, Sophos, SSL certificates, StorageCraft, Veeam, WatchGuard, network discovery, workstations and many more.
Q: What tool are you using? What’s the name of the “agent”?
A: The tool is called Liongard (and the agent is simply, “Liongard Agent”). More information about the tool is available at on their website.
Q: Is the tool safe and secure?
A: Yes! Liongard is a security-focused solution with multiple security certifications and is in compliance with SOC2, HIPAA, PCI, GDPR and FIPS. Further, it has passed our rigorous Vendor Risk Management program to ensure your firm is not at risk by our using this product. More information on Liongard’s security may be found in their FAQ here under “Is Liongard Secure?”
Q: Does the tool slow down my systems or impact my end users?
A: No. The agents required to collect the documentation are extremely lightweight and invisible to the end users. There will be no end-user visibility or performance degradation due to the usage of this tool.
Q: Can I have access to my documentation?
A: Absolutely! For a nominal fee, we can grant you access to your documentation so you will always have the latest information about your systems. In most cases, only one or two client representatives would need or want access to that documentation. Licenses are ~$25 monthly per seat.
Q: Does the tool have audit logs, change management and/or revision history?
A: Yes, the tool not only captures the existing documentation. It also captures any changes made, who made the change and what that change was. It stores this information permanently in non-editable format to preserve audit logs.
Q: What is this documentation used for?
A: Primarily our support efforts. All too often, we receive alerts on security exploits that could cause harm to specific hardware or software that has not received a security update, patch or upgrade. This allows us to quickly scan our clients and take immediate action to thwart, mitigate or remediate harmful activity.