The Next Level Of Technology Support For RIAs: RightSize Shield

New from RightSize Solutions, the RightSize Shield offers RIAs the fastest, most secure and most flexible managed technology environment in the industry.

empowering better business

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In one complete solution, the RightSize Shield delivers a flexible operating environment for RIAs that complies with regulatory guidance, enables cybersecurity best practices and enforces company policy:

Cybersecurity

• Custom Cybersecurity policy• Integrated Private Cloud Platform• Continuous Systems Monitoring• Device Management• Vendor Management• Privately Hosted Applications• Private network and secure WiFi• Document management• Secure Private file storage vault

Compliance

• SEC Reg S-P Compliance Enforcement • NIST Framework• OCIE recommendations• Audit checklist & support• Email encryption and archival• Multiple and continuous daily backups• Vulnerability and Penetration testing• Data recovery testing

Technology Support

• Infrastructure / Hardware, PCs, Private Cloud, Networking Support• Local network management• Integrated 0365• CRM integration• Hardware refresh program• Mobile and end device support• Unified Communications (VOIP, skype, email, text)

• Dedicated Team IT Support Professionals• Virtual IT Dept. / CISO / CTO• Full Service Helpdesk with avg. 5 min call backs, 14 min resolution times• Administrative Dashboards• Employee Technology, CyberSecurity and Industry Training

Offering Efficiency, Security, and Flexibility to Optimize Your Practice

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The RightSize Shield is a complete and compliant IT management solution for independent RIAs. More than just a secure private cloud environment or end device management, the Shield provides RIAs with an efficient and flexible platform for optimizing their practices, while reducing the risk of a security breach and protecting access to data with customized and enforceable cybersecurity policies.

Why Choose the RightSize Shield?1. Security and Compliance: Generates and archives logs of application, data access, account

activity and audit information that are required by the SEC.

2. Flexible Operating Environment: Combines the advantages of centralized and decentralized computer network architecture in one secure and efficient solution.

3. Productivity and Speed: Industry leading cybersecurity technology solutions, custom designed and compliant with regulations.

4. Optimize Tech Spending: Scales in a predictable manner with the growth of your firm with no membership or individual pricing fees.

Built for the RIA’s Security and Compliance Needs

The RightSize Shield is built to meet the specific security and compliance needs of independent registered investment advisors (RIAs), and then some.

Protection against cyberattacks and data

exposure is critical to every RIA’s business and

reputation. In fact, RIAs have a fiduciary

responsibility to defend clients against the

types of system intrusions and data breaches

that have plagued the financial services

industry in recent years. As regulatory scrutiny

of RIAs increases, advisors need more than

off-the-shelf infrastructure offerings to ensure

they are protecting their clients and their data

to the best of their ability. The RightSize Shield

is the only solution that does this.

The Shield is configured to align with each

firm’s business tech stack, so that functionality

and level of security monitoring are customized

based on the needs of the RIA.

RightSize Solutions provides each RIA with an

enforceable governance and risk assessment-

based cybersecurity policy that is based on its

15+ years of collaborating with the industry’s

custodians and leading technology providers.

The comprehensive cybersecurity policy is the

foundation upon which the security

enforcement and technology stack is built.

The RightSize Shield also addresses the OCIE’s

emerging cybersecurity preparedness

recommendations:

• User Access Rights and Management • Conditional Access

• Data Loss Prevention

The Shield’s User Access Rights and

Management protocols allow RIAs to configure

user authentication to systems, applications and

files.

Limiting access to protected environments and protecting how data can be used ensures that employees only use the applications and information needed to do their jobs. For example, a financial planner might need access to client files containing certain types of investment data that an administrative assistant would not.

Conditional Access protocols add another layer of security by applying rules to a user’s particular environment and devices.

This can mean strengthening where a user can authenticate from or limiting the ways in which users can access the private cloud.

For example, protocols may dictate that when an advisor works from home on an unsecure device, he or she may need to use multi-factor authentication to access client applications and data. The same advisor using a secure device from a known location, such as the office, may be able to use a one-step login to access the same data and applications.

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Devices such as laptops and smartphones — the “last mile” of cybersecurity enforcement — are often overlooked in many RIA cybersecurity plans.The Shield may be the only offering in the RIA industry which offers the degree of flexibility required to access sensitive data and applications via:

• Secured and registered devices using conditional access rules

• Unsecured or unregistered devices through the Shield’s secure private cloud platform

The Shield supports strong Data Loss Prevention protocols by managing the dissemination of client data and company information, whether at-rest or in-transit — within and outside of the firm’s private cloud.

Further, the RightSize Shield provides for proactive notification of potential DLP violations e.g., the dissemination of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in emails.

Each RIA’s private cloud maintains control over access to systems and application data and the distribution of files, instead of distributing information to end user devices. By safeguarding that client data never leaves the security of the Shield, firms reduce the risk of inadvertently exposing that information without giving up the convenience of data access from any device through a secure connection.

This minimizes the chance of employees or others from accidentally wiping file folders or walking out with client information, and protects against emailing flagged keywords such as “guaranteed returns.” In fact, the Shield can automatically

User Access and Rights ManagementAccess management enforces policies for user access and controls, such as passwords, private networks and VPNs, MFA, SSO, modern AUTH, Admin-Restrictions, and monitoring user access. Active Directory and specified security groups are configured with Rights Management at the application, folder, and file levels, with granular protection options — e.g., view, distribute, create, modify, delete.

Conditional AccessWith the Shield, every device or private cloud is registered to the RIA domain and is continuously monitored to ensure the device satisfies the organization’s policies around encryption, device access, anti-virus, malware and patch management (OS and application-level), types of executable applications.

Data Loss Prevention (DLP):Monitoring of authenticity and content transferred outside of the firm, such as by email attachments or uploads..

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prompt the user to review and approve the data being shared in an email — such as a string of numbers in account number format — or even re-route the email to a manager for approval.

Additionally, connecting any device through the RSS private network or the PCP preserves IP address anonymity from prying eyes, side-stepping any potential traffic flow concerns related to net neutrality, and ultimately, protecting devices and users from being targeted by malicious code or unwanted advertisements. The RightSize Shield is the industry’s only solution for these issues. This method of connectivity follows emerging industry best practices and simplifies conditional access,

while maximizing cyber secure protections and performance.

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Experience the Advantages of a Flexible Operating Environment

Depending on how a firm customizes its Shield

and its user profiles, staff can log into their

private cloud from a registered device or an

independent device and work as if they are in

the office. So whether employees are in

environments where only unsecured networks

are available (local coffee shop) or unsecured

devices are used (the family computer),

RightSize Shield provides the ability to operate

equally as effective, layering on additional

protections such as multi-factor authentication

and/or specified network protocols.

The Shield has the flexibility to support both a

centralized or decentralized model as dictated

by the situation. Individual devices can be

securely used if the secured environment is

unavailable, and vice versa. In this way, RIAs are

able to control their security risk and manage

their compliance and regulatory obligations.

The centrally managed platform allows RIAs

to scale their operations in a highly efficient

manner as business grows. The Shield’s data

security policies can extend to new devices,

people and systems with relative ease, similar

to the way a portfolio management

application can add additional portfolios and

calculate performance.

A centrally managed environment also means

the Shield bolsters firms’ business continuity and

disaster recovery capabilities by reducing security

risks that result from natural disasters, employee

departures and occasional accidents. So if a

secured laptop falls into the pool, an employee

can use any other internet-enabled device to log

into the Shield’s secure environment.

The plasticity of the RightSize Shield means that

it can be configured to allow access based on

each firm’s rights management policy and by

enforcing conditional access limitations. This

could mean that some users have complete

access to systems while they are in the office,

but access to fewer systems when logged in

remotely from a registered device, and even less

access if using an unknown device.

By using the Shield’s policies as a foundation:• Security policy enforcement

is normalized across decentralized and centralized models

• Existing policies are easily extended to new business components, employees, locations, devices, etc.

Additional redundancy is created as access to the private cloud platform (PCP) with any device acting as a dumb terminal.

With the RightSize Shield, there’s no compromise.

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The RightSize Shield combines the advantages of centralized and decentralized computer network architecture in one secure and efficient solution. Using the Shield’s flexible operating environment, RIAs get the best of both worlds to support their dynamic and evolving needs, with none of the downsides.

Centralized Decentralized

Summary

Single access point to applications and data

Simplified security management

Multiple points of access to data and applications

Each function is managed independently

BenefitsHigh system security

Reduced hardware & management costs

Convenience & ease

Flexible

DownsideSingle point of failure Must be managed and maintained

individually

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Smarter Technology Means Improved Productivity and Speed

As RIAs increasingly implement Software as a Service (SaaS) to meet their application needs, many find their existing infrastructure cannot support the demands of the “conversational model” of data connectivity. The exponential increase in interconnectivity or integrations across applications amplifies the dependency and demand on quality and/or prioritized internet connections. The frustrating result: slow response times and system lag.

RIAs are buying and maintaining multiple high-speed data lines to protect against network failures. In the event of a line failure, operations move to a secondary line, ensuring business continuity.

To fix slow internet connectivity, RIAs typically just buy more bandwidth. Oftentimes, the root cause issue is the quality of the bandwidth due to multiple hops (see sidebar).

This is an expensive “fix”, as traditional router-based networks cannot handle running more than one data line at a time. Nevertheless, RIAs must pay for at two lines at all times, even though they cannot use them simultaneously.

Enter the RightSize Shield, which eliminates issues with data line capacity and redundancy. By leveraging direct routing and multi-pathing capabilities for all available internet service provider (ISP) lines through the use of a highly

The RightSize Shield significantly improves the speed and quality of the internet by reducing latency and utilizing multiple ISP connections through our proprietary network.

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What is “hop-by-hop” routing?In the age of “Now”, latency — internet slowness — is caused by data making anywhere from 10 to 20 -- or more -- router “hops,” or stops, before reaching its destination. This is a primary cause of incon-sistent or slow load times for critical applications, application issues, degradation of VOIP conference calls, and slow streaming videos.

configured SD-WAN platform, the Shield maximizes the available bandwidth speed of all ISP connectivity options.

The Shield works by deconstructing data transmissions into encrypted data packets, automatically routing them through all available lines based on their sophisticated algorithms. Realistically, all data is not created equal. Internet slowness can often be attributed to spikes in the volume of data flowing through the firm’s ISP. To address this, the Shield’s algorithms prioritize data so that, for example, priority is given to the firm’s core business applications over traffic flow from March Madness sites and YouTube.

RightSize has established a private network of data “superhighways” to connect RIAs and their fintech providers directly. Our algorithms choose the shortest path between the firm’s access points (laptop PCs, phones PCP), the industry’s applications and their major data centers to deliver significant improvements in transmission speed and quality, compared to traditional internet connections.

By sending individual encrypted packets across multiple internet connections simultaneously and intelligently, network speed increases and bandwidth requirements for each data line are reduced. The result is fewer — if any — bottlenecks, improved data security and of course, optimal data transmission speeds.

RightSize Shield uses the RightSize Private Network as a smarter alternative to traditional internet connectivity

The Private Network tool

maximizes the speed of data at

the packet level.

Prioritization of routing to

specific IP addresses by

algorithms is also managed

and delivered to the end node

or router.

The Shield minimizes latency

hops by using a direct route /

private network to all major

IaaS providers and to direct

fintech cloud providers.

14425 College Boulevard Suite 150 Lenexa, Kansas 66215(913) 396-4600info@rightsize-solutions.com

Optimizing Your Technology Investment

Give us a try. We’ll analyze your network for free.We provide all prospective

clients with a full

technology assessment

of their network.

The RightSize Shield is a private cloud for RIAs that goes beyond providing data protection and computing resources. The Shield is designed to optimize each firm’s technology investment.

RIAs typically find they are not just more operationally

efficient and secure with RightSize, but they run more

cost-effectively as well. Because RightSize hosts and

manages each RIA’s Integrated Platform PCP Office

Network, coordinating additional hardware or upgrading

processing ability as business grows becomes our concern,

not the firm’s. Updates to business policies, security

management, hardware & software inventory reporting,

and automated patch management are delivered to the RIA

from RightSize automatically.

About RightSize SolutionsRightSize Solutions is a privately held company headquartered in Lenexa, KS. Our company

roots date back to 2002 and our focus is exclusively in the registered investment advisor (RIA)

community. At a leading provider of IT Management and Cybersecurity, RightSize Solutions

helps RIAs navigate the promise of technology to gain greater flexibility, lower costs and

increase productivity. A hybrid of customized technology, proactive management and

unrivaled service, we keep your systems securely running and your business soaring.